Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. Fall Vacations
  4. America's Most Beautiful Covered Bridges

America's Most Beautiful Covered Bridges

By Katarina Kovacevic
September 11, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Massachussetts Office of Travel & Tourism
A covered bridge played a supporting role in one of Hollywood’s most intense and fleeting love stories: The Bridges of Madison County, which still inspires visitors to seek out Iowa’s Roseman Covered Bridge: it ranks higher on TripAdvisor than John Wayne’s nearby birthplace.

Embodying a simpler time in American life, wooden covered bridges like Roseman began springing up across the country in the early 1800s. You’ll find them in state and national parks, amid the rolling hills of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and in popular leaf-peeping corners of New England.

The structures are often referred to as “kissing bridges,” since the enclosed domes provide lovers with just the right amount of privacy. Yet it was practicality that inspired their construction. Covered bridges made it possible to cross rivers, lakes, and valleys with horse-drawn carriages (often agitated by rushing water) and, before the advent of air-conditioning, they provided local residents a cool break from summer heat.

Only about 10 percent of covered bridges have stood the test of time, among them, Wawona Covered Bridge in Yosemite National Park and Maine’s Artist’s Bridge—one of the state’s most photographed and painted sites. It’s worth taking the scenic route to find them.
Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Cornwall, CT

Credit: Norman Eggert / Alamy

Leaf peepers flock to Housatonic Meadows State Park—Connecticut’s only stretch of the Appalachian Trail—for riverside camping and hiking amid 10,000 acres of foliage. As you drive past the park, keep an eye out for West Cornwall Covered Bridge, a red wooden landmark designed by Connecticut native Ithiel Town.

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Humpback Covered Bridge, Covington, VA

Credit: Gene Ahrens / Alamy

The center of Humpback Covered Bridge makes an unusual arc shape, reaching four feet higher at its middle than at either end. Built in 1857, Virginia’s oldest still-standing covered bridge has become a popular photo-op for tourists and wedding parties alike. Other historic attractions in the Shenandoah Valley include two Civil War battlefields.

2 of 16

3 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Roseman Covered Bridge, Winterset, IA

Credit: Danita Delimont / Alamy

Meryl Streep fans will recognize Roseman Covered Bridge from The Bridges of Madison County. Photographer Robert Kincaid, played by Clint Eastwood, seeks out this 107-foot crossing (one of six countywide) while in town for an assignment. And Francesca Johnson (Streep) invites him to dinner by tacking a note on the bridge—igniting one of Hollywood’s most memorable love affairs.

3 of 16

Advertisement

4 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Artist’s Bridge, Newry, ME

Credit: UIG via Getty Images

Maine’s covered bridges first appeared in the mid-1800s to pave the way for horse-drawn caravans. Before fire, flood, and ice took their toll, the state counted 120 of these historic structures: only nine still stand. While Artist’s Bridge—constructed in 1872 above the Sunday River near the town of North Bethel—is no longer open to traffic, it remains one of Maine’s most photographed and painted sites.

4 of 16

5 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Flume Covered Bridge, Franconia Notch, NH

Credit: ClassicStock / Alamy

With walls of granite rising up to 90 feet high, the Flume is a natural gorge and waterfall formed nearly 200 million years ago. During the Ice Age, it was masked by glaciers that later melted into a bubbling brook. Large rock formations mark the Pemigewasset River, which is ornamented by the distinctive Flume Covered Bridge (est. 1886) and its adjacent footbridge for hikers.

5 of 16

6 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Wawona Covered Bridge, Yosemite National Park, CA

Credit: Russ Bishop / Alamy

Spanning the South Fork of the Merced River, Wawona Covered Bridge features Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir but initially lacked one key element: a roof. In the 1880s, the Wawona Hotel’s owners—a trio from Vermont supposedly homesick for a bit of New England—covered the bridge. At the time, it provided a direct route to Yosemite Valley for local horse and pedestrian traffic; today, visitors can walk the stretch once traversed by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A. M. Foster Covered Bridge, Cabot, VT

Credit: EcoPhotography.com / Alamy

Vermont’s cheese trail offers roughly 280 miles of sharp cheddar, creamy Gorgonzola, and herby chèvre. Hit the road, and you’ll likely end up near the Cabot Creamery and A. M. Foster Covered Bridge, which spans a ravine in the middle of farmland. It’s a comparative newcomer to these parts, designed in 1988 by resident Richard Spaulding to replicate the 19th-century Orton Bridge.

