Pennsylvania once had more covered bridges than any place on earth, and Bucks County alone had around 36. Twelve survive. They are scattered from Tyler State Park up to the Springfield hills, most of them still carrying traffic across the same creeks they were built over before the Civil War ended. You can see all twelve in a single day of driving, and October is the time to do it.
The Twelve Bridges, North to South
Uhlerstown Covered Bridge (1832, Tinicum Township) crosses the Delaware Canal and is the only covered bridge in the county with windows on both sides. It sits inside the tiny canal hamlet of Uhlerstown, a few minutes from the river.
Erwinna Covered Bridge (1832, Tinicum Township) spans Lodi Creek near the river villages of upper Bucks. It is one of the county’s two oldest bridges still in place.
Frankenfield Covered Bridge (1872, Tinicum Township) crosses Tinicum Creek on a quiet back road. The Tinicum trio makes a natural loop with Erwinna and Uhlerstown.
Knecht’s Covered Bridge (1873, Springfield Township) crosses Durham Creek in the county’s far northern corner, in countryside tied to the historic Walking Purchase.
Sheard’s Mill Covered Bridge (1873, between East Rockhill and Haycock near Quakertown) crosses Tohickon Creek beside a mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mood’s Covered Bridge (1874, East Rockhill near Perkasie) crosses the East Branch of Perkiomen Creek. Arsonists destroyed it in 2004; the community rebuilt it in 2008, reusing what original timber could be saved.
South Perkasie Covered Bridge (1832, Perkasie) is the county’s oldest, and the one you can walk through with a stroller: it was moved into Lenape Park in 1958 and serves pedestrians only. Look for the famous painted warning: five dollar fine for anyone riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk.
Loux Covered Bridge (1874, Plumstead Township) is a bright white bridge over Cabin Run Creek, one of only two white covered bridges in the county and among its shortest.
Cabin Run Covered Bridge (1861, Plumstead Township) sits a short drive from Loux on the same creek, next to the county’s preserved Stover-Myers Mill. The two make the county’s classic twin-bridge photo stop.
Pine Valley Covered Bridge (1842, New Britain Township) crosses Pine Run near Covered Bridge Park, minutes from Doylestown.
Van Sant Covered Bridge (1875, Solebury Township near New Hope) crosses Pidcock Creek near Bowman’s Hill Tower. Locals know it as the county’s most haunted bridge; ghost stories aside, it is the most photographed of the twelve.
Schofield Ford Covered Bridge (1893, Tyler State Park near Newtown) is the county’s longest at roughly 170 feet across Neshaminy Creek. It burned in 1991 and was rebuilt by volunteers in 1997. It is pedestrian and equestrian only, reached by a short walk on the park trails.
How to Tour All 12 Covered Bridges
Visit Bucks County publishes a free self-guided driving tour that strings all twelve together, roughly 75 miles of back roads. Budget a half day if you are just driving, a full day if you stop to photograph each one. The Bucks County Covered Bridge Society also runs organized tours and keeps the deepest history on each span.
A few practical notes. Most of these are one-lane bridges on narrow roads, so yield before entering and never stop your car inside. Clearances are low, which rules out most box trucks and RVs. And several bridges sit on gravel or partially paved roads that get tight when leaf-season traffic picks up.
Why Bucks County Still Has Covered Bridges at All
The roofs were never about romance. A wooden bridge deck left open to rain rotted in about ten years; covered, the same trusses could last a century. Bucks County builders favored the lattice truss, and the survivors here are mostly town lattice designs from the 1830s to 1870s. The county government maintains most of the drivable spans today, and Bucks County has put real money into rehabbing them over the past two decades, which is why bridges like Mood’s and Schofield Ford exist at all after their fires.
What This Means for Bucks County Residents
These bridges are the county’s most recognizable landmarks and a steady draw for fall tourism dollars in the river towns and borough shops nearby. They are also working infrastructure with weight limits and periodic closures for repair, so check the county’s project notices before building a day around one specific bridge. Our Bucks County news coverage tracks closures and restoration projects as they come up.
Sources and Further Reading
- Visit Bucks County: Covered Bridges – the county tourism bureau’s bridge pages and driving tour.
- Bucks County Covered Bridge Society – history, preservation news, and organized tours.
- Bucks County government – bridge maintenance and project notices.
- PA DCNR – Tyler State Park, home of the Schofield Ford bridge.
Planning a bridge day? Start in Tyler State Park in the morning, work north through Plumstead by lunch, and finish with the Tinicum trio before dinner in one of the river towns.
