SWITCHBACKMOTO
Get the app
The Atlas/Connecticut/West Cornwall Covered Bridge

West Cornwall Covered Bridge

Connecticut
Region
Attraction
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas

One of only three remaining covered bridges in Connecticut, this 172-foot Howe-truss span across the Housatonic River has carried vehicle traffic since 1864. Riding through the single-lane wooden portal on Route 128 is an experience unique in New England — the dark timber box frames the river gorge perfectly on exit. Small pull-offs on both banks provide easy parking, and the village of West Cornwall sits steps away with a restaurant and market.

// The stop

One of only three surviving covered bridges in Connecticut, this 172-foot span has been carrying vehicles across the Housatonic River since the current structure was completed around 1864. The bridge runs on Connecticut Route 128 as a working single-lane crossing — not a relic roped off behind a fence. What makes it structurally unusual is a combination of a Town lattice truss built from red-spruce timbers joined with wooden treenails, plus a later addition of queen-post trusses that give the bridge its asymmetric, layered interior. A concealed steel deck added in 1973 is what keeps it open to traffic today, and the bridge has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

Approaching from Route 7, visibility through the single-lane portal is limited, so enter slowly and yield to oncoming traffic — the 15-foot width leaves no margin. Once through, the shift from open road to the dim timber tunnel and back into daylight above the river gorge is the reason riders make the detour. Pull-offs exist on both banks for parking. The village of West Cornwall is right there when you come out the other side.

// Why riders stop

A mandatory photo stop on any Litchfield Hills loop — the bridge is still live to traffic, so riders actually cross through it rather than just looking at it.

// ShareFacebookRedditX
// Rider photos

Shot by the riders who've run it.

Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.

0 rider submissions
Sign in to add a photoUpload & tag from your profile
// Nearby & related
StopConnecticut
Bull's Bridge
Connecticut
Built in 1842, Bull's Bridge is one of only two remaining covered bridges in Connecticut open to vehicular traffic. The single-lane 109-foot lattice-truss span carries Bull's Bridge Road over the Housatonic River near the New York border, flanked by whitewater rapids and a small gorge. A riverside parking area at the southeast end provides access to falls, pools, and a stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
RouteConnecticut
5.7/10
Connecticut Route 154 — Connecticut River Valley
Connecticut
A 28-mile route running roughly parallel to the western bank of the Connecticut River from Old Saybrook north through Essex, Deep River, Chester, and Haddam to Higganum. The 9-mile Haddam section carries a state scenic road designation for its river-view corridor along the Middlesex Turnpike, a toll road since 1802. The southern stretch passes through the historic villages of Essex and Chester — both well-preserved small towns with independent restaurants — before opening onto river panoramas near the Haddam Swing Bridge and Gillette Castle environs. Works well paired with CT-148 and the Chester-Hadlyme ferry (seasonal) for a full valley loop.
28
miles
RouteConnecticut
4.9/10
Connecticut Route 169 Scenic Byway
Connecticut
A federally designated National Scenic Byway running 32 miles north-south through the "Quiet Corner" of northeastern Connecticut, from Lisbon near the Rhode Island border up to the Massachusetts state line north of Woodstock. The road threads through well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century villages — Canterbury, Brooklyn, Pomfret, and Woodstock — across rolling farmland with apple orchards, stone walls, and historic commons largely unchanged since the colonial era. Pacing is unhurried; the reward is pastoral immersion rather than lean-angle entertainment.
38
miles