Wawona Covered Bridge

The Wawona Covered Bridge spans the South Fork Merced River in the small settlement of Wawona, a few miles south of Fish Camp near Yosemite's south entrance. Galen Clark, the Yosemite Grant's original guardian, built the open span in 1868 to carry travelers and stock on the route into the Valley. About a decade later, the Washburn brothers — Vermont natives who ran the nearby Wawona Hotel — added the wooden roof and walls to remind them of home, giving the bridge its covered look. It's the only covered bridge left in Yosemite and one of roughly a dozen still standing in California.

What's here

The bridge anchors the Pioneer Yosemite History Center, a cluster of historic buildings — a jail, a blacksmith shop, settler cabins — relocated to Wawona to preserve pieces of the park's homestead and stagecoach era. Grounds and building exteriors are open year-round for a flat, easy, self-guided walk. In summer, watch for occasional blacksmith demonstrations at the shop and a horse-drawn stagecoach offering short rides around the grounds for a small fee — both run on a seasonal, not-every-day basis, so check with the visitor center for what's happening when you're there.

Getting there

The History Center sits along Highway 41 in Wawona, minutes from Fish Camp and roughly 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley. There's no fee beyond standard park entrance, and the bridge itself carried real automobile traffic until 1937, when a new bridge was built nearby — today it's foot traffic only, a quiet stop that pairs well with a night at the Wawona Hotel or a visit to Mariposa Grove.