Conewago Falls — a waterfall in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania at about 73 m (240 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Bainbridge, about 5.1 km (3.2 mi) away (Conewago Falls lies NW of town).
Conewago Falls in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was a historic river barrier 12 miles (19 km) below and south of Harrisburg at a wide spot (8,000 feet (2,400 m)), where the river drops 19 feet (5.8 m) in 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) along the lower Susquehanna River along either side of Three Mile Island. The falls between the west bank and the west side of the island were inundated-by-design years ago by construction of the York Haven Dam which, when it was completed in 1904, for a time became the third largest in the world. Today the Falls hides inside the Frederic Lake reservoir along the west side of the island. The falls would often be portaged around by Native Americans with their elm bark canoes transiting between Susquehannock (and later, Iroquois and Lenape) Amerindian towns at points upriver to the oyster beds in Chesapeake Bay or vice versa. The Falls blocked riverine navigation...From the Wikipedia article “Conewago Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Conewago Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 58° ENE | 8:40 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 121° ESE | 4:45 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 19m |
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
Waterfalls photograph best in soft, even light: overcast days, deep shade, or the hour after sunrise before direct sun hits the water. Bright sun on white water blows highlights and adds harsh contrast.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 01m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 20m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Conewago Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:31 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:00 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.14 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 88 | 91 | 95 | 103 | 101 | 96 | 93 | 78 | 71 |
| Low °F | -9 | -12 | -8 | 21 | 28 | 41 | 49 | 49 | 38 | 24 | 11 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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 waterfall
- Bracket shutter speeds: 1/8 s, 1/2 s and 2 s give very different water textures and you can choose later.
- A 3-stop ND filter lets you use slow shutter speeds even when the light is bright.
- Shoot a vertical and a horizontal frame; tall falls often work better in portrait orientation.
- Use 1/4 to 1 second for a silky look; 1/500 s or faster freezes individual drops.
- A circular polarizer cuts glare on wet rocks and leaves and deepens greens — rotate it while watching the rocks, not the sky.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Peak flow is usually in late spring; autumn adds color around the falls, and winter can bring ice formations at colder locations.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, 3–6 stop ND filter, Lens cloth, Waterproof footwear. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Conewago Falls, closest first.
Cave
State Park
Covered Bridge
Botanical Garden
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Botanical Garden
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Conewago Falls?
What time is golden hour at Conewago Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Conewago Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Conewago Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Conewago Falls?
How far is Conewago Falls from Bainbridge?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.