There’s A Covered Bridge Trail In Alabama And You’ll Want To Take It
Alabama is home to many historic covered bridges. Several are hidden away, while others can be easily located. If you’re a fan of historic covered bridges, you’re in luck. What if I were to tell you that you could visit nine of Alabama’s most historic covered bridges in a single day? That’s right; A SINGLE DAY. Sure, you’ll have to spend an extra day returning home, but the drive is so worth it. Especially this time of year.
Listed below, we’ve mapped out a trail route that features nine of Alabama’s most historic covered bridges. As you can see, the total miles of this trail route is 503, with an estimated drive time of 9 hours and 47 minutes. The trail begins in Mentone and ends in Livingston.
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Our first stop brings us to the Old Union Covered Bridge in Mentone. The Old Union Covered Bridge spans the West Fork of the Little River and was originally built in 1863. In 1980, this historic 90-foot bridge was rebuilt over an existing cable bridge.
Our next stop brings us to Noccalula Falls Park. At this popular tourist attraction, you'll come across the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge. This beautiful historic bridge is located within the park and spans a small pond near Black Creek. The Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge was built in 1899 and is 85 feet long.
We've now arrived to the Clarkson-Legg Covered Bridge in Cullman. This historic bridge was originally built in 1904 and is 270 feet long, making it the second-longest covered bridge in Alabama. The Clarkson-Legg Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 1974.
The trail route has now brought us to the Old Easley Covered Bridge, which was built in 1927 and is 95 feet long. It's currently the oldest of the three historic bridges in Blount County, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1981.
The Coldwater Covered Bridge, also known as Hughes Mill Covered Bridge, was built around 1850 and is 95 feet long. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973 and is currently Alabama's oldest covered bridge.
A very short drive from the Coldwater Covered Bridge has brought us to the Waldo Covered Bridge, which is also known as the Riddle Mill Covered Bridge. Built in 1858 and measuring 115 feet in length, this historic bridge spans Talladega Creek in Talladega County. The Waldo Covered Bridge is Alabama's second-oldest covered bridge.
The Horton Mill Covered Bridge was built in 1934, making it the youngest covered bridge on our trail route. This 220-feet-long bridge spans the Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River in Blount County. The Horton Mill Covered Bridge is 70 feet tall, which makes it the highest covered bridge above any U.S. waterway.
The Kymulga Covered Bridge was built in 1861 and is 105 feet long. It's located within Kymulga Park and spans Talladega Creek. The Kymulga Covered Bridge is one of two 19th century covered bridges still at its original location. This historic bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1976.
Our final stop on Alabama's Covered Bridge Trail is the Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge. This historic bridge was built in 1861 and is 88 feet long. It's located on the University of West Alabama campus and is one of Alabama's oldest covered bridges.
So, are you up for taking a drive along Alabama’s Covered Bridge Trail? Have you ever visited any of these historic covered bridges? If so, what did you think? Also, can you think of any other historic covered bridges in Alabama?
Jennifer is the Alabama staff writer for Only In Your State and has nearly 15 years of professional writing experience. She enjoys discovering new places and currently calls North Alabama home.
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