Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour, Part 1

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For the July 4th weekend this year, Dennis and I wanted to stay somewhat local, yet visit something new or interesting. A nearby county boosts several covered bridges–not the most in the United States (that honor goes to Parke County, Indiana), but still quite a few.  Ashtabula County is located in the northeast corner of Ohio, halfway between Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania. The county is home to the longest and shortest covered bridges in the U.S.A. . as well as 17 other covered bridges. We decided that driving the self-guided covered bridge tour route would be a great way to spend our long weekend.

Ashtabula County is justifiably proud of its covered bridges. There’s even an Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival held in Jefferson the second weekend of October each year. Despite living so close, we have never gone to the festival or really explored the bridges. Because the weather forecast was hot hot hot, we thought that driving to the bridges would be the perfect way to enjoy our car’s air-conditioning while social distancing and yet learning something new.

The Bridges of Ashtabula County

Why covered bridges?

Originally, covered bridges were built to protect the underlying road from the elements. It’s easier to replace or re-shingle a roof than it is to build an entirely new bridge. Covered bridges were popular for the fifty years between 1825 and 1875 when most bridges were made of wood. Sides and a roof protected the floor of the bridge from the ravages of snow, rain, and other inclement weather.

The oldest bridges in Ashtabula County were built in 1867, and the newest in 2016.  Some of the bridges are undated–the county engineer’s office doesn’t know when they were built.

Types of bridges

There are five different types of covered bridges in Ashtabula County: Howe truss, Pratt truss, Town lattice truss, Burr Arch, and Inverted Haupt truss.

The official map

There is an official driving map of the Ashtabula County covered bridges. It’s available online or you may find one at a tourism office, local attraction, or even in a box by one of the bridges if you are lucky.

Our Day

That being said, we didn’t exactly follow the map. We knew where we were starting (Andover, Ohio), and we knew where we wanted to have lunch (Ashtabula Harbor). The map is split into two sections, the North & Eastern tour (69 miles) and the South & Western tour (68 miles). We decided to visit the North & Eastern bridges along with the Doyle Road bridge in Jefferson on the first day of our covered bridge driving tour.  In order to not overwhelm you or take away from the beauty of these bridges, I’ve split day one into two parts, morning and afternoon.

The first part consists of the bridges that are close to Route 7, the first exit off of I-90 when you enter Ohio from Pennsylvania. If you are starting in Conneaut, I would visit the bridges in the opposite order, possibly going from 8 to 7 and then 6. If you do that, you could easily end up in Andover for lunch. Covered Bridge Pizza in Andover would be an appropriate stop. If you come from the south on Route 7, our route is perfect for you. You can still eat lunch in a covered bridge–the other half of the old Forman Road bridge is Covered Bridge Pizza in North Kingsville. Since we eat at Covered Bridge in Andover somewhat frequently, we chose to go to Ashtabula Harbor for lunch instead.

The bridges

Caine Road Bridge

We started in Andover, Ohio, home of Pymatuning Lake, where the ducks walk on the fish, and headed north on Route 7 to Pierpont.  The first bridge we visited was #3 on the map, the Caine Road bridge.

Built in 1986, the Caine Road bridge is one of the newer ones on the covered bridge tour. This bridge was the first Pratt truss bridge in Ohio and uses vertical components and diagonals that slope down toward the center. This design was invented in 1844  and was most commonly used for railroad bridges up until World War II. The Caine Road bridge was built for Ashtabula County’s 175th anniversary. It is 124 feet long and crosses the west branch of the Ashtabula River.  Caine Road is a dirt road, so be prepared. If you want to avoid most of the dirt and bumps, take  Stanhope-Kelloggsville Road north from 167 to Caine Road. You can easily turn around and follow Stanhope-Kelloggsville to bridge #4, the Graham Road Bridge.

Graham Road Bridge

Also in Pierpont, the Graham Road bridge (#4 on the map) is 1.7 miles north of the Caine Road Bridge if you follow Stanhope-Kelloggsville. If you follow the official map, it will be nearly 6 miles. Going up Stanhope-Kelloggsville, you’ll pass Smokin’ T’s Smokehouse, a great place to pick up some steaks or hamburger to cook later.  Be sure to bring your cooler to put your purchases in.

You can’t drive through the Graham Road bridge. No one knows exactly how old this bridge is, but its remnants were swept downstream in 1913 from its original location on the Ashtabula River. It’s now located in a small park on the south side of Graham Road, next to the water.  There’s a picnic table inside this 97 foot Town lattice bridge if you want to bring a snack.

Root Road Bridge

From the Graham Road bridge, we headed north to stop # 5, the Root Road Bridge in Conneaut. Another Town Lattice bridge, the Root Board bridge was built in 1868 which makes it one of the six oldest in the county. It was renovated in the 1980s and a center concrete pier was added. It was also raised 18 inches at the time. The Root Road bridge is approximately four miles from the Graham Road bridge.

State Road Covered Bridge

Our next stop was #7, the Conneaut Creek Covered Bridge on State Road in Monroe Township. This 152 foot long Town Lattice bridge was built in 1983 and was one of my favorites. There were paths on both sides of the creek, making it easy to take a photo from the bank. We even found a mailbox at this location with maps of the covered bridge tour inside.

Keep in mind that most of the bridges on the tour are surrounded by private property and marked with no trespassing signs. However, there were no signs at the State Road bridge, and it was obvious that people picnicked and fished there. In fact, as we were leaving, three families arrived complete with coolers, chairs, and inner tubes. Fortunately, the creek was shallow  enough and slow enough for kids to play safely in view of the bridge.

Middle Road Bridge

Next, we headed north and east to the Middle Road Bridge. This bridge is a Howe truss bridge which means it uses chords, verticals, and diagonals in its design. The 136 foot long Middle Road covered bridge was built in 1868, making it one of the older ones in Ashtabula County. It crosses the Conneaut Creek, popular with fisherman seeking steelhead trout.

 

After Middle Road, we drove north on Route 7 to Conneaut for a bathroom break and a view of the Conneaut West Breakwater Lighthouse. The current lighthouse was built in 1920.   Because it was so hot out, the breeze off the harbor was very refreshing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creek Road Bridge

The last bridge we visited that morning was the Creek Road bridge in Conneaut. No one knows when this Town Lattice bridge was built, but it was renovated in 1994. The Creek Road bridge  (#8 on the map) is 125 foot long. There are two benches to sit on, but the drop-off is quite steep by the bridge. Be careful if you have little ones with you.

Fortunately, there is plenty of parking available at this bridge, including access to public hunting, fishing, and trapping.  In addition, there are paths leading to the creek from the parking lot.

Final thoughts on the first morning of our covered bridge tour

Visiting the covered bridges of Ashtabula County was a very relaxing way to spend the day. However, keep in mind that there are very few restroom facilities along the route–you’ll need to visit a town if nature calls. Most of the bridges are on back roads which are often bumpy and dusty. Additionally, a lot of the bridges border private property, so going down by the creeks and rivers for photos is not always possible. However, this tour is perfect for people who are interested in history, local scenery, architecture, engineering or construction. Moreover, people who just want to relax and avoid the crowds will also enjoy this tour.

Of course, there’s still more to come! Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of our covered bridge tour. Part 2 will cover lunch in Ashtabula Harbor and bridges #1, #2, and #9-14–the bridges we visited the afternoon of July 3. You can read Part 2 of our tour here. In addition, part 3 will  discuss bridges #15-19, the ones we visited the morning of July 4 (read Part 3 of our covered bridge tour here).  Until then, stay safe!

 

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