Why Vermont covered its bridges
Vermont has more than 100 historic covered bridges — more per square mile than any state in the nation. They were not roofed for romance but for engineering: a bare wooden truss deck exposed to harsh New England winters would rot within a decade, while a roof and siding could protect it for a century or more. The cover was essentially a barn built around the bridge.
Locals nicknamed them 'kissing bridges' for the moment of privacy they offered courting couples, and today they are among the most photographed symbols of rural Vermont. This trail strings the best of them into a series of easy driving loops.
How they were built
Most Vermont bridges use the Town lattice truss — an overlapping criss-cross web of planks pinned with wooden pegs (trunnels), patented by architect Ithiel Town in 1820 and simple enough for local carpenters to build. Others use queenpost or Burr-arch designs. Master builders like the Jewett brothers in Montgomery raised whole clusters of them, and many still carry traffic nearly 150 years on.
The classic bridges
A handful belong on any covered-bridge tour.
Middle Bridge (Woodstock) — a lattice truss right on the village green.
Great Eddy (Waitsfield) — built 1833, the oldest operating covered bridge in the state.
Warren (Warren) — a much-photographed red span by the Warren Store.
Cornish-Windsor — at 449 feet, the longest wooden covered bridge in the US, into New Hampshire.
Where they cluster
Some corners of Vermont hold a remarkable density of bridges. Montgomery, at the foot of Jay Peak, has six within its town limits — the most of any town in America. The Mad River Valley strings several along Route 100, and the Northeast Kingdom around Lyndon and the counties along the Connecticut River hold dozens more. The Bennington area’s Silk Road, Paper Mill and Henry bridges make a tidy loop over the Walloomsac.
Photographing them
Covered bridges reward patient photography. Early morning and late afternoon light rakes across the weathered siding; mid-October frames the red spans against blazing hillsides; and winter snow turns them into holiday cards. Shoot from the riverbank below for the timber understructure, or straight down the portal for the tunnel effect. Be careful and courteous — most are one lane and still open to cars.
Driving the trail
You could spend a week chasing bridges, but a satisfying day loops one cluster: Montgomery’s six in the north, the Mad River Valley’s along Route 100, or the Bennington trio in the southwest. Vermont’s official covered-bridge maps mark them all. Drive slowly, yield inside the one-lane spans, and pull fully off the road for photos — the back-road scenery between bridges is half the pleasure.
Good to know
How many covered bridges does Vermont have?+
More than 100 — the highest concentration per square mile of any US state.
Why are the bridges covered?+
To protect the wooden truss deck from rot; a roof and siding could extend a bridge’s life from a decade to a century or more.
Which town has the most?+
Montgomery, at the foot of Jay Peak, has six covered bridges within its limits — the most of any town in America.
What’s the longest covered bridge?+
The Cornish-Windsor Bridge over the Connecticut River, at 449 feet — the longest wooden covered bridge in the US.
Can you still drive through them?+
Yes — many remain open to one-lane traffic; drive slowly, yield to oncoming cars, and pull off fully for photos.