Take the scenic route: A day exploring Bedford County's covered bridges
It's easy to miss the roads that lead to Bedford County's covered bridges.
Most of them begin with a turn off a state highway onto a township road. Traffic disappears. Cell service occasionally fades. Cornfields replace exit signs. Streams weave through wooded hollows before another bridge appears around the bend.
That's exactly the point.
Covered bridges were never meant to be destinations. They were built to solve practical problems, connecting neighbors, farms and communities across waterways long before interstate highways changed the way Americans travel. More than a century later, they're still doing something similar. They invite travelers to leave the fastest route behind and discover a different side of Bedford County.
The Bedford County Covered Bridge Driving Tour connects nine historic covered bridges across about 40 miles of scenic countryside. While the drive itself can be completed in roughly 90 minutes, it's worth setting aside an entire day. The bridges provide the framework, but the real experience comes from everything you encounter along the way.
Begin where the story starts
Start your morning in downtown Bedford with breakfast before making the short drive to Old Bedford Village.
Even before stepping inside the historic village, you'll cross your first bridge.
The Claycomb Covered Bridge welcomes visitors at the entrance, creating an immediate connection between Bedford County's transportation history and the people who built these communities. Originally constructed near Reynoldsdale in 1880, the bridge was relocated to Old Bedford Village in 1975, where it continues to preserve a piece of the county's engineering and craftsmanship.
If you've never visited Old Bedford Village, it's worth lingering. The recreated village offers context for the era when covered bridges were essential pieces of everyday life rather than weekend destinations.
Then it's time to hit the road.
Slow down enough to notice
One of the most rewarding parts of the official driving tour isn't necessarily the bridges themselves. It's everything between them.
The route carries visitors through rolling farmland, quiet valleys and small communities that still feel connected to the landscape around them. Barns stand beside fields that have been farmed for generations. Narrow creeks trace the roads. Small churches and family homes appear where crossroads have connected neighbors for decades.
It's the kind of drive that encourages you to pull over for a photograph simply because the light hits a hillside just right.
Following the official route, you'll encounter Bowser's Covered Bridge near Osterburg before continuing to Snook's, Kniseley and Ryot Covered Bridges, each offering its own setting and story. Ryot Covered Bridge, for example, stands as a reminder that preservation is an ongoing effort. After the original bridge was destroyed by fire in 2002, Bedford County rebuilt it and reopened it to traffic just two years later.
Add a little mystery
Just outside New Paris, the official driving tour offers an optional detour that's unlike anything else in Bedford County.
Gravity Hill has puzzled—and entertained—visitors for generations.
Park at the marked location, shift your vehicle into neutral and watch it appear to roll uphill. Whether you chalk it up to an optical illusion or enjoy the local legends surrounding the phenomenon, it's a memorable stop that adds a little fun to the day's adventure.
Small towns deserve a stop, too
By lunchtime, you'll find yourself near Schellsburg, making it the perfect opportunity to step away from the car and enjoy one of Bedford County's locally owned restaurants before continuing your drive.
It's easy to think of the bridges as isolated landmarks, but they've always been part of larger communities. Spending time in the towns connected by the driving tour adds another layer to the experience, offering a chance to browse local businesses, meet residents and see how these historic places continue to evolve.
Save the longest for last
The final stretch of the driving tour leads toward two of Bedford County's most memorable bridges.
Colvin Covered Bridge sits along a winding country road west of Schellsburg before the route continues toward Turner Covered Bridge, reached by a gravel lane that feels worlds away from the interstate just a few miles away.
End your afternoon at Herline Covered Bridge near Manns Choice.
Built in 1906, Herline is the longest covered bridge in Bedford County, stretching across the landscape as both a working bridge and a reminder of the craftsmanship that has allowed these structures to endure for generations.
More than bridges
The Bedford County Covered Bridge Driving Tour isn't really about checking nine bridges off a list: It's about rediscovering the joy of taking the scenic route.
The bridges simply give you a reason to wander roads you might never have driven otherwise. Along the way, you'll find quiet streams, historic villages, family farms, welcoming small towns and landscapes that haven't changed nearly as quickly as the highways beyond them.
By the time you return to Bedford, you'll likely remember more than the bridges themselves.
You'll remember the drive.
