Windsor County has 15 covered bridges in Wikipedia's list of Vermont covered bridges, counting the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge on the New Hampshire line and three on private land. They fall in two groups: along the Ottauquechee River around Woodstock, Taftsville, Quechee and Hartland, and between Windsor and Springfield.
Our directory lists 10 Windsor County bridges: 9 filed under Vermont, plus Cornish-Windsor, which we file under New Hampshire because nearly all of it lies in that state. Nine of the 10 are in Wikipedia's count. The tenth, Quechee, is a 1970 steel stringer bridge that Wikipedia lists among Vermont's non-authentic covered bridges. This guide groups the public ones into two driving loops, each listed in an order you can drive, with a map link for every stop. Of the 10, 5 use the Town lattice truss.
Quick facts
- Longest: Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, 449 ft over the Connecticut River, built in 1866. Wikipedia calls it the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States. See more record holders in the longest covered bridges in America.
- Oldest: Taftsville Covered Bridge, completed in 1836 by Solomon Emmons III, 189 ft in two spans. Tropical Storm Irene damaged it in 2011, and it reopened in September 2013.
- Built the old way: Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock village, built by Milton Graton in 1969 with about 1,400 wooden pegs and pulled across the river by a team of oxen.
- Two bridges in a row: Willard Covered Bridges in North Hartland, a c. 1870 Town lattice bridge and a 2001 twin on the same street.
- Can you drive through? Of the 10 bridges we list, 8 are open to traffic, 1 is walk only and 1 is on private property.
Ottauquechee River loop: Woodstock to North Hartland
Four bridges along the Ottauquechee River and U.S. Route 4, west to east. Start at Middle on Mountain Avenue, within view of the Woodstock village green, then follow Route 4 east to Taftsville on Covered Bridge Road. Continue to Quechee on Waterman Hill Road in Quechee village, and finish at Willard on Mill Street in North Hartland, reached from U.S. Route 5. The Willard listing covers both bridges there: the historic east bridge from about 1870 and a west bridge built in 2001, linked by a small island. All four carry traffic.
| Bridge | Town | Built | Length | Crosses | Access | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle | Woodstock | 1969 | 139 ft | Ottauquechee River | Drive through | Map |
| Taftsville | Woodstock (Taftsville) | 1836 | 189 ft | Ottauquechee River | Drive through | Map |
| Quechee | Hartford (Quechee) | 1970 | 85 ft | Ottauquechee River | Drive through | Map |
| Willard | Hartland (North Hartland) | c. 1870 | 125 ft | Ottauquechee River | Drive through | Map |
Windsor to Springfield loop: the Connecticut River and the Black River
Five bridges in the southern half of the county. Start at Cornish-Windsor in Windsor; drive across it and you are in New Hampshire almost at once, because the state line follows the Vermont bank of the river. Head west to Best on Mill Brook in West Windsor, then south to Salmond and Downers (Upper Falls) in Weathersfield. End at Baltimore in Springfield, which now stands over a drainage ditch and is walk only. The other four carry traffic.
| Bridge | Town | Built | Length | Crosses | Access | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish-Windsor | Windsor, VT and Cornish, NH | 1866 | 449 ft | Connecticut River | Drive through | Map |
| Best | West Windsor | 1889 | 37 ft | Mill Brook | Drive through | Map |
| Salmond | Weathersfield | 1875 | 53 ft | Sherman Brook | Drive through | Map |
| Downers (Upper Falls) | Weathersfield | 1840 | 120 ft | Black River | Drive through | Map |
| Baltimore | Springfield | 1870 | 45 ft | Drainage ditch (originally Great Brook) | Walk only | Map |
Other bridges
Stoughton (Titcomb) Covered Bridge, an 1880 multiple kingpost moved in 1959 to a farm in Perkinsville, Weathersfield, is on private farmland and does not carry a public road. It is on private property.
A few more Windsor County covered bridges are not in our directory yet. Lincoln, in West Woodstock, Martin's Mill, in Hartland, and Bowers, in West Windsor, are town-owned bridges on public roads. South Pomfret, in Pomfret, and Ledoux Hometown, in Reading, are on private land.
Tips for visiting
- Stop with care at Taftsville. Traffic on the bridge is slow but steady, so pull fully off the road before you get out.
- Expect one lane at Quechee. After a 2023 flood washed out part of the embankment, officials said the bridge would carry one lane for about three years while foundation work was planned.
- Park on the island at Willard. One visitor report notes little parking at either end of the pair and suggests the small island between the two bridges.
- Know which state you are in. The Cornish-Windsor bridge has been toll free since 1943, and nearly all of it is in New Hampshire.
- Respect private land. Stoughton, South Pomfret and Ledoux Hometown are on private property. Stay on public roads.
Sources: Wikipedia: List of covered bridges in Vermont, Woodstock Area Chamber: 4 covered bridges, Wikipedia: Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, WCAX: Quechee covered bridge reopens
See every Vermont bridge on our Vermont page and the Cornish side on our New Hampshire page, or browse the full index by state.