5 Undeniable Reasons To Visit The Oldest Covered Bridge In Minnesota

Minnesota is full of outdoor adventure! Whether you love hiking to waterfalls, climbing mountains, or browsing sculpture parks, there’s a place that you’ll love. The same goes for people who enjoy scouting out examples of Minnesota’s unique and historic architecture. It doesn’t get much more unique or historic than the spot we’d like to feature today. The Zumbrota Covered Bridge is the oldest bridge of its kind in Minnesota. Not only that, but it’s beautiful! Read on below for all the reasons why you need to add this spot to the top of your bucket list.

Ruin Raider/Flickr

The Zumbrota Covered Bridge is in the small community of Zumbrota, about 65 miles southeast of the Twin Cities, or 20 miles north of Rochester. With a population of around 3,200, it’s surrounded by beautiful countryside full of farm fields. Downtown, you’ll find a small town with a lot of charm and plenty of hometown restaurants and local shops to explore.

Joshua Swanson/Google

Being Minnesota’s oldest remaining covered bridge, the Zumbrota Covered Bridge is full of history! It was built in 1869, with the roof added later in 1871. Throughout its long history, the bridge has moved a few times. Today, it’s only about 100 feet from its original location. It’s fun to see examples of century-old architecture right here in Minnesota!

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Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr

Comprised of 80 beautiful acres, the aptly-named Covered Bridge Park is home to many historic structures, updated camping facilities, and a local trail system as well as ball fields, volleyball courts, picnic shelters, and a public swimming pool.

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Renner Anderson/AllTrails

The Zumbrota Covered Bridge once carried horses and carts and even early cars. But today, it carries pedestrians and cyclists. It’s along a lovely bike trail. In fact, it’s the trailhead for the Goodhue Pioneer Regional Trail, a paved trail that connects Zumbrota with many other southern Minnesota communities, including Goodhue, Red Wing, and more. If you like to bike, you’ll enjoy spotting this landmark along your ride!

Sandy D/AllTrails

Cory Shubert/Google

The bridge crosses the North Fork of the Zumbro River. Though this river is not very large, it is still a lovely place to pause and admire the scenery. What better place to do that than from the shelter of the bridge? Several windows along the bridge’s span offer wonderful views of the river below.

Have you visited the Zumbrota Covered Bridge? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re interested in Minnesota’s other covered bridge, check out our past article about the Holdingford Covered Bridge.