Covered Bridge Tour

The Covered Bridge Tour is a self guided driving route through the rural townships of Berks County, Pennsylvania, organized around the small number of historic covered bridges that remain standing in the region. Rather than a ticketed attraction with set hours, the tour is a mapped itinerary that visitors follow at their own pace in their own vehicle, stopping at each bridge and traveling the farm roads, creek valleys and village crossroads that connect them. A printable map of the route is made available online, and information about the tour can be obtained by telephone at (610) 375-4085.

The concept behind the route is straightforward: the roads between the bridges are as much a part of the experience as the structures themselves. The itinerary is designed to be driven slowly, with time allowed for photographs, short walks and detours into the small towns along the way. Visitors who treat the drive as a leisurely half day or full day outing generally get more from it than those attempting to reach every stop in the shortest possible time.

Background on Berks County's Covered Bridges

Covered bridges were once common across southeastern Pennsylvania. In the nineteenth century, timber was plentiful and inexpensive, and roofing a wooden truss bridge was the most practical way to protect the structural members from rain, snow and sun. A covered span could last several decades longer than an uncovered one, which made the added cost of the roof and siding a sound investment for townships and private mill owners. Pennsylvania built more covered bridges than any other state, and it still retains more surviving examples than anywhere else in the country.

Most of the bridges in Berks County were constructed between the 1830s and the 1870s, during a period when gristmills, sawmills and forges lined the county's creeks and farm traffic needed dependable crossings. Many of the surviving spans use the Burr arch truss, a design patented by Theodore Burr that combines a multiple kingpost truss with a long wooden arch. The arch carries much of the load and allows for longer single spans than a simple truss alone. Visitors who stop and look up inside the bridges can usually see the arch members, the lattice of diagonal braces and, in some cases, original hand hewn timbers and pegged joinery.

Attrition from floods, fires, vehicle strikes and modernization reduced the county's inventory from dozens of bridges to a small handful. The ones that remain are generally listed on the National Register of Historic Places and have been rehabilitated at various points to keep them in service or to preserve them as pedestrian crossings and local landmarks.

What Visitors See Along the Route

The drive passes through some of the most agricultural parts of Berks County, including the Oley Valley, the countryside near Kutztown and Lenhartsville, and the creek valleys west of Reading. Features commonly encountered on the route include:

• Historic covered bridges spanning creeks such as the Manatawny, Maiden Creek, Moselem Creek and Tulpehocken Creek
• Working farms, bank barns, stone farmhouses and Pennsylvania German architecture dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
• Small crossroads villages with general stores, churches and country cemeteries
• Former mill sites, millraces and dams near several of the bridge locations
• Rolling ridge and valley scenery, with views toward Blue Mountain in the northern part of the county

One of the better known stops is the long single span bridge over Tulpehocken Creek near Reading, which is widely cited as the longest single span covered bridge in Pennsylvania. It is closed to motor vehicles and can be walked, which gives visitors an unhurried look at the interior framing. Other spans on the route remain open to traffic and can be driven through, though they carry posted weight and height limits.

Practical Information for Drivers

Because the tour is self guided, planning ahead makes the day go more smoothly. A few points worth keeping in mind:

• Print the map in advance or download it to a phone. Cellular coverage can be inconsistent in the rural parts of the county, and some bridge locations are difficult to find by address alone.
• Observe posted weight, height and width restrictions. Covered bridges have low clearances, and larger vehicles, trailers and recreational vehicles may not fit.
• Drive through one vehicle at a time and yield to oncoming traffic. Most of these bridges are single lane.
• Park only where there is a safe shoulder or designated pull off, and avoid blocking the roadway or private driveways.
• Respect private property. Several bridges sit adjacent to working farms and residences.
• Watch for agricultural equipment, horse drawn vehicles and cyclists on the connecting roads.

The route can be driven in any season. Spring and summer bring full foliage and active farm fields, autumn offers the color the region is known for, and winter provides clear sightlines to the structural details of the bridges when the trees are bare. Early morning and late afternoon light tend to be best for photography, particularly for interior shots looking through a bridge portal.

Combining the Tour With Other Stops

Because the route passes through much of Berks County, it pairs easily with other local destinations. Travelers often combine the drive with visits to farm markets, antique shops, wineries, orchards, historic sites in the Oley Valley, trail access along Tulpehocken Creek, and the restaurants and museums in and around Reading and Kutztown. The towns along the way offer places to stop for lunch, which fits naturally into a full day itinerary.

Who the Tour Appeals To

The drive attracts a broad mix of visitors: photographers, cyclists and motorcyclists, genealogy and local history researchers, families looking for an inexpensive outing, and travelers interested in nineteenth century engineering and vernacular architecture. It also serves as an accessible introduction to the county for newcomers and for day trippers from Philadelphia, Lancaster, Allentown and the Lehigh Valley, all of which are within a reasonable drive.

Contact and Access

The Covered Bridge Tour covers locations throughout Berks County, Pennsylvania. There is no admission charge for driving the route, and the bridges themselves are public roadway structures or publicly accessible historic sites. For questions about the route, directions, or obtaining the printable map, call (610) 375-4085.