Lincoln City

Featured activities

• Drift Creek Covered Bridge

  1111 Bear Creek Rd

  Lincoln City, Oregon 97367

  The oldest covered bridge in Oregon, built in 1914. The bridge has a Howe Truss and is 66 feet in length. After being destroyed by a flood it was rebuilt in 1933 by J.V. Curry of Toledo. By the time the bridge was doomed to demolition for safety reasons by the Lincoln County Commissioners in 1997, local, state and federal funds for renovation had virtually disappeared. Determined not to lose this piece of history, north Lincoln County residents Kerry and Laura Sweitz came forward and offered to move the bridge – board by board – to their Rose Lodge property eight miles away. There, the couple just happened to have a concrete span over Bear Creek whose dimensions exactly matched those of the covered. Bridge. It took four years, many major fundraisers, a host of volunteers, and several more events before Drift Creek covered bridge was completely reassembled and ready for re-dedication on July 14, 2001. The structure has become a popular place for reunions and weddings and even a little “hoedown” inside the bridge. The non-profit “Save the Covered Bridge” group established by Kerry and Laura Sweitz is still in existence today. HOW TO GET THERE: From Lincoln City, turn east onto Hwy 18. From the Williamette Valley, drive west on Hwy 18 towards the coast. At milepost 4.9, turn south onto Bear Creek Road. After approximately one mile you will see the bridge on the left-hand side. The bridge is on private property; visitors are asked to park along Bear Creek Road and walk the rest of the way to the bridge.

  http://www.oregon.com/covered_bridges/bridges/bear_creek.cfm