Roughly 750 covered bridges are still standing in the US in 2026, down from an estimated 10,000 or more at the peak of covered bridge construction in the 1880s. That headline number hides a second cost: dozens of the survivors are closed to vehicle traffic and exist only as pedestrian crossings or roadside attractions, so the number you can actually drive through is smaller than the number still counted as standing.
- About 750 covered bridges are still standing in the US in 2026, down from over 10,000 in the 1880s.
- Pennsylvania holds the most survivors, with more than 200 covered bridges still in place.
- Fire, flood, and demolition remove a handful of bridges every decade even now.
- The Cornish-Windsor Bridge on the New Hampshire-Vermont line is the longest wooden covered bridge left in the country.
- Triptyka's covered bridge checklist tracks the survivors state by state for anyone chasing the full list.
Why this matters
Covered bridges are one of the fastest-shrinking categories on any American bucket list. A wooden truss bridge that survives a century of ice, flood, and traffic is worth seeing precisely because most of its siblings didn't make it. If you're building a Triptyka checklist around them, the count you're chasing changes almost every year, sometimes by fire, sometimes by a county deciding a 19th-century span can't handle 21st-century trucks anymore.
That's a different kind of bucket list than a national park count that barely moves. Covered bridges are a shrinking target, and knowing the current number matters more here than almost any other travel checklist category.
How many covered bridges are still standing in the US?
Preservation groups that track surviving spans, most notably the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, put the current total at roughly 750 covered bridges nationwide in 2026. That's down from a peak commonly cited at over 10,000 bridges in the 1880s, when covered wooden trusses were the cheapest way to protect a bridge deck from rot before steel and concrete took over.
The states with the largest surviving counts:
| State | Approx. surviving covered bridges | Best known for |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 200+ | Largest total in the country |
| Ohio | ~120 | Ashtabula County cluster |
| Vermont | ~100 | Dense concentration per square mile |
| Indiana | ~90 | Parke County "Covered Bridge Capital" |
| Oregon | ~50 | Willamette Valley routes |
| New Hampshire | ~54 | Cornish-Windsor and Saco River spans |
Pennsylvania alone accounts for roughly a quarter of every covered bridge left standing in the US, which is why most road-trip checklists start there before branching into New England and the Midwest.
Pennsylvania: more than 200 covered bridges
Pennsylvania's count sits above 200, more than any other state, spread across counties like Lancaster, Bucks, and Columbia. Several of these bridges still carry local vehicle traffic on rural roads, not just foot traffic, which makes the state the densest place in the US to actually drive across one rather than just photograph it.
Ohio and Vermont: roughly 100 to 120 each
Ohio's total lands around 120, concentrated heavily in Ashtabula County, which alone claims more covered bridges than most entire states. Vermont's roughly 100 survivors are spread thin across the state but pack the highest density per square mile of any state in the country, a fact New England tourism boards lean on hard.
Why the covered bridge count keeps shrinking
The number isn't static, and it only moves in one direction most years. A few forces drive the decline:
- Fire — wooden trusses are flammable, and arson or accidental fires have destroyed dozens of historic bridges over the past 50 years.
- Flood damage — a bridge built for 1880s river flow doesn't always survive a modern 100-year flood event.
- Load limits — many surviving spans can't handle modern truck weights, leading counties to close or bypass them rather than reinforce them.
- Demolition for replacement — some jurisdictions replace aging wooden trusses with modern spans instead of restoring them.
- Restoration funding gaps — covered bridges need specialized wood-truss maintenance that's expensive and hard to source, so deferred maintenance shortens their lifespan.
- Reclassification — a handful of "covered bridges" in older counts are modern replicas built for tourism, and stricter counts in 2026 exclude those from the historic total.
How many covered bridges were there originally in the US?
The US had over 10,000 covered bridges at the peak of construction in the 1880s, built as the cheapest way to protect wooden bridge trusses from weather before steel and reinforced concrete became standard. Fire, flood, neglect, and modern road-building have removed roughly 90% of that original total in the century and a half since.
What is the longest covered bridge still standing in the US?
The Cornish-Windsor Bridge, spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont, measures 449 feet and is generally credited as the longest wooden covered bridge still standing in the US. It remains open to vehicle traffic in 2026, making it one of the few surviving long-span bridges you can actually drive across rather than just walk.
What is the oldest covered bridge still standing in the US?
The Hyde Hall Bridge in New York, built in 1825, is generally credited as the oldest surviving covered bridge in the country. It predates the covered bridge construction boom of the 1850s through 1880s by decades and still stands as a pedestrian crossing today.
Chasing the full state-by-state list by memory doesn't work once you're past a dozen bridges. A printed covered bridge checklist breaks the roughly 750 survivors down by state and county so you can track which ones you've actually crossed versus which ones are still on the list.
Track every covered bridge you visit
A printable checklist for the roughly 750 covered bridges still standing in the US.
FAQ
How many covered bridges are still standing in the US in 2026?
Roughly 750 covered bridges are still standing in the US in 2026, down from an estimated 10,000 or more in the 1880s. Pennsylvania has the largest share with more than 200 surviving spans.
Which state has the most covered bridges?
Pennsylvania has the most covered bridges, with more than 200 still standing as of 2026. Ohio and Vermont follow, each with roughly 100 to 120 surviving spans.
What is the longest covered bridge still standing in the US?
The Cornish-Windsor Bridge between New Hampshire and Vermont is 449 feet long, the longest wooden covered bridge still standing in the US. It still carries vehicle traffic across the Connecticut River in 2026.
What is the oldest covered bridge still standing in the US?
Hyde Hall Bridge in New York, built in 1825, is generally credited as the oldest surviving covered bridge in the country. It now functions as a pedestrian crossing rather than a vehicle route.
Why are so few covered bridges left today?
Fire, flood damage, modern load limits, and demolition for replacement have removed most of the original 10,000-plus covered bridges built in the 1800s. Roughly 750 remain standing in 2026, about 90% fewer than the 1880s peak.
Are covered bridges still used for regular traffic?
Some are, but many surviving covered bridges are closed to vehicles because their wooden trusses can't handle modern truck weights. Pennsylvania and New Hampshire have some of the highest counts of covered bridges still open to cars in 2026.
Is there a full list of every covered bridge still standing?
Preservation groups maintain running counts by state, and a printable covered bridge checklist organizes the roughly 750 survivors by state and county. That format makes it easier to track visits than a general reference list.
One last thing
Ohio's Ashtabula County alone claims a bigger cluster of covered bridges than most entire states manage, which is why a state-level count can undersell how concentrated the real road trip actually is. If you're planning a 2026 covered bridge trip, start with counties, not states.
