Covered Bridges & Quiet Roads - A Sunday Drive in Bedford County | USA
- LoriKat
- Feb 27
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
📅 Aug 2021 | 🗺️ Bedford County, PA
Bedford County, Pennsylvania, is home to 14 historic covered bridges — each one a hand‑built relic from the 1800s, still standing where farmers, travelers, and wagons once crossed. Driving the loop means rolling past cornfields, forest edges, and quiet towns, with every bridge offering a glimpse of history framed in timber and creek water.
The car hummed awake on a slow Sunday morning, coffee steaming and thermos lids clicking in rhythm. We packed light — snacks, curiosity, and a rough plan to spend the day chasing covered bridges across Bedford County.
There’s an official Covered Bridge Driving Tour Map, but we weren’t on a schedule. Just two-lane roads, good weather, and the promise of history close to home. These bridges were hand-built, weather-worn, and still exactly where someone decided they should stand more than a century ago.
The route rolled through cornfields, forest edges, and quiet farm towns. White fences. Porch flags. Church steeples that caught the morning light.
Sunlight blinked through tunnels of leaves. Creeks murmured under plank flooring.
Every turn felt like an invitation — each bridge another story written in timber and water.
Here’s how our day went…
📚Journal Spill
Claycomb Covered Bridge
Gateway to Old Bedford Village, Claycomb stands like a front door to history — cedar shingles, red siding, quiet authority.
We rolled through slowly, listening to the hollow rumble of tires on plank flooring. It smelled faintly of pine and rain.
On the other side, a gravel pull-off, a breeze, and the faint sound of laughter from the village nearby. We promised we’d come back to explore the village later.
Side Stop - The Penguin Soft Serve
Directly across the road 🙌 Milkshakes, swirls, and the kind of sugary peace that buys adults five minutes of silence.
Strawberry twist for me, vanilla cone for E. A small-town classic.
Bowser’s Covered Bridge
Spanning Bob’s Creek, this bridge sits in a wide clearing where the hills fold like gentle waves.
We parked nearby and climbed down the bank. The water was cold and clear, rocks slick underfoot.
The kids crouched low, pointing out minnows and crayfish — self-appointed “creek rangers.”
It’s hard to explain how easy it feels to just be there. The sound of water replaces the need to talk.
Snook’s Covered Bridge
White fences on approach, storybook pretty from a distance. Inside — graffiti, initials, and bright streaks of paint.
We stood in the middle for a moment, reading the walls. Not our favorite stop, but still — it said something about time passing and people wanting to leave proof they were here.
Kniseley Covered Bridge
Built in 1867, Kniseley felt like a secret tucked between fields and trees. Clean, quiet, and patient.
Dunnings Creek slid underneath like a lullaby.
A small bird’s nest tucked into the beams — a detail most people probably miss.
E was: ✅ rock skipping ✅ splashing ✅ falling in ✅ laughing harder each time. Wet socks, big grin, happy heart.
If the day had to have a favorite, this was it.
Ryot Covered Bridge
This one had a story — burned once, rebuilt anyway. The charred beams are gone, but the resilience lingers.
We pulled over, stepped out, and stood still long enough to hear crickets and far-off tractors.
The plaque tells you the facts, but the feeling — that’s the good part. Proof that even scorched things get second chances.
Cuppett Covered Bridge
Privately owned and tucked behind a farmhouse. We approached quietly, gravel crunching under tires.
A frog leapt off the plank, followed by a chipmunk sprinting across the slats — an accidental wildlife show.
Some places hum even when no one’s talking. This was one of them.
Side Stop - Gravity Hill
Side stop. Because of course.
Just outside New Paris sits Gravity Hill, one of Pennsylvania’s strangest roadside curiosities — a stretch of pavement where cars, balls, and water appear to roll uphill. Locals have been bringing out-of-towners here for decades to test it themselves.
We forgot a ball, so Dollar General to the rescue — one neon pink sphere of scientific integrity. Neutral gear, a sloped road, camera ready. We let go… and watched the car slowly roll uphill.
Optical illusion? Probably. The surrounding ridges and horizon line trick your brain, making a downhill grade look like a climb. Still, plenty of theories live on: magnetic fields, ghost pushers, government experiments gone weird. Every driver seems to pick their favorite story.
The ball test? 🎈 Meh.
The laughter? ✅ Worth it.
We stayed longer than expected, trying it from every angle, because that’s the rule at Gravity Hill — you know it’s not real magic, but you want one more try anyway.
Colvin Covered Bridge
Nestled beside a tree-lined bed & breakfast. Light flickered across the water like gold confetti.
We lingered — no cars, no rush — just the quiet tap of water under wood.
Across the lane, a family of wild turkeys paraded through the grass like they had reservations somewhere important. Tiny puffballs in perfect formation.
Turner Covered Bridge
This one felt hidden — a “are we lost?” kind of detour. The road narrowed, the trees pressed in, then opened to reveal the bridge.
No through-traffic, just the creak of old boards under our feet and the sight of farmland stretching to the horizon.
Sometimes you find something beautiful only because you didn’t know where you were going.
Herline Covered Bridge
At 136 feet, it’s Bedford County’s longest.
Cars came and went, so it wasn’t the stillest stop — but we stepped out, leaned on the railing, and watched families down by the creek skipping rocks.
The air smelled like hay and warm wood. One of those places that feels familiar even on your first visit.
🔚 Final Spin
We didn’t race through Bedford County — we wandered it.
We got our shoes wet, our socks muddy, and our cones half-melted.
We drove through history made of nails and patience and stood inside beams that have outlasted everyone who built them.
Covered bridges aren’t loud about what they represent — but if you stop and listen, you can hear it: Old wood. Cold creeks. Quiet laughter. Slow Sundays.
We’ll take more days like this please.
🍬Echoes, Keepsakes, & Oddities
Sunbeams cutting through Kniseley like stage lights
Soft serve disappearing faster than the first photo attempt
Shoes drying on the dashboard after an accidental dip
The world’s most anticlimactic ball roll → 10/10 laughter
Turkey babies walking like a tiny parade
🎞️ Tag & Snag
🏐 #BallChallengeBonk – rolled 3 inches, sparked 100 laughs
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