Built in 1860 by Thomas Freeman, this is California's oldest covered bridge and the only covered bridge in the United States installed backwards.
Oregon Creek Covered Bridge, also known as Freeman's Crossing, stands as California's oldest covered bridge and possibly the oldest bridge of any type in the state. Built in 1860 by Thomas Freeman with hand-hewn local timber, this remarkable structure boldly claims the unique distinction of being the only covered bridge in the United States installed backwards—a quirk resulting from an 1883 flood that washed the bridge downstream and turned it end-for-end.
Freeman built the bridge in 1860 as a toll crossing on the Middle Yuba River road, providing vital access for mining towns receiving supplies from Central Valley communities. The 1883 English Dam break sent massive flooding that lifted the bridge off its abutments, carried it over 100 feet upstream, then washed it 150 feet downstream. Using oxen teams and log rollers, workers pulled the bridge back, but it had rotated 180 degrees—so the east end became west. Rather than attempt to turn it, they reinstalled it backwards.
The 101-foot bridge employs a Howe Truss design with hand-hewn 16-inch square Ponderosa pine beams still sound after 165 years. Unique curved portals distinguish it from other covered bridges. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A 2018 rehabilitation replaced the covering and reworked abutments while preserving historical character.
Located 3 miles northeast of North San Juan off Highway 49 within the Oregon Creek Day Use Area of Tahoe National Forest. From Highway 49, turn at the Oregon Creek Campground sign onto Alleghany Road. GPS: 39.3969°N, 121.0826°W. Now open to light vehicles (5-ton limit). The day-use area offers picnic tables and swimming. Best visited spring-summer for water activities and comfortable weather.
Historic 1862 covered bridge at South Yuba River State Park. Longest single-span wooden covered bridge in the world, spanning 230 feet over the South Yuba River.
Historic 1864 covered bridge spanning the Stanislaus River. At 355 feet, it's the longest covered bridge in California and west of the Mississippi River.
Historic covered bridge in Yosemite National Park, built in 1868 by Galen Clark. The only covered bridge in the western region of the National Park System.