This 30-mile Oregon loop passes six covered bridges, and one of them is the last of its kind west of the Mississippi

Oregon once had roughly 450 covered bridges. Most got swapped for concrete decades ago, but Lane County held onto more of them than anywhere else on the West Coast, and six still stand on one drivable loop around Cottage Grove.

One of those six isn’t just old, it’s the only covered railroad bridge left west of the Mississippi. Chambers Bridge hauled log trains to a local mill starting in 1925, nearly collapsed decades later, and only survived because Cottage Grove residents raised the money to rebuild it in 2011.

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Where the loop actually takes you

The full drive runs about 30 miles, looping out from downtown Cottage Grove and around Dorena Lake before circling back. It’s open year-round, and most of the route parallels the Row River, so you’re never far from water.

Start downtown at Centennial Bridge. Volunteers built it in 1987 for the city’s 100th anniversary, using repurposed lumber from two other Lane County bridges, and it rests on the abutments of the old Main Street Bridge.

The railroad bridge that almost didn’t make it

A half-mile south of downtown sits Chambers Bridge, built in 1925 to carry log trains to a nearby mill. It was near collapse by the time Cottage Grove took ownership of it in 2006, and it stayed closed and crumbling until local fundraising paid for a full rebuild in 2011.

It’s worth the stop just to stand inside it. No other covered bridge like it survives anywhere west of the Mississippi River.

The other four spans

Mosby Creek Bridge is the oldest of the six, built in 1920 and still carrying a single lane of car traffic in both directions. At 90 feet, it’s also one of the shortest on the loop, but it’s the one every covered-bridge list in Lane County starts with.

Stewart Bridge, built in 1930, spans just 60 feet over gentle Mosby Creek a mile away. Dorena Bridge went up in 1949 alongside the Dorena Dam and marks the far end of the lake, while Currin Bridge crosses the Row River at Layng Road and is Lane County’s only two-tone bridge, with white portals and barn-red sides.

Cool off at Dorena Lake, or bike the whole loop

Dorena Lake was built in 1949 when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Row River, and it’s since become one of the area’s most popular summer swimming spots. There’s no lifeguard, so it’s on you to judge the water, but Harms Park on the north shore has a boat ramp, restrooms, and easy access down to the swimming area, free of charge.

If you’d rather pedal than drive, the Row River Trail is a paved path that’s part of the Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway — Oregon’s very first designated scenic bikeway, named back in 2015. Ride the full loop connecting all six bridges and you’re looking at roughly 36 miles of moderate cycling, with an easy detour into Willamette Valley wine country if you want to stretch the day out.

Loop back through downtown Cottage Grove to close out the day. The Bohemia Gold Mining Museum covers the area’s mining history, and Main Street’s antique shops make for an easy last stop before heading home.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to run the full loop at your own pace, or lock in a hotel in Cottage Grove or nearby Eugene if you’re turning it into a weekend with the wine country next door.

Six bridges, one lake, and a piece of railroad history nowhere else on the coast can claim. Which bridge are you starting with?

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