Step back in time and drive straight through history.
Vermont’s covered bridges aren’t just structures—they’re living snapshots of a quieter era. Wooden beams, pitched roofs, and narrow lanes guide travelers over rivers and streams like they have for centuries.
Each bridge has a story: the families who built them, the towns that grew around them, the changing seasons that paint them in vivid color. Crossing one feels like slipping into a postcard, where every creak of the planks adds to the charm.
From small towns to scenic byways, these eleven bridges are more than a drive—they’re a journey. Pull over, take a photo, and let the river breeze fill your senses.
For lovers of history, architecture, or just simple beauty, Vermont’s covered bridges are destinations you can touch, walk, and yes… still drive through today.
Great Eddy Covered Bridge
Great Eddy greets you right in Waitsfield’s village, where Bridge Street slips into a handsome Burr arch tunnel of timber. You feel the change instantly, leaving pavement glare for the calm hush of old wood and filtered light.
The Mad River slides beneath, and on a quiet morning you can hear it echo through the lattice.
This is one of Vermont’s oldest operational spans, with careful restorations that still let cars pass one at a time. The Burr arch design blends curved arches with multiple king posts, a marriage of strength and elegance.
Driving through, your mirrors frame trusses that have outlasted floods, snow loads, and countless mud seasons.
Park near the small green and walk back for a full view of the arch ribs leaning into the deck. Photographers love the layered perspectives, especially when kayakers dart below.
In late afternoon, the sun warms the boards to a deep copper tone.
Plan your timing around leaf season or after a fresh snowfall for extra drama. You can grab coffee nearby, then loop the Mad River Byway to Pine Brook and other Waitsfield spans.
Respect the single lane, yield patiently, and let the bridge set your pace.
Pulp Mill Covered Bridge
Pulp Mill stretches across Otter Creek with a rare two-span design, linking Middlebury and Weybridge in a stately sweep. As you enter, the roadway narrows and the bridge seems to inhale, drawing you into rhythmic shadows.
The timber scent mixes with river air, and the sound shifts to a hollow drum under your tires.
This bridge ranks among Vermont’s oldest and longest, a working testament to persistent maintenance and community pride. The twin spans once served the industries that gave it a name, carrying goods and stories across the creek.
Today it still handles local traffic, proving old solutions can meet modern needs.
Pull off on the Weybridge side to admire the siding and rooflines reflected in calm water. Anglers cast below, and the view back toward Middlebury College adds a collegiate backdrop.
Changes in flow after rain make the creek lively, shaping reflections around the piers.
Weekday mornings are best for a peaceful crossing and photos without a line of cars. Combine a visit with downtown bakeries and the falls by the Marble Works.
Keep speeds low, headlights on, and let oncoming drivers clear the center before you commit to the span.
Holmes Creek Covered Bridge
Holmes Creek sits modestly on Lake Road, a compact single-lane span that feels friendly and unhurried. You approach through fields, then slip inside where cool shade meets the soft rush of the creek.
It is the kind of bridge that makes you lower the radio and roll a window down.
Built for local farm traffic, it still serves everyday drivers heading toward Lake Champlain. The queen post framework is simple yet efficient, with diagonal braces you can study at a crawl.
Even small bridges can teach patience, especially when you wait for a neighbor’s pickup to clear.
There is a pull-off just beyond the exit where you can step out for a side profile. Morning light tips the roofline and sparks in the creek, while late day brings lake breezes.
Birds nest nearby, and you may catch swallows looping under the eaves.
Pair this stop with a shoreline walk or an ice cream run in Charlotte. Respect the posted weight limit and keep your wheels centered on the deck planks.
Short and sweet, Holmes Creek shows how everyday crossings become memories when framed in timber and time.
Pine Brook Covered Bridge
Pine Brook lies a short, scenic hop from Waitsfield village, tucked along North Road where farms stretch to the hills. The approach is quiet, with birdsong and the soft shuffle of gravel under your tires.
Entering the bridge, you feel the temperature drop and the air smell faintly of sap and rain.
The structure carries local traffic with a working simplicity that feels earned. Its details show careful maintenance, from the siding to the deck planks that guide your wheels.
Single-lane etiquette rules here, so pause, look through, and wave if someone yields for you.
There is room to pull off on either side for photos and a short walk to the brook. After storms, water threads over stones with a crisp, bright sound.
On sunny days, dappled light paints the interior ribs in shifting patterns.
Combine Pine Brook with Great Eddy to make a satisfying Waitsfield double. Bring a picnic, keep your pace gentle, and let the countryside set the tone.
This bridge is small, yes, but it carries a big sense of place that sticks with you long after the crossing.
Kingsbury Covered Bridge
Kingsbury carries a slice of early 20th century optimism across a quiet Randolph stream. It is among the later additions to Vermont’s covered lineage, built when steel was already common.
Yet the community chose timber, and the result still serves local traffic with easy grace.
Approach slowly, noting the careful geometry of braces and portal trim. Inside, the deck vibrates softly as boards relay tire treads to the trusses.
You exit into pastures and maples, feeling like you crossed a practical time capsule.
Views are best from downstream, where you can see the full span framed by meadows. Birds flicker through the portal, and the water glints like hammered metal on bright days.
After rain, the stream darkens and amplifies the bridge’s silhouette in reflection.
