Honey Run Covered Bridge

In 1997, I moved from Anchorage to Chico; not long after, a friend asked me, “Have you seen the covered bridge yet?” I replied, “No…” He said, “You should see it; it’s cool.”

My first impression of the Honey Run Covered Bridge was amazement — then a thought came to me: why cover a bridge? Later I learned the roof and the sides protect the wood surfaces and framing from rotting.

The bridge turned out to be an excellent subject for photography, so during my time at Chico State, I made several trips to photograph it.

Unfortunately, