Where can I photograph the most covered bridges in 3 days?

You can definitely photograph dozens of Oregon’s covered bridges in a three-day journey. How many you can hit just depends on how much driving you want to do and how early you want to get up and get started!

Assuming you start on the north end of the Willamette Valley and head south, I suggest sticking to the ones not far off the I-5 travel corridor. Here’s a recommended route for you:

Day 1: Marion, Polk, Benton, and Linn counties (10-13 bridges)

Start with the ones in the Salem vicinity:

  • Gallon House Bridge, northeast of Silverton
  • Stayton-Jordan Bridge, east of Sublimity
  • Ritner Creek Bridge south of Dallas.

Head south to Corvallis:

  • Irish Bend Bridge in Corvallis
  • Harris Bridge just west of Corvallis (There is a wonderful winery right next to the Harris Bridge! Call ahead and schedule a tasting appointment, or pack a picnic and take a lunch break there.)

Head east to Albany to view five covered bridges clustered in a loop near Scio: (Follow the driving directions.)

  • Gilkey
  • Hannah
  • Hoffman
  • Larwood
  • Shimanek

This would probably be a pretty full day, but if you have more time and energy, continue east to Cascadia, where you’ll find:

  • Short Bridge

Turn around and head back to Sweet Home:

  • Weddle Bridge

From there take Highway 228 to Crawfordsville:

  • Crawfordsville Bridge

At this point, spend the night somewhere (there’s a great bed & breakfast in Brownsville, or a nice hotel and RV resort in Harrisburg)

 

Day 2: Lane County (11-18 bridges) Lane County has more remaining covered bridges than any other area of the state — probably more than you could see in a day, but there are clusters of them around the Fall Creek/Lowell/Dexter area and near Cottage Grove.

You could start off just south of Eugene:

  • Coyote Creek

Then head out toward the cluster near Fall Creek:

  • Pengra
  • Unity
  • Lowell
  • Parvin

Then head for the cluster near Cottage Grove:

  • Centennial
  • Chambers Railroad
  • Currin
  • Stewart
  • Mosby Creek
  • Dorena

That would put you at 11 bridges for the day. You could head back to Eugene to spend the night, or stay in Cottage Grove. Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove is supposed to be really nice.

 

Day 3: Douglas/Jackson County (9 bridges)

Just over the county line of Douglas County:

  • Pass Creek

Further south:

  • Rochester

Near Myrtle Creek:

  • Horse Creek
  • Neal Lane

Continuing south into Josephine County:

  • Grave Creek

East of Grants Pass toward Rogue River:

  • Wimer

Near Medford:

  • Antelope Creek
  • Lost Creek

If you have time you could also continue south to

  • McKee

 

I also suggest getting your hands on the map put out by the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon, if you don’t have it already!