Located in Whitman County, Washington, Manning-Rye Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. The nearest town is Colfax, about 6.6 km (4.1 mi) away (Manning-Rye Covered Bridge lies NW of town). It dates from 1922. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Manning-Rye Covered Bridge, spanning the Palouse River near Colfax, Washington, was built around 1918. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It has also been known as the Harpole Bridge. It was a work of the Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad, an interurban electric railroad. Its "timber housing protects a single span timber Howe truss which rests on timber pile abutments, encased with timber cribs." Although it is deemed a covered bridge, the top of the bridge was left uncovered to allow for connection between the locomotive and the overhead electric lines. The bridge came into ownership of the Great Northern Railroad, and was used as a railroad bridge until 1967. It was purchased in 1969 by a private owner who replaced rails by wooden planking and used it for automobile access to their property. It was located one mile from County Route 4, in...From the Wikipedia article “Manning-Rye Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Manning-Rye Covered Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:56 AM | 53° NE | 8:49 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 125° SE | 4:04 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Covered bridges look their best with soft side-light and a backdrop of fall color, snow or fresh spring green.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:31 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:15 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:43 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:15 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:50 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:10 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:37 PM | 8h 33m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Manning-Rye Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:18 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:01 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:18 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:43 PM – 1:53 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 12:48 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 10:44 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.52 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 29% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 58 | 60 | 72 | 81 | 89 | 101 | 101 | 104 | 100 | 88 | 69 | 58 |
| Low °F | -13 | -8 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 36 | 44 | 42 | 28 | 14 | 1 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this covered bridge
- Shoot from the stream bank to show the bridge, the water and its reflection together.
- Inside the bridge, the timber trusses make strong symmetrical compositions — use a tripod for long exposures.
- Many covered bridges still carry traffic; stay off the roadway and watch for vehicles.
- Overcast days keep contrast low between the dark interior and the bright surroundings.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Peak fall color is the classic season; winter snow and spring blossoms are less crowded alternatives.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Polarizer for foliage. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Manning-Rye Covered Bridge, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Manning-Rye Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Manning-Rye Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Manning-Rye Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Manning-Rye Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Manning-Rye Covered Bridge?
How far is Manning-Rye Covered Bridge from Colfax?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.