DELAWARE COUNTY
Downsville Covered Bridge
Begin in Downsville, where the 1854 Downsville Covered Bridge crosses the East Branch of the Delaware River on Bridge Street, just off state Route 30.
Built by Robert Murray for $1,700, the 174-foot bridge is an unusual survivor. Its Long truss - combined with a Queenpost truss - is rare among northeastern covered bridges, and the bridge is the only surviving New York example with that particular combination. It was rehabilitated in 1998 after years of flooding and remains open to traffic.
The bridge also illustrates why preservation here has often been a community effort. When officials considered restricting it to pedestrian use, Downsville residents pushed to keep the bridge serving its original purpose. Its rehabilitation eventually included a remarkable 174-foot laminated beam manufactured in Delaware County.
Location: Bridge Street, Downsville, approximately 0.1 mile off Route 30.
Hamden Covered Bridge
Just east of the hamlet of Hamden, the road narrows toward the West Branch of the Delaware River and arrives at one of Delaware County’s most distinctive historic structures.
Built in 1859 by bridge builder Robert Murray, the Hamden Covered Bridge is a 128-foot span constructed in the Long truss style, a design patented by engineer Stephen H. Long in 1830. It is particularly significant because it is the only surviving covered bridge in New York built as a pure Long truss, without the addition of an arch or Queenpost truss.
The bridge originally stood as a single-span crossing. A center pier was added in the 1940s for additional support, although that alteration was later removed during restoration. The bridge was rehabilitated in 2001 and remains in active use, carrying vehicles across the West Branch.
Its survival is particularly notable because Delaware County was once home to numerous covered bridges. Today, Hamden is one of six covered bridges identified by the New York State Covered Bridge Society in the county and one of three maintained by Delaware County.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, recognizing both its engineering significance and its place in the transportation history of the Catskills.
Location: Basin Clove Road, just east of Route 10 in Hamden, approximately 6 miles southwest of Delhi. The bridge is visible from Route 10.
Fitches Covered Bridge
Few covered bridges have traveled quite as far without ever leaving their home county.
Fitches Covered Bridge was built in 1870 by James Frazer and James Warren to carry Kingston Street across the West Branch of the Delaware River in the village of Delhi. The 100-plus-foot, single-span bridge used a Town lattice truss, a design patented by Ithiel Town that became one of the most widely used covered-bridge systems in the country.
Fifteen years later, Delhi officials decided to replace the covered bridge with a modern iron bridge. Rather than discard the relatively young timber structure, the town dismantled it, marked its timbers and moved it roughly three miles upstream to what became known as Fitches Crossing. The bridge was reconstructed there in 1885, where it still crosses the West Branch today.
The markings made during that move remain visible on some of the timbers. According to the New York State Covered Bridge Society, the bridge was even reassembled facing the opposite direction from its original orientation, leaving some of its old directional markings reversed.
The bridge underwent a major rehabilitation in 2001, including structural work, new wooden siding and a shingled roof. Three diamond-shaped openings were added to each side to bring light into the interior. The work was performed by Delaware County craftsmen.
Today, Fitches is one of Delaware County’s three publicly maintained covered bridges still carrying traffic across branches of the Delaware River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
For travelers following the covered-bridge trail, Fitches offers something the others cannot: the chance to stand inside a bridge that has occupied two different crossings of the same river.
Location: Fitches Bridge Road, off Route 10 northeast of Delhi, approximately 3.5 miles from the junction of routes 10 and 28. The bridge is visible from Route 10.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Hyde Hall Covered Bridge
From Delhi, head northwest toward Cooperstown and Glimmerglass State Park for one of the most extraordinary stops on the route.
The Hyde Hall Covered Bridge, spanning Shadow Brook near the northern end of Otsego Lake, dates to about 1825. Built by Cyrenus Clark, Andrew Alden and Lorenzo Bates, the 53-foot bridge uses a Burr arch truss and remains in its original location. It is the oldest surviving covered bridge in New York and, according to the New York State Covered Bridge Society, the oldest surviving covered bridge in the United States.
Unlike the Downsville, Hamden and Delhi bridges, Hyde Hall was never a public highway bridge. It served as a private crossing providing access to the Hyde Hall estate. Today, it is maintained by New York state and carries pedestrians across Shadow Brook.
Location: Glimmerglass State Park, off County Route 31, south of Route 20. Check with the park office for directions.
SCHOHARIE COUNTY
Blenheim Covered Bridge
Continue east toward the Schoharie Valley and the hamlet of North Blenheim.
Here, history has an unusual second chapter. The original Blenheim Covered Bridge, built in 1855 by Nicholas Powers, stood for more than 150 years and stretched 228 feet across Schoharie Creek. It was once described as the longest single-span covered bridge in the world before being swept away by the flooding associated with Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011.
A new bridge was completed in 2019, recreating the distinctive double-barreled design of its predecessor. At 210 feet, the replacement is now described by the Covered Bridge Society as the longest clear-span wooden bridge in the world.
It is a reminder that preservation does not always mean freezing history in place. Sometimes it means rebuilding after nature has erased it.
Location: State Route 30 in North Blenheim, near the intersection with Bear Ladder Road.
GREENE COUNTY
Alfred S. Clark Covered Bridge
Greene County offers a different kind of covered-bridge story. Rather than an intact 19th-century highway bridge, its Alfred S. Clark Covered Bridge is a later structure dating to 1976.
The bridge is a small, 34-foot span over Winter Clove Stream behind the Winter Clove Inn south of Round Top. It was built as a stringer-style structure rather than one of New York’s historic wooden truss survivors.
That distinction is worth noting for travelers: Greene County’s bridge is part of the region’s covered-bridge tradition, but it is not one of the state’s 19th-century historic truss bridges. The Catskills’ bridge story includes both preservation and revival.
Location: Behind the Winter Clove Inn, Winter Clove Road, south of Round Top. Access should be confirmed with the property before visiting.
SULLIVAN COUNTY
Van Tran Flat Covered Bridge
From Greene County, head southwest into Sullivan County and Livingston Manor.
The Van Tran Flat Covered Bridge, built by John Davidson in 1860, crosses Willowemoc Creek on Covered Bridge Road. At 117 feet, it is the oldest of Sullivan County’s four surviving covered bridges. Its Town lattice truss is reinforced by laminated arches, reflecting the way historic structures have sometimes been strengthened rather than simply replaced.
The bridge was closed and abandoned in 1972 before a major rehabilitation began in 1984. Using traditional construction techniques and materials, crews restored the truss, chords, floor and roof. The bridge reopened in 1985 and continues to carry traffic.
Look for the nearby house associated with Dr. John Mott, a philanthropist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who founded the YMCA.
Location: Covered Bridge Road, off Old Route 17 near Livingston Manor; visible from Route 17.
ULSTER COUNTY
Perrine’s Covered Bridge
The final stop lies near the Wallkill River in the northern part of Ulster County.
Perrine’s Covered Bridge dates to the late 1840s and crosses the Wallkill River on what became an important connection between surrounding communities. Its 154-foot span uses a Burr arch truss, the same basic family of design found at Hyde Hall.
The bridge takes its name from James Perrine, whose farm and tavern were near the site. County records show earlier bridges had been authorized there, but surviving records do not establish exactly when the first timber crossing was built. The covered bridge now standing was begun after a 1846 authorization and completed sometime in the late 1840s.
Its setting is particularly fitting for the end of a covered-bridge tour.
