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Halloween Express
FEATURED: All aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad’s Halloween Express!
Discover
“There’s a moment, every time I drive through a covered bridge in the Valley, where I slow down more than I have to. Partly for safety, but mostly because, much like all good things in life, I don’t want it to be over too fast.”
As TV host of a travel show about New England, I often get asked “What’s your favorite this or that?” One recent evening, the manager of my local Market Basket approached me and introduced himself, telling me he and his wife are fans of the show. As he followed me to check out and began helping the bag-boy sort my groceries into paper bags, possibly as a way to extend the conversation a bit, he asked me “What is your favorite lighthouse?” As I struggled to remember how many I had filmed and which one could possibly be my “favorite” I blurted out my answer, only to change my mind later on the drive home. But this article isn’t about lighthouses. It’s about another type of landmark just as often woven into the DNA of New England. The covered bridge.
To this date no one has ever asked me for my favorite covered bridge. If I’m being honest I could not even name one. They live in my mind anonymously but still significant to New England history, nonetheless. Like lighthouses that dot the coastline, covered bridges are also part of the DNA of New England, but in the Mount Washington Valley, they take on a special character. Many of these bridges were built in the mid-to-late 1800s when this area was thriving on logging, farming, and the very early days of tourism.
The roofs weren’t just decorative. Back then, untreated wooden beams would rot away within a decade if left exposed. The roof was like a giant protective hat, extending the bridge’s lifespan from 10 years to over 100. Many of these spans have weathered floods, harsh winters, and even the occasional runaway wagon.
This bridge, with its 120-foot span over the Swift River, has been carrying travelers since before the Civil War. When it was built, North Conway was still decades away from becoming a tourism hub. The bridge sat quietly in the forest, serving farmers, loggers, and the occasional carriage headed west toward the Kancamagus Pass. Today, the setting hasn’t changed much — if you stand by the river early in the morning, you can imagine a horse-drawn cart emerging from the mist.
📍 Albany, NH – Near Lower Falls on the Kancamagus Highway
Standing at the entrance to the Valley, this bridge was once a toll crossing. Local lore says the original tollkeeper charged two cents for a horse, five cents for a team, and ten cents for “fancy carriages.” The tollhouse is gone, but the bridge’s elegant lines remain — a wooden welcome mat for everyone entering North Conway.
📍 Near the junction of US-302 & NH-16, Conway, NH
This one’s a survivor in the truest sense. The original 1850 Swift River Bridge was swept off its abutments by floodwaters in 1869 and subsequently crashed into the Saco River Bridge, destroying both structures. Much of the lumber from the destroyed bridges was salvaged and used in the construction of the present Swift River Covered Bridge, built in 1870.
It was rebuilt and continues to serve the community. Locals sometimes call it the “Second Covered Bridge,” a nod to the nearby crossing it replaced. Step inside and you’ll notice the lattice truss design, a hallmark of 19th-century Yankee craftsmanship. The current bridge was bypassed in 1974 when a new concrete and steel bridge was constructed nearby. The Swift River Covered Bridge is currently a pedestrian bridge with picnic tables inside.
📍 West Side Rd, Conway, NH
