Hike to the Thomas Mill Covered Bridge

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Save

View all 9 photos

All 9 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

1 miles

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Mike Servedio

Take a short hike and photograph the only covered bridge in Philadelphia/ the only covered bridge in a major U.S. city.

Built in 1855, the Thomas Mill Covered Bridge is an 85 foot long Howe-truss bridge located about 1/2 mile from the nearest road in Wissahickon Valley Park.

Hiking to the bridge is easy and there are two routes to choose from. Start at either of the parking areas on Bells Mill Road. You can either hike south on Forbidden Drive, the flat and wide multi-use walking/bike path that follows the Wissahickon Creek for 8 miles or take the Orange Trail (which I used) and is a hiking path (but also used by mountain bikers) on the other side of the creek.

Either route will get you to the bridge in roughly .6 miles from Bells Mill Road, about a 10 minute walk. There are lots of vantage points to photograph from on both sides of the bridge. Be sure to explore them all.

There are lots of options to extend your hike in the Wissahickon from the bridge as well. Hike further south to the Tedyuscung statue or the Rex Avenue Bridge or even on to Valley Green and Devil's Pool. Hike up into Houston Meadow, west of the bridge. Or do it all in one hike, one of my favorite hikes in the Wissahickon.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin

Photography

Hiking

Forest

Picnic Area

Scenic

Waterfall

Hike to the Thomas Mill Covered Bridge Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike the Wissahickon Gorge: Valley Green and Two Meadows Loop

The Wissahickon Gorge offers beautiful hiking without even having to leave the Philadelphia city limits. There are seemingly countless entry points into the gorge and hiking options are plentiful, with everything from a leisurely stroll down Forbidden Drive to an 18 mile boot buster available.One of my favorite hikes to do is what I like to call the Two Meadows Loop, which accesses both Houston...

Photograph the Benjamin Franklin Bridge

Apart from Penn's Landing being a cool place for tourism or to hang out and visit, it's also quite a nice place to photograph. I've gotten the chance to take some shots while my friends were bugging me to leave, but it's still a must go to place for photographers no matter their skill level. Make sure to have a tripod in hand, and, if needed, a shutter release button. Other than that, become cr...

Hike the Skippack Creek Trail

The Skippack Creek Trail was one of my favorites on this most recent trip. Any chance I can hike a trail along side a river, I take advantage of it. The trail starts on the south side of Skippack Creek at a parking area on Kratz Road. It was early in the morning and the weather could not be more perfect. Cool temperatures and not a single cloud in the sky all day.There is a kiosk at the trail h...

Hike Valley Forge

There are many trails to choose from on Mt. Misery and a good place to start is at the parking lot located at the intersection of Yellow Springs Road and Library Lane (off of the main Valley Creek Road).The Mt. Misery Trail starts there, heads up through the trees about 0.75 miles and meets up with Horse-shoe Trail. Take the Horse-shoe Trail to the right for 0.6 miles until it meets Valley Cree...

Hike the White Trail in Ridley Creek State Park

The white trail is the only true loop hike in the park. Strangely enough, it has no official trailhead. You can gain access to the trail from either Pavilion/picnic are #9 or Pavilion/picnic area #16. I chose picnic area #9 and hiked in a clockwise direction. This section starts very close to and follows Ridley Creek. You do have access to Ridley Creek for a short distance where there is a side...

Canoe Neshaminy Creek at Tyler State Park

Enjoy a peaceful paddle on Neshaminy Creek by canoe in Tyler State Park. The park is in a beautiful part of Bucks County and also offers paved and unpaved trails for running and bike riding, an extensive disc golf course, swimming in the creek, and picnic areas. It is likely that you will see a horse in the park as it is also a good place for horseback riding in the area (there are stables near...