Linn County Oregon Covered Bridges - Gilkey Bridge

Bob and I decided we would take a trip south today, to visit the covered bridges of Linn County Oregon, a good 1 1/2 hour trip south of Portland. We had a wonderful trip we found on the web, which made a nice loop, although after 5 bridges we were ready to head north and head home. The Willamette Valley is a beautiful area this time of year....there are all of the new lambs and the wide open fields. I counted 18 hawks on my trip back to Portland...it pays to LOOK!!

The 5 bridges we visited are Hoffman Bridge, Gilkey Bridge, Shimanek Bridge, Hannah Bridge, and Larwood Bridge. They span some of the small streams found in the area. They are all built in the 1930's, and are amazing structures. We loved the differences in windows, floors, ceilings (rafters), and of course the water that flowed beneath them. Each was unique!!

Covered bridges, in the moist climate of Oregon, can last 80 years or more, while an uncovered span generally will deteriorate in less than 10 years.

These beautiful, practical, graceful structures are nearly all built of Douglas fir and provide rich links to Linn County's history and heritage, as they were constructed into the 1950s.

Most of Linn County's bridges are grouped in two areas of the county: Gilkey, Hannah, Hoffman and Shimanek bridges are all located within a few miles of Scio in the north; Larwood Bridge, is south of Scio in the mid-county, north of Lebanon in the community of Lacomb, crossing the Roaring River in Larwood Wayside Park.

To learn more about the covered bridges in Oregon, visit this webpage and click on the various counties (today we visited Linn County). Click Here!

My favorite photos are posted on my Flickr page, and note that I included some amazing old barns and a photo taken toward the mountains where it snowed last night. Enjoy :)) CLICK HERE!!