Pennsylvania is legendary for its historic covered bridges with one county in particular boasting an impressive amount of them. Columbia County is home to over 20 covered bridges. The bridges can easily be found over the course of a weekend visit.
Even better, a road trip during the week nearly guarantees that you’ll have most of these places to yourself. a truly memorable (and peaceful) experience.
The home base during my visit to Columbia County was in the town of Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg is the quintessential American small town. It has beautiful old buildings, locally owned shops and restaurants, and a Main Street worthy of any Hallmark Christmas movie.
From Bloomsburg, I was able to navigate around Columbia County and spend two days tracking down as many of the covered bridges as I could. My initial plan was not flawless – I missed a few of the bridges despite being incredibly close. Only after picking up a specialized map from the Columbia/Montour Visitors Bureau was I able to easily track down most of the covered bridges.
Most covered bridges were built in the 1800s. The oldest surviving covered bridge in Columbia County was constructed in 1847. The Rupert Bridge extends over Fishing Creek – which was so low during my visit I was able to literally walk underneath it.
While some of the covered bridges tend to look the same – there are quite a few with standout details and unique appearances. My favorite of the bunch was the dual (twin) bridges over Huntington Creek. The East Paden Bridge is directly next to the West Paden Bridge. A flood in 2006 destroyed the original bridge an identical structure replaced it in 2008.
These days not all of the bridges are used for vehicles and have beautifully decorated picnic tables inside for the community or visitors to gather. One of the bridges not only had tables inside but the entrance had been decorated for the holidays. It’s cool to see that locals have really embraced these historic structures and seem to still take pride in having them.
The best part of exploring Columbia county and searching for the covered bridges is the beautiful scenery you’ll see along the way. You’ll pass through tiny little towns, see miles and miles of farm land, and occasionally spot families working the fields in their big John Deere tractors. The icing on the cake is enjoying the peace and quiet while admiring these historic structures. I even saw a bald eagle soar over one of the bridges while I was taking photos. Sadly, I was too stunned to try and capture it on film!
Planning A Visit To Columbia County, Pennsylvania To See The Covered Bridges
The county’s tourism office has a great website with helpful tips for planning an awesome weekend getaway or vacation to the region. In addition to covered bridges, Columbia County has an incredible amount of outdoor recreation – including the amazing Ricketts Glen State Park. The park has at least 20 waterfalls that can be found on a 7-mile hike.
There are plenty of places to stay during your visit as well. If you want to stay in the Bed & Breakfast I used for a home base during my visit – you can check out Elmdale Inn. The owners, Deb and Jack were super friendly and their home is stunning!
If you want a sneak peek at the covered bridges map, you can find it here. However, I highly suggest grabbing one at the visitors center to use while you’re out exploring. Using Google Maps alone will make things more confusing. Google doesn’t show all of the bridges in the area during a search so you’re likely to miss some. The good news is I had no problem using Google when I typed in a specific bridge.
The Best Time Of The Year To Visit Is….
Summer is likely to be the busiest and be sure to pay attention to big events in the area that draw in thousands of visitors. My visit was during the fall (October) after the last big event of the season and it was perfect – no crowds and had almost every bridge to myself. Winter is probably a great time to visit as well if you’re not afraid of the colder weather. I imagine seeing the red bridges with snow on the ground would be pretty amazing!
The truth is – the best time to visit is whenever you can! I had so much fun and really enjoyed meeting locals and experiencing the small town charm of Bloomsburg and the rest of Columbia County.
