There’s something so charming about a covered bridge and yet, very few remain around the Prairie State. If you’re looking for a road trip adventure that will take a day to complete, here’s an itinerary we put together that will take you to seven covered bridges around central and southern Illinois.
Google Maps Of course, you can take more time and complete it over the course of two or three days instead and customize it to fit your needs by using this interactive Google maps link. Let’s hit the road and discover some wonderful covered bridges around the state!
- Henderson County Covered Bridge Park, Gladstone
Management/TripAdvisor Also known as the Allaman Covered Bridge, this 104-foot long structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. Take yourself back to the post-Civil War era in 1866 when this charming bridge was built.
Address: Henderson County Covered Bridge Park, Gladstone, IL 61437
- Wolf Covered Bridge, Gilson
Neil Driscoll/Google Constructed around 1848, this lovely bridge spans across the Spoon River. The original was just a deck until 1873 when a covering was built over it after a flood. In 1994, a fire destroyed the original and, by 1999, this replica was built in its place.
Address: Gilson, IL 61436
- Sugar Creek Covered Bridge, Glenarm
Jackson P/TripAdvisor Measuring 110 feet long and 30 feet wide, this Burr truss bridge was constructed in the 1800s by Thomas Black and was used until 1984. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
Address: 769 Covered Bridge Rd #587, Glenarm, IL 62536
- Mary’s River Covered Bridge, Chester
Paul Furrer/Google Spanning across Marys River, this Burr truss bridge is approximately 90 feet long and just under 18 feet wide. Built in 1854 as a part of a toll road, it allowed traffic to cross until 1930.
Address: Little Marys River Covered Bridge, Chester, IL 62233
- Thompson Mill Covered Bridge, Cowden
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr Crossing the Kaskaskia River, this 160-foot long Howe truss bridge is a mere 10 feet, 7 inches wide. Built in 1868, it’s the narrowest covered bridge in the state and is only open to pedestrians.
Address: 1375 E 225 N Rd, Cowden, IL 62422
- Cumberland County Covered Bridge, Toledo
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr This covered bridge happens to be the longest one in the state at 200 feet long. Originally built in 1832, this bridge has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The latest version was constructed in 2000 to look like the original. Read more about Cumberland County Covered Bridge in our previous coverage.
Address: 1568 Cumberland Rd, Toledo, IL 62468
- Lake of the Woods Covered Bridge, Mahomet
Tom Ahasic/Google Located within the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, this covered bridge spans across the Sangamon River, connecting both sides of the forest preserve. It is the newest bridge on our list, built in the 1960s.
Address: Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 109 S Lake of the Woods Rd, Mahomet, IL 61853
Who’s ready for a road trip? Have you visited any of these charming covered bridges before? Please tell us all about it in the comments and share photos if you can!
Google Maps
Of course, you can take more time and complete it over the course of two or three days instead and customize it to fit your needs by using this interactive Google maps link. Let’s hit the road and discover some wonderful covered bridges around the state!
Management/TripAdvisor
Also known as the Allaman Covered Bridge, this 104-foot long structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. Take yourself back to the post-Civil War era in 1866 when this charming bridge was built.
Address: Henderson County Covered Bridge Park, Gladstone, IL 61437
Neil Driscoll/Google
Constructed around 1848, this lovely bridge spans across the Spoon River. The original was just a deck until 1873 when a covering was built over it after a flood. In 1994, a fire destroyed the original and, by 1999, this replica was built in its place.
Address: Gilson, IL 61436
Jackson P/TripAdvisor
Measuring 110 feet long and 30 feet wide, this Burr truss bridge was constructed in the 1800s by Thomas Black and was used until 1984. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
Address: 769 Covered Bridge Rd #587, Glenarm, IL 62536
Paul Furrer/Google
Spanning across Marys River, this Burr truss bridge is approximately 90 feet long and just under 18 feet wide. Built in 1854 as a part of a toll road, it allowed traffic to cross until 1930.
Address: Little Marys River Covered Bridge, Chester, IL 62233
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Crossing the Kaskaskia River, this 160-foot long Howe truss bridge is a mere 10 feet, 7 inches wide. Built in 1868, it’s the narrowest covered bridge in the state and is only open to pedestrians.
Address: 1375 E 225 N Rd, Cowden, IL 62422
This covered bridge happens to be the longest one in the state at 200 feet long. Originally built in 1832, this bridge has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The latest version was constructed in 2000 to look like the original. Read more about Cumberland County Covered Bridge in our previous coverage.
Address: 1568 Cumberland Rd, Toledo, IL 62468
Tom Ahasic/Google
Located within the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, this covered bridge spans across the Sangamon River, connecting both sides of the forest preserve. It is the newest bridge on our list, built in the 1960s.
Address: Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 109 S Lake of the Woods Rd, Mahomet, IL 61853
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: Gladstone, IL 61437, USAAddress: Gilson, IL 61436, USAAddress: 769 Covered Bridge Rd, Glenarm, IL 62536, USAAddress: Chester, IL 62233, USAAddress: 1375 E 225 N Rd, Cowden, IL 62422, USAAddress: 1568 Cumberland Rd, Toledo, IL 62468, USAAddress: 109 S Lake of the Woods Rd, Mahomet, IL 61853, USA
