New England covered bridge road trip

New England is fall central. Every year when the temperature drops, visitors come in droves to see the region’s trees put on their most colorful show, changing their leaves from vibrant greens to soothing yellows, oranges, and reds. The spectacle is a great way to reconnect with nature and celebrate the new season, but as it turns out, looking at nothing but falling leaves for days on end can be a tad monotonous — you might want to add a new treasure hunt to your fall foliage road trip. In between collecting fallen maple leaves, look for some of the most romantic covered bridges in New England.

No one really knows the origins of covered bridges — some say the roof was meant to protect the wood from rotting or the frost in winter, or even to ease the passage of fearful animals over a river — but we know for sure that they were all the rage in 19th-century America. There are almost 200 of these wooden structures spread among Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and they make for fun visits and great photo opportunities — especially when the background is a lovely shade of gold.

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Maine | New Hampshire | Vermont | Massachusetts | Connecticut | Rhode Island

The best of Maine’s covered bridges

Maine once had around 120 covered bridges, but today fewer than ten remain. To begin your road trip, head to Lovejoy Bridge in South Andover, a small town near the New Hampshire border. Built in 1868, this 70-foot Paddleford-truss span is the shortest covered bridge in Maine, but it makes up for its size with plenty of charm. The white and red gables add a bright touch against the surrounding forest, and you can still drive across before continuing south toward the state’s most famous covered bridge.

Just 20 miles away in the town of Newry, the Sunday River Bridge — better known as the Artist’s Bridge — has been inspiring painters and photographers for more than a century. Built in 1872, the bridge stretches 87 feet over the Sunday River and is one of the most photographed covered bridges in New England. Closed to traffic since the 1950s, it’s a peaceful place to walk across, admire the granite abutments and Paddleford truss design, and take in the beauty of the mountains around you.

Continue south for about 40 miles and you’ll reach Hemlock Bridge near Fryeburg. Dating back to 1857, this 109-foot bridge is one of the oldest in the state and still open to vehicles. Set in farmland at the edge of the White Mountains, it feels like a natural transition point as you make your way toward New Hampshire.

If you want to turn this part of the trip into an overnight stop, there are good bases in each of the towns tied to these bridges. Bethel and Newry are lively mountain towns with access to Sunday River and hiking trails, Fryeburg sits right on the edge of the White Mountains, and South Andover offers a quieter rural escape. Each has charming Airbnbs and small local stays, making it easy to spend a night before heading deeper into covered-bridge country.

The best covered bridges in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has more than 50 covered bridges scattered across the state, many tucked into valleys and small towns that look like they haven’t changed in generations. To get a sense of the highlights, start with the Swift River Bridge in Conway, just across the Maine border. Painted a deep red, the 133-foot bridge was originally built in 1850 but washed downstream during a flood less than twenty years later. It was rebuilt using pieces from both the Swift River and Saco River bridges, giving it a patchwork past that makes it one of the more unusual bridges in the region.

About 40 miles to the west is the Sentinel Pine Bridge, built in 1939 inside Franconia Notch State Park. Unlike most in New England, this one wasn’t built for vehicles but for hikers on the Flume Gorge Trail. It was constructed over the Pemigewasset River to preserve the trunk of a towering pine tree that had blown down the year before. Today, the bridge blends into the surrounding trail, shaded by forest and echoing with the sound of the gorge below.

If you’d rather not hike, the Flume Bridge is only a short drive away. Built in 1871, the 50-foot bridge crosses the Pemigewasset in classic red-and-white New England style and is easy to reach by car.

Keep heading west and you’ll reach the Bath-Haverhill Bridge, which spans the Ammonoosuc River on the Vermont border. Dating back to 1829, it’s the oldest covered bridge still in use in the state and is open to vehicle traffic, carrying Route 135 between the two towns.

New Hampshire’s bridges stretch across much of the state, so where you base yourself depends on how much you want to see. Conway makes a convenient gateway if you’re coming from Maine and the White Mountains, while Lincoln and Franconia are ideal for exploring Franconia Notch and its surrounding trails. Bath and Haverhill, near the Vermont line, feel quieter and more rural, with access to some of the state’s oldest bridges.

The best covered bridges in Vermont

Vermont is home to more than 100 covered bridges, far too many to see in one trip. A good place to begin is the town of Woodstock, about an hour southwest of the Bath-Haverhill Bridge in New Hampshire.

