South Perkasie Covered Bridge: A Bucks County Ride Worth Taking

I used to spend a lot of time just getting lost in Berks and Montgomery Counties when I was younger. Gas was basically nothing back then, and there was something satisfying about turning down a road you’d never been on just to see where it went. That’s how I found my first covered bridge. I don’t even remember exactly where it was anymore, but I remember thinking it was one of the cooler things I’d stumbled onto.

That memory sat dormant for years until I watched a video from Chip Seal, a motovlogger who rides around Central Georgia with his wife. He featured a covered bridge in one of his videos and it just clicked something back on for me. Turns out there are a bunch of covered bridges spread across Berks, Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester Counties, somewhere around a dozen of them within a reasonable ride from home. So I figured I’d go find one.

The South Perkasie Covered Bridge

The one I targeted for this ride is the South Perkasie Covered Bridge, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I picked it partly because it was far enough from home to make for a decent ride on my Honda CB650F, and partly because it had something interesting going for it that I hadn’t seen before.

The bridge was built in the 1890s, somewhere around 90 feet long, constructed in a truss style. It crossed a creek near its original site for decades until the 1950s, when the decision was made to move it rather than tear it down. Apparently the original structure had some integrity issues, and rather than replace it with a standard concrete bridge, the community preserved it. They relocated it to a park where it now sits in an open grassy area, no longer spanning water, just kind of floating above the grass.

That detail made it feel worth seeing in person. A lot of these bridges look rough after this many years. This one is in genuinely good shape.

When I got there I noticed it still has the original signage on it, including a $15 fine for anyone riding or driving across it faster than a walk, or smoking on it. It has old wood pegs holding parts of it together. Someone added some modern electrical at some point, which is obviously not original to the 1800s, but the structure itself is solid. There’s a bird’s nest tucked up in the rafters. Standing on the floor you can feel how substantial the beams are. No flex, no give. These things were built to last.

There was a sign on the bridge describing when it was relocated, mentioning cranes, the community turning out to watch it happen. I thought that was a cool detail. People cared enough about it to make it an event.

A Little Bucks County History on the Side

One thing I didn’t expect to come across while planning this ride was learning about Bucks County furniture. I’ve been in the cabinet industry for a long time, custom kitchens, entertainment centers, furniture, so when I found out Bucks County has its own recognized furniture style I had to dig into it a little.

Bucks County pieces are hand-tooled to look naturally aged, with layered paint jobs meant to simulate years of wear and use. It’s not one coat over raw wood. It’s multiple layers, sometimes distressed down through the layers intentionally. It’s involved work and if you’ve ever priced reproduction antique furniture you know why most people don’t go that route anymore. But it’s a legitimate craft tradition tied to this county, and it was a cool thing to stumble onto while planning a ride to a covered bridge.

Bucks County has a history of craftsmanship that goes beyond what most people associate with the area. The bridge is just one piece of that.

South Perkasie Covered Bridge Update

In September of 2021, Hurricane Ida passed over Pennsylvania and caused severe damage to the Philadelphia area. Massive rainfall lead to nearly three-feet of water submerging Lenape Park – enough to raise the South Perkasie Covered Bridge and push it off it its foundation. The bridge came to rest some fifteen-feet from its original location and take major damage.

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Ride With Me

If you want to see the bridge for yourself, I rode out to it and put the whole thing on video. Check it out at the top of this post.

If you’re planning a ride out to Bucks County, the South Perkasie Covered Bridge is an easy add. It’s in a park, it’s accessible, and it’s in better shape than you’d expect for something built in the 1890s. If you’re already riding in the area it’s not a detour, it’s the destination.

There are more covered bridges in the surrounding counties if this one gets you interested. I’ve done a group ride covering several of them in Bucks County that you can check out at Visiting Bucks County Covered Bridges by Motorcycle.

If you ride Pennsylvania and want to talk roads, come hang out on the Discord. Good group over there.

And if you found this useful, share it with someone who rides. It genuinely helps.