Fallasburg Bridge

You’ll find the Fallasburg covered bridge on Covered Bridge Road, just outside of the small town of Lowell, Michigan. It’s one of only three covered bridges still open to traffic in Michigan.

The historic bridge was built in 1871 and crosses the Flat river. It leads to the historic village of Fallasburg where you can tour the local history museum and old one-room schoolhouse most Sunday afternoons in the summer.

We visited the bridge on a cold February morning when there was snow on the ground and ice in the river which added to the vintage bridge’s charm.

It was my first time driving over a covered bridge. The sign over the single-vehicle bridge says, “$5 fine for riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk.” I didn’t want that expensive $5 ticket, so I kept the speedometer under five miles an hour.

There’s a park with a small picnic area along the river where you can get out of your vehicle and see the bridge up close. Other sections of the park have a play area, shelter houses and hiking trails, including a portion of the North Country Trail.

The Fallasburg bridge is on the National  Register of Historic Places. It’s been reinforced and repaired over the years. Thank goodness! I don’t think we’d want to drive over an 1871 wooden bridge that wasn’t maintained. But according to the Register it, “retains it historic integrity.”

It’s a fun piece of Michigan history to see up close if you happen to be near Lowell.