100 Things to Do
Rare covered bridges

Jul 13, 2007

US. Route 7, as it winds north to the Massachusetts border, offers two rare opportunities to drive through real covered bridges, both over the Housatonic River. Leaving behind the traffic in suburbia, it’s fun to drive across a wooden bridge with roof and sidings and think about what types of vehicles have crossed the river over the centuries. The first bridge is Bull’s Bridge, at a little settlement south of Kent village; recently renovated, the bridge leads to a small picnic area beside the river. Just below are rapids, which draw kayakers, and the Appalachian Trail crosses here. Scatacook Road goes north on the west bank of the Housatonic and passes the Schaghticoke Reservation. The rock faces are spectacular along stretches of this road. Return to Route 7 at the village of Kent and maybe stop for ice cream or a sandwich or visit a few shops or galleries before heading north to West Cornwall, where a second covered bridge awaits (not, as you might think, in the village of Cornwall Bridge).