One of these West Coast covered bridges is the last of its kind in its state, one used to haul logs by train, and the third hides inside a redwood tunnel
Covered bridges read like a New England thing — red barns, fall leaves, maple syrup stands. The West Coast has three of its own, and none of them are replicas or roadside gimmicks.
One’s the last of its kind left in an entire state. One used to run a lumber railroad. One sits half a mile into a redwood forest so dense the trees brush your mirrors on the way in.
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Washington: the only one still open to traffic
Wahkiakum County, out on the Washington side of the lower Columbia, is home to the Grays River Covered Bridge — and it’s not one of several. It’s the only covered bridge left in the entire state that still carries public road traffic.
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It went up in 1905 to get horses and wagons across the Grays River, then got wrapped in its wooden shell three years later to keep the truss timbers from rotting in the rain. That’s the whole reason for the roof — preservation, not decoration.
At 155.5 feet long and 22.5 feet tall, it’s a one-lane Howe truss bridge that’s been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971. Drive across it and you’re using the same crossing Wahkiakum County farmers have relied on for well over a century — no fee, no gate, no appointment.
Oregon: twenty bridges, and one that used to run a train
Lane County keeps 20 covered bridges standing, more than any other county west of the Mississippi, and six of them cluster within a few miles of Cottage Grove.
The one worth planning around is the Chambers Railroad Bridge. Lumberman J.H. Chambers built it in 1925 to haul logs across the Coast Fork Willamette River to his sawmill, and it ran as a working rail bridge until 1951 — it’s now believed to be the only covered railroad bridge still standing west of the Mississippi.
A 2011 restoration reopened it to foot and bike traffic, and it’s one of six stops on Cottage Grove’s mapped Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway, a paved 36-mile loop that starts and ends downtown. If you’re already checking off things to do in Eugene, it’s a short detour south.
California: the one you drive through, not just look at
Skip the postcard version and drive Howland Hill Road through Jedediah Smith Redwoods, just north of Crescent City. About half a mile in, the road narrows into a small covered bridge with old-growth redwoods leaning in from both sides.
The road itself is the real story — 10 miles of narrow, unpaved forest track that the National Park Service says is too tight for RVs, trucks, or anything towing a trailer. A regular car handles it fine. So, apparently, does a 1974 VW Bus — that’s how we found it.
Give it 45 minutes to an hour end to end, go slow, and don’t expect a shoulder to pull onto. It’s free to drive, open year-round, and pairs naturally with the rest of Jedediah Smith Redwoods.
Three bridges, three completely different reasons to detour for one: Washington’s is the last one standing, Oregon’s used to run a train, and California’s is basically a front door into old-growth forest. None of them charge admission.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