7 of 16

8 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Horton Bridge, Amnicon Falls State Park, WI

Credit: © Al Thomas / Flickr

A trek through Amnicon Falls State Park delivers a close-up perspective on geologic arrangements formed by earthquakes half a billion years ago. Prehistoric rocks mix with volcanic material along the scenic River Trail, winding past mini pools, cascades, and waterfalls. For the best view, take to the Horton Bridge over the Lower Falls. And keep a lookout for deer and coyote.

8 of 16

9 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Campbell’s Covered Bridge, Landrum, SC

Credit: Bob Pardue - SC / Alamy

South Carolina’s only remaining covered bridge is short and sweet—a cheery red pinewood structure measuring 38 feet across Beaverdam Creek. Bordered by the Greenville County Recreation District, the bridge makes a romantic backdrop for picnics, especially come autumn. It’s named for the former owner of a nearby corn gristmill.

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Weaver’s Mill Bridge, East Earl, PA

Credit: Jeff Covey / Flickr

German-influenced Lancaster County is known for its family farms, markets, and frozen-in-time tableaux. Case in point: red-and-white Weaver’s Mill Bridge is regularly used as a buggy crossing by the local Amish community.

10 of 16

11 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stark Bridge, Stark, NH

Credit: Picade LLC / Alamy

The Ammonoosuc River has gotten the better of Stark Bridge a few times, beginning with an 1890s flood that uprooted the wooden structure and washed it downriver. A team of unwavering townspeople and oxen set the bridge back into its place, and a few failures and a restoration later, Stark Bridge is standing tall.

11 of 16

12 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Newfield Covered Bridge, Newfield, NY

Credit: A.D. Wheeler / Flickr

Of the 29 covered bridges that accent New York State, Newfield Covered Bridge (est. 1853) is the state’s oldest that remains open daily to car traffic. It spreads 115 feet across Cayuga Lake, part of the Finger Lakes wine region and not far from the college town of Ithaca.

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Harpersfield Bridge, Harpersfield, OH

Credit: Corey Balazowich / Flickr

Ohio’s Ashtabula County looks like an oil painting come to life thanks in part to its 18 picturesque covered bridges. They show off five architectural styles, including the Howe truss technique embodied in the Harpersfield Bridge. William Howe’s innovative 1840 design was the first to incorporate iron rods into a bridge’s framework. Harpersfield Bridge, which remains open to cars, survived a 1913 flood and gained a walkway as part of a 1990s renovation.

13 of 16

14 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sachs Bridge, Gettysburg, PA

Credit: Jeff Greenberg / Alamy

Assembled in 1854 for roughly $1,500, Sachs Bridge quickly proved itself useful. During the Civil War, Union Army soldiers used it to access the field hospital set up at Black Horse Tavern. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army also retreated across this bridge after a Union victory in the Battle of Gettysburg. The 100-foot span across Marsh Creek is now officially pedestrian only.

14 of 16

15 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Meem’s Bottom Bridge, Mount Jackson, VA

Credit: Pat & Chuck Blackley / Alamy

Built with materials cut and quarried from the scenic Shenandoah Valley, Meem’s Bottom Bridge opened in 1893. It conveyed cars 204 feet across the North Fork River for more than 80 years—until vandals set it on fire on Halloween 1976. The original timbers were salvaged, and the rebuilt bridge was fortified by steel beams and concrete piers. Meem’s is an easy detour off Interstate 81.

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge, Colrain, MA

Credit: Massachussetts Office of Travel & Tourism

Dating back to 1870, the last surviving Burr arch truss in Massachusetts initially crossed the North River between Shattuckville and Griswoldville. It’s a survivor indeed: this bridge has been relocated and reconstructed, and was nearly left to rot. A recent overhaul included a fresh coat of red paint and a new name that honors a local Civil War captain.

16 of 16

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Katarina Kovacevic

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Cornwall, CT
2 of 16 Humpback Covered Bridge, Covington, VA
3 of 16 Roseman Covered Bridge, Winterset, IA
4 of 16 Artist’s Bridge, Newry, ME
5 of 16 Flume Covered Bridge, Franconia Notch, NH
6 of 16 Wawona Covered Bridge, Yosemite National Park, CA
7 of 16 A. M. Foster Covered Bridge, Cabot, VT
8 of 16 Horton Bridge, Amnicon Falls State Park, WI
9 of 16 Campbell’s Covered Bridge, Landrum, SC
10 of 16 Weaver’s Mill Bridge, East Earl, PA
11 of 16 Stark Bridge, Stark, NH
12 of 16 Newfield Covered Bridge, Newfield, NY
13 of 16 Harpersfield Bridge, Harpersfield, OH
14 of 16 Sachs Bridge, Gettysburg, PA
15 of 16 Meem’s Bottom Bridge, Mount Jackson, VA
16 of 16 Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge, Colrain, MA

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

America's Most Beautiful Covered Bridges
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.