Within a short drive you can visit three of the state’s most distinctive spans. The bright red Taftsville Bridge and the Middle Bridge both sit right in town, easy to cross on foot, by bike, or by car. Just west in the village of West Woodstock, the Lincoln Bridge stretches 136 feet over the Ottauquechee River and shows off a less common lattice-truss design.

From here, head about 20 miles south to the Cornish-Windsor Bridge, which connects Vermont and New Hampshire across the Connecticut River. At 450 feet, it’s the longest wooden covered bridge in the country and has been fully rebuilt since its original 19th-century construction. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it still carries vehicle traffic today.

Continue south toward Massachusetts and you’ll reach Kidder Hill Bridge in Grafton. Built in 1867, this 67-foot crossing over the Saxton River sits in a quiet corner of town, making it a good last stop before continuing on to the next state.

If you’re planning to stay in Vermont, Woodstock makes the most convenient hub, with easy access to several bridges and a lively town center full of restaurants and shops. Grafton offers a smaller, more rural base if you prefer to be close to Kidder Hill Bridge and the quieter byways of southern Vermont.

The best covered bridges in Massachusetts

Massachusetts used to have more than 100 wooden covered bridges in the heyday of the structure. Today, there are far fewer and many of them are 20th-century replicas meant to preserve the heritage of this particular architecture.

Start with the Arthur A. Smith Bridge in Colrain (about 55 miles south of Kidder Hill Bridge), close to the border between Vermont and Massachusetts. The 100-foot-long red bridge dates back from 1870 (although it was moved from a spot further down in 1886) and crosses the North River, but you can’t drive over it as it’s pedestrian-only.

Only 20 minutes southwest is Bissell Bridge. A much more recent creation, it was completed in 1951 and crosses Mill Brook. Bissell Bridge is only for pedestrians, but there is parking nearby so you can explore it on foot easily.

From there, drive 60 miles south towards Connecticut to check out Upper Sheffield Bridge. Built in 1999 to replace the original 1832 bridge that was destroyed in a fire, Upper Sheffield Bridge crosses the Housatonic River. Again, this bridge is for foot traffic only.

The bridges in western Massachusetts are spread between the hill towns of the northern Berkshires and the river valleys farther south. Around Colrain and Charlemont, near the Arthur A. Smith and Bissell bridges, rentals are set among forested hillsides with access to hiking and river activities. In Sheffield, by the Upper Sheffield Bridge, the landscape shifts to farmland and small village centers along the Housatonic. Staying in either part of the region gives you a very different perspective on the landscapes that shaped these bridges.

The best covered bridges in Connecticut

There aren’t many remaining wooden covered bridges in CT, but the ones that are there exude historical charm. Start with West Cornwall Bridge, 20 miles south of Upper Sheffield Bridge in Massachusetts. This bright red 242-foot-long covered bridge was built in 1841 above the Housatonic River and is open to vehicle traffic as it is part of Route 128.

Fewer than 10 miles south in Kent Falls State Park, look for the Kent Falls Bridge, a 20th-century creation that is a pop of color in the natural landscape. Kent Falls Bridge is a small, 37-foot pedestrian bridge above Kent Falls Brook that makes for a great photo opp.

Drive 15 minutes farther south to check out Bulls Bridge in Gaylordsville. The 1842 wooden structure is not as colorful as its two predecessors, but it’s very quaint nonetheless. It is 109 feet long and crosses the Housatonic River. Bulls Bridge is open to vehicle traffic.

The best covered bridges in Rhode Island

There are few surviving covered bridges in Rhode Island. The most famous of them is Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge. Drive two-and-a-half hours and 140 miles across the state of Connecticut from Bulls Bridge, and you’ll reach this replica of a 19th-century structure that looks very much the part. The wooden structure was built in 1994 by an all-volunteer crew and it is the only covered bridge on a public road in the state of Rhode Island.

Because Rhode Island is compact, this stop works best as an extension of a foliage drive through Connecticut or Massachusetts. By mid- to late October, southern New England is often still showing strong color even after the northern states have passed their peak, making it a good final chapter for a fall itinerary.

For an overnight base, Foster is rural and close to the bridge itself, with country roads and a scattering of rentals. If you’d rather add some city time to the trip, Providence is less than an hour away and gives you more dining and nightlife before or after a day of bridge-hopping.