Combine Kingsbury with a wander through Randolph’s village for coffee and a stretch. Respect posted limits, go single file, and keep your wheels centered.
Bridges like this remind you that progress and tradition can coexist, one careful crossing at a time, without drama or hurry.
Williamsville Covered Bridge
Williamsville spans the Rock River with the elegant crisscross of a Town lattice truss. The approach is leafy, and the bridge appears suddenly, a wooden tunnel between dappled greens.
Drive through slowly and watch light break into small diamonds along the interior web.
This bridge has served Dover Road travelers for generations, linking small villages with quiet reliability. The lattice design uses many small members to share the load, a smart way to turn local timber into lasting strength.
You can feel the design working as the deck hums in even, reassuring notes.
Downstream, a calm pool reflects the siding and roof on still days. After storms, the river quickens, and the bridge’s stone abutments stand stubborn against the churn.
Bring a camera or just your eyes, because the play of light is the real show.
Pair a drive with hikes in nearby Newfane and a bakery stop for fuel. Yield courteously, mind cyclists, and never stop mid-span unless traffic requires it.
Williamsville rewards patience with a serene crossing that lingers in your rearview like a favorite song.
Union Village Covered Bridge
Union Village anchors a classic Thetford scene, white siding bright against maples and tidy lawns. You roll in from Academy Road, and the river spreads out beneath like a quiet mirror.
The bridge’s proportions feel balanced, confident without being loud.
Built to last, it continues to carry local traffic with a steady, well cared for deck. The truss work shows clean joinery and the kind of maintenance that only happens when neighbors care.
Driving through, you can almost hear porch conversations floating across summer air.
Best views come from the small park area upriver, where the whole span lines up with the village. On sunny days the white boards glow, and in foliage they pop like a postcard.
Snow transforms it into a storybook gate for winter drives.
Combine this stop with nearby farm stands for maple and cheese before heading south. Keep speeds low, yield early, and avoid blocking the portals for photos.
Union Village does not ask for attention, it earns it, one quiet, dependable crossing at a time.
Green River Covered Bridge
Green River is the postcard you have seen a hundred times, and it is even better in person. The bridge sits beside a small dam and waterfall, with a white church close by and a dirt road curling away.
Drive through slowly, then loop around for views from the hill.
The Town lattice truss dates to the 19th century and still carries light traffic with a sure, soft drum. The village triangle around it turns any photo into a ready-made New England scene.
Water noise fills the air, and the bridge seems to breathe along with it.
Park considerately near the green and walk for multiple angles, including the downstream bank. Sunrise gilds the siding, while evening casts long shadows that dramatize the lattice.
In winter, snow outlines every diagonal like careful pen strokes.
Respect local residents, drive gently, and skip mid-span stopping unless necessary. Pair this stop with nearby country stores for coffee and a snack.
Green River feels like time travel tucked into a valley, and you will carry the sound of that waterfall with you.
East Fairfield Covered Bridge
East Fairfield spans Black Creek with a tidy queen post frame and a quiet, working vibe. You approach through a small village grid, then slip into shade where boards carry a gentle rhythm.
It feels personal, like a bridge built by and for neighbors who still wave as they pass.
Rehabilitated for continued use, it handles local traffic while preserving its historic bones. The portal trim is simple, the siding weathered, and the deck invites slow, centered driving.
You can sense the balance between preservation and everyday utility.
For photos, step carefully to the bank where grasses meet the creek and the bridge reflects in shallow pools. Morning mist often rises here, softening lines and adding a dreamy wash.
On breezy afternoons, leaves flicker against the portal like confetti.
Make this a northern capstone after touring other Franklin and Lamoille county spans. Mind weight limits, yield early, and never idle within the portal if others are waiting.
This bridge does not shout for attention, it whispers welcome, then sends you onward with a calm heart.
Taftsville Covered Bridge
Taftsville sits low and bright across the Ottauquechee, its red siding catching even a gray morning. You approach from a curve and the roofline fills the windshield, simple and sure.
Roll in and the woodwork tightens around you, Burr arches rising like ribs, ribs that have seen wagons, hay trucks, and weekend Subarus.
There is a soft drum under your tires and a quick glance left shows water riffles. The village feels close, with tidy homes and tidy lawns.
You ease through at a neighborly pace and the light at the far portal pulls you back out.
Pause after and watch someone else cross. The bridge frames each car and turns it into a postcard.
Locals barely look, but they will wave, and you will feel welcomed into the rhythm.
On a wet day the boards smell like a barn after rain, sweet and earthy. On a cold one, breath hangs and the river smokes.
Either way, you leave with a sense you borrowed something old and returned it gently.
West Dummerston Covered Bridge
West Dummerston stretches long and patient over the West River, more barn than bridge at first glance. You line up with the portal and the deck runs on and on, a timber tunnel that hums under slow tires.
Light slants in diamonds through lattice, flicker-flicker along the hood.
On summer days, the river below gathers waders and bold jumpers, cool green bowls between rocks. You can park just beyond and walk back to listen.
Trucks ease through respectfully, and the roof swallows their noise.
This bridge is workmanlike, not precious, and that is its charm. Boards are scuffed by decades of use, edges polished by hands and bumpers.
It belongs to the town and the town uses it.
Cross twice if traffic allows, once each direction for the different light. The upstream view is all water and ledge; downstream opens toward farms.
You leave with a steady feeling, as if the place adjusted your pace to something healthier.