The bucolic landscape of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is some of the most scenic countryside in the state. The many historic covered bridges scattered throughout the region serve to enhance and complement the area's substantial natural beauty. The blend of natural and manmade scenery makes me feel like a vignette from an oil painting awaits around every gentle curve in every road. All told, 28 of these beautiful bridges are located in Lancaster County, but if you'd like a quick day trip to whet your appetite, these five combine for a nice, leisurely itinerary.
This Scenic Day Trip in Pennsylvania Will Lead You to 5 Fabulous Covered Bridges
1. Baumgardener’s Covered Bridge – Martic Township, Pennsylvania
Sights & Landmarks⬩Martic Township, PA
Your itinerary begins near the charming Susquehanna River village of Pequea. There, you'll find the 120-foot Baumgardener's Covered Bridge spanning Pequea Creek along the aptly-named Covered Bridge Road. The bridge was originally constructed in 1860, and 120 years later, in 1980, it earned inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, the bridge was damaged in a flood in 1986, but it was repaired and refurbished, and is still in use today.
2. Lime Valley Covered Bridge – Strasburg Township, Pennsylvania
Sights & Landmarks⬩Strasburg Township, PA
You'll continue along the course of Pequea Creek to the next site on our journey, the Lime Valley Covered Bridge. Like many of the spans on our itinerary, this one is known by several names, including the Strasburg Covered Bridge. The 103-foot span opened in 1871 and, like Baumgardener's Covered Bridge, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
3. Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge – Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania
Sights & Landmarks⬩Ephrata Township, PA
From Pequea Creek, we're going to head toward Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Township, where we'll encounter the 74-foot Keller's Mill Covered Bridge. This sweet little span was constructed in 1873, but a flood destroyed it just a few years later. Fortunately, the bridge was rebuilt in 1891 and remains to this day.
4. Landis Mill Covered Bridge – Manheim Township, Pennsylvania
Sights & Landmarks⬩Manheim Township, PA
The next bridge on our itinerary—at only 53 feet, the shortest we'll cross on our route—is also from the 1873 vintage. Landis Mill Covered Bridge crosses Little Conestoga Creek in Manheim Township. Thanks to urban expansion over the last century and a half, the bridge is now located about a block from the Park City Center shopping mall, near Lancaster. If we look in the other direction, however, we can still enjoy the countryside.
5. Jackson’s Sawmill Covered Bridge – Bart Township, Pennsylvania
Sights & Landmarks⬩Bart Township, PA
Our final stop of the journey is the longest bridge on the itinerary. The 139-foot Jackson Saw Mill Covered Bridge spans the West Branch of Octoraro Creek in a remote corner of Bart Township, near Quarryville. (You could say this stop is pretty much the opposite of our last bridge—much longer, and far more rural.) Although originally constructed in 1878, the bridge was washed away, albeit relatively intact, in a 1985 flood. It was reset and repaired, and in 2006, refurbished.
Have you visited any of the covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania? What about other covered spans in the Keystone State? We'd love to hear about your favorites. If, in addition to a love for covered bridges, you also harbor a fascination with the paranormal, be sure to pay a visit to Sachs Covered Bridge. This span near Gettysburg is said to be haunted!
