# Covered Bridgespotting **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868 "2002-10-04T18:27:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/1 "2002-10-04T18:27:52Z")
Angie and I are going on vacation soon and I’ve been googling for covered bridges we can visit. One within a mile of our route will is the [Fish Creek Bridge](http://members.citynet.net/post/fish.html) in West Virginia, shouldn’t be any problem going to that one. There seems to be a [whole bunch](http://www.ohioparks.net/coveredbridges.htm) in [Ohio](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/oh/ohio_cb_.html) but finding one on our route there via google looks like it won’t be easy. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/2 "2002-10-04T19:35:16Z")
There’s some in [Ashtabula County, Ohio](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/oh/asht/ashtcb.html) that we may be able to visit on our way home. The I-90 corridor is a little out of our way but we could kill some time prior to stopping for the night. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/3 "2002-10-04T20:09:07Z")
This [unusual one in Indiana](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/in/fran/14-24-11.html) is too far out of our way this trip. I wonder what the story is for this opposite bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/4 "2002-10-04T20:59:40Z")
I’m going home to visit next week, maybe I will try to catch [this one](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/oh/will/35-86-02.html). Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![FeFe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@FeFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeFe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/5 "2002-10-04T21:16:28Z")
I know of a few in TN. That wouldn’t help you out any thuo. sorry ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/6 "2002-10-05T01:31:30Z")
Ah, hunting the wiley Covered Bridge! You need a keen eye, a steady hand, and the patience of the dead. I mayself have never been able to stay in my tree stand long enough for one to come by. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/7 "2002-10-05T02:17:19Z")
[The Harpersfield Covered Bridge](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/oh/asht/35-04-19.html), (35-04-19 on the Ashtabula Bridges web site) is pretty neat. For one thing, it is very long (234’) and it is alongside SR 534, about one mile south of I-90 at Exit 218, so you can get a good panoramic view of it as you drive by, then go west from SR 534 to look at it close up. (It is in a county park.) The Mechanicsville bridge (that the web site’s photo/description has mixed up with the Doyle Rd. bridge) is only about 2 1/2 miles east of the Harpersfield bridge Nearly all the Ashtabula bridges are within ten or fifteen minutes of I-90. (Of course, that is each. Once you’re wandering around the back roads looking for the bridges, then it is a lot longer from bridge to bridge.) Once you’ve seen your fill, you can then take SR 11 south to Warren and Youngstown and I-80, I-90/Penna Turnpike, or I-76. SR 11 is a 4-lane limited access highway all the way to I-80 (from which you can connect to the others). If you come through the area, most drug stores and book stores carry county maps in book form with a reddish-orange cover and yellow lettering. The one for Ashtabula ($5.25?) shows the locations of the covered bridges with a tiny circle and the bridges’ names. ---
**Author:** ![Winkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/41988e/32.png) [@Winkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winkie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/8 "2002-10-05T02:40:33Z")
I’m not sure where exactly your journey is taking you, but Parke County, Indiana (pretty much straight west of Indianapolis, all the way against Illinois) is chock full o’ covered bridges. In fact, the traffic monstrosity that is the Covered Bridge Festival starts sometime next week. [Parke County’s Covered Bridge Web Site](http://www.coveredbridges.com/) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/9 "2002-10-05T16:04:09Z")
Here’s a clickable map of Ohio covered bridges; [http://www.dot.state.oh.us/se/coveredbridges/](http://www.dot.state.oh.us/se/coveredbridges/) ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/10 "2002-10-06T03:23:33Z")
Are there any of those maps for New York, Vermont or areas of eastern Canada? My girlfriend really likes hunting for covered bridges. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/11 "2002-10-06T03:51:26Z")
The third site to which **Jeff Olsen** linked in the OP has a page that identifies (some?) covered bridges in several states, including New York and Vermont (in fact, most of the Northeast) : [http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/cbmainpage.html](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/cbmainpage.html) For a lot more Vermont covered bridges, try > **[Vermont Covered Bridge Photos History Directions | Vermont Living Magazine](https://vtliving.com/coveredbridges/)** > > Vermont Covered Bridges Guide New England Covered Bridge Photographs VT Covered Bridge Photos History Pictures Directions from Vermont's Internet Magazine - vtliving.com with towns and general locations provided, but no maps. And from Google, the motherload of covered bridge web sites: [http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Architecture/History/Building\_Types/Bridges/Covered/](http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Architecture/History/Building_Types/Bridges/Covered/) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/12 "2002-10-21T15:42:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > **[The Harpersfield Covered Bridge](http://www.ohiobarns.com/covbri/oh/asht/35-04-19.html), (35-04-19 on the Ashtabula Bridges web site) is pretty neat. For one thing, it is very long (234’) and it is alongside SR 534, about one mile south of I-90 at Exit 218, so you can get a good panoramic view of it as you drive by, then go west from SR 534 to look at it close up. (It is in a county park.) The Mechanicsville bridge (that the web site’s photo/description has mixed up with the Doyle Rd. bridge) is only about 2 1/2 miles east of the Harpersfield bridge** Turns out that the backroads in NE Ohio aren’t marked very well and we didn’t want to get any more lost than we were so we only stopped by these two bridges. It was also overcast that day which meant there wasn’t very good light anyway. After taking pictures of the closed Mechanicsville bridge we had trouble finding our way around so we turned onto the first marked two-lane blacktop we found. Turned out to be Ohio 45, which lead to Ohio 307 and US11. BTW: half of the Harpersfield Bridge is missing. The bottom picture on the website is out of date, the bridge now looks like the top picture with the steel bridge in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/13 "2002-10-21T15:52:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Winkie \* > **I’m not sure where exactly your journey is taking you, but Parke County, Indiana (pretty much straight west of Indianapolis, all the way against Illinois) is chock full o’ covered bridges. In fact, the traffic monstrosity that is the Covered Bridge Festival starts sometime next week.** Parke County was a bit south of were we were headed, plus Angie wasn’t interested in sightseeing on our way out. Maybe we’ll do some of these next time we plan to travel I-74. ---
**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/14 "2002-10-21T18:12:50Z")
\*\* Jeff, \*\* my hubby and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Metamora… and we took the canal ride that goes through the covered bridge you linked to. It was a fantastic, albeit short, trip. The covered bridge is an aqueduct that routes the canal over Duck Creek… a waterway bridged over another waterway. It was too cool. And, if I remember the presentation right, is the only one of its kind. Here’s a link with a little more information about Metamora: [http://www.emetamora.com/](http://www.emetamora.com/). We went during Canal Days, so it was really crowded. We plan to go back when there aren’t as many people there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covered-bridgespotting/130868/15 "2002-10-21T18:21:32Z")
Thanks for the link! Metamora reminds me of the Illinois town where I spent most of my childhood.