Alabama Covered Bridge Road Trip: 9 Bridges, About 7 Hours of Driving

9 stops277 milesabout 7 hr 20 min of drivingAlabama

This route links nine covered bridges across six Alabama counties: Blount, Etowah, Calhoun, Talladega, Jefferson and Cullman. It covers 277 miles, with a little over seven hours of driving in total, so it works best with a very early start or split over two days. The building years run from Coldwater, Alabama's oldest covered bridge, to Tannehill Valley's 1972. Several bridges share the Town truss design, including all three Blount County bridges at the start. You'll cross paths with plenty of water along the way, among it the Locust Fork, the Calvert Prong, Dub Branch, Talladega Creek and Mill Creek. Some of these bridges have been moved to parks, some now carry only pedestrians, and a few have been closed to cars in recent years. Check access locally before you set out, and expect cell coverage to be patchy on rural roads.

Route and drive times from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM). Times are estimates without stops; roads to remote sites can be unpaved or seasonal.

1. 1. Swann Covered Bridge

   Blount County, Alabama · built 1933

   

   Start at Alabama's longest historic covered bridge, a three-span Town lattice truss built in 1933 over the Locust Fork. The most-cited length is 324 ft, though some sources give 305 or 330.1 ft. It's been closed to vehicles since 2022 after crashes, and it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

   Facts, map and sources for Swann Covered Bridge →

2. ↓ 12.7 miles, about 34 min

   2. Easley Covered Bridge

   Blount County, Alabama · built 1927

   

   About 34 minutes and 12.7 miles from Swann, Easley is the oldest and shortest of Blount County's three surviving covered bridges. Built in 1927, this 95 ft Town lattice truss crosses Dub Branch. It closed in 2009 and reopened to vehicles on October 22, 2012 after repairs. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

   Facts, map and sources for Easley Covered Bridge →

3. ↓ 5.7 miles, about 25 min

   3. Horton Mill Covered Bridge

   Blount County, Alabama

   

   A 25-minute hop brings you to Horton Mill, a two-span, 220 ft Town-truss bridge about 70 ft above the Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River. It's described as the highest covered bridge over any US waterway. It's been permanently closed to cars since April 2022, and sources give 1934, 1935 or 1934 to 1935 for its construction.

   Facts, map and sources for Horton Mill Covered Bridge →

4. ↓ 34.5 miles, about 1 hr 2 min

   4. Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge

   Etowah County, Alabama · built 1899

   

   It's 62 minutes and 34.5 miles to Gadsden. Built in 1899 over Little Wills Creek, this 85 ft bridge was moved to Noccalula Falls Park and reconstructed over a pond near the botanical gardens. It now rests on a simpler stringer truss frame and is open only to pedestrians, so it's classed as non-authentic. The 40 ft figure sometimes quoted is the original span.

   Facts, map and sources for Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge →

5. ↓ 36.5 miles, about 55 min

   5. Coldwater Covered Bridge

   Calhoun County, Alabama

   

   Alabama's oldest covered bridge is about 55 minutes on. The 63 ft wooden bridge was partly burned in 1920 and moved from Coldwater Creek to Oxford Lake Park in 1990. Its build date is uncertain: around 1850 is most common, the NRHP says possibly as early as 1839, and one site says 1884. It's listed on the National Register.

   Facts, map and sources for Coldwater Covered Bridge →

6. ↓ 25.9 miles, about 40 min

   6. Waldo Covered Bridge

   Talladega County, Alabama · built 1858

   

   Forty minutes and 25.9 miles further, Waldo was built around 1858 and is Alabama's second-oldest covered bridge. It crosses Talladega Creek. Privately owned and not maintained, it sits decaying on two stone piers with its approaches removed. The 115 ft is its covered length; the overall length is listed as 220 ft. Check access locally before planning a stop here.

   Facts, map and sources for Waldo Covered Bridge →

7. ↓ 23.5 miles, about 44 min

   7. Kymulga Mill & Covered Bridge

   Talladega County, Alabama

   

   Next up, 44 minutes on, is Kymulga, one of only two 19th-century Alabama covered bridges still in their original location. Sources date it 1858, about 1860 or 1861. Its covered span is 105 ft, while Lost Bridges gives 236 ft overall. It now carries only park visitors and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

   Facts, map and sources for Kymulga Mill & Covered Bridge →

8. ↓ 58.3 miles, about 1 hr 25 min

   8. Tannehill Valley Covered Bridge

   Jefferson County, Alabama · built 1972

   

   Allow 85 minutes for the 58.3 miles to Tannehill Valley Covered Bridge, also called the Tannehill Valley Estates Covered Bridge. Built in 1972, it's a modern, privately owned bridge over Mill Creek near the John Wesley Hall Grist Mill at Tannehill Ironworks State Park, and the public can use it. Sources give its length as 42 ft or about 45 ft.

   Facts, map and sources for Tannehill Valley Covered Bridge →

9. ↓ 79.6 miles, about 1 hr 36 min

   9. Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge

   Cullman County, Alabama · built 1904

   

   Finish in Cullman County after the 96-minute, 79.6-mile drive. Clarkson–Legg was built in 1904, and about half of it was destroyed by a flood (1921 on the historical marker, 1931 in one news report), then rebuilt the next year. Restored in 1975, the 270 ft bridge now carries only pedestrians. Cullman County owns it, and it's on the National Register.

   Facts, map and sources for Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge →