The bridges of Madison County are in Madison County, Iowa, southwest of Des Moines, around the county seat of Winterset. At least 19 covered bridges were built in the county, and six remain today, according to the Madison County Chamber's tourism site. Five are original and one, Cedar, is a replica. All six are open to visitors, but only one still carries cars. Other states have counties named Madison; this guide covers the one in Iowa, where the novel and film are set.
This guide groups the six bridges into two drives from Winterset. Each table lists its bridges in a sensible order to drive them, with a map link for every stop. All six are in our directory.
Quick facts
- The only one you can drive through: Cedar Covered Bridge, northeast of Winterset, is the only Madison County covered bridge still open to vehicles. It is a replica, completed in 2019, of an 1883 bridge. Arson destroyed the original in 2002 and its first replica in 2017.
- Longest: Holliwell Covered Bridge, at 110 ft, is the longest of the six, according to the county tourism site and Preservation Iowa. Preservation Iowa put it on its 2026 Most Endangered Properties list because it leans and its trusses, roof and abutments are decaying.
- Oldest: Imes Covered Bridge, dated 1870 by the county tourism site, is the oldest of the six. It has been moved twice and now stands in a small park in St. Charles.
- Truss: all six use the Town lattice truss, according to Wikipedia's list of covered bridges in Iowa.
- Moved to town: Cutler-Donahoe Covered Bridge was moved from the North River near Bevington to Winterset City Park in 1970, just before the first Covered Bridge Festival.
The bridges in the novel and film
Robert James Waller's 1992 novel The Bridges of Madison County has an illustration of Cedar Bridge on its cover, according to the county tourism site. Two bridges appear in the 1995 film, directed by Clint Eastwood: Roseman Covered Bridge and Holliwell Covered Bridge, according to the county tourism site. The film crew made Roseman look older for filming, and it was repainted afterward.
North and west loop: Winterset, Cedar, Hogback and Roseman
Four bridges in a loop around Winterset. Start in town at Cutler-Donahoe in Winterset City Park, then head northeast to Cedar, the one bridge you can drive through. Swing northwest to Hogback, then south to Roseman, one of the two bridges in the film, before returning to Winterset. Hogback and Roseman are on gravel roads.
| Bridge | Township | Built | Length | Crosses | Access | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutler-Donahoe | Winterset City Park, Union Twp. | 1871, moved 1970 | A ditch in the park (first built over the North River) | Walk only | Map | |
| Cedar | Union Twp., northeast of Winterset | 1883, rebuilt 2004 and 2019 | Cedar Creek | Drive through | Map | |
| Hogback | Douglas Twp., northwest of Winterset | 1884 | North River | Walk only | Map | |
| Roseman | Webster Twp., southwest of Winterset | 1883 | Middle River | Walk only | Map |
East loop: Holliwell and St. Charles
Two bridges east of Winterset. Holliwell, the other bridge from the film, is about two miles southeast of town on a gravel road. Imes is farther east in St. Charles, close to Interstate 35, so it also makes a good first or last stop if you are driving from Des Moines.
| Bridge | Township | Built | Length | Crosses | Access | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holliwell | Scott Twp., southeast of Winterset | 1880 | Middle River | Walk only | Map | |
| Imes | St. Charles | A ravine in a small park (moved here in 1977) | Walk only | Map |
Published lengths for these bridges differ by source, because some give the span and others the full length, so we leave the Length column blank until we have checked them. Map links use coordinates from Dale J. Travis's covered bridge index.
Other Madison County bridges
All six surviving Madison County covered bridges are in our directory and in the loops above. The other bridges built in the county are gone, among them McBride Bridge over the North River northeast of Winterset, which Dale J. Travis lists as lost.
Tips for visiting
- Expect gravel. Roseman, Hogback and Holliwell are on gravel or dirt roads. The county tourism site gives about 2.2 to 4.3 miles of gravel to Roseman from Highway 92, depending on the route, just over 2 miles to Hogback from 195th Street, and 1.9 miles to Holliwell from Norwood Avenue. Cutler-Donahoe and Imes are reached on pavement, and Cedar on pavement with a few hundred feet of gravel.
- Watch the height limit at Cedar. It is the only bridge open to cars, and it has a posted height limit.
- Walk or bike across. All six bridges are open to people on foot and on bicycles. ATVs are not allowed.
- Pick up a map. The Madison County Chamber and Welcome Center at 73 Jefferson St. in Winterset has a printed covered bridges map and books two hour guided tours by appointment at (515) 462-1185.
- Plan around the festival. The Madison County Covered Bridge Festival has been held in Winterset each October since 1970. In 2026 it ran on October 10 and 11.
Sources: Madison County, Iowa: Covered Bridges, Preservation Iowa: Endangered Holliwell Covered Bridge, Wikipedia: List of covered bridges in Iowa, Dale J. Travis: Iowa covered bridges
See every Iowa bridge on our Iowa page, read about covered bridges you can still drive through, or browse the full index by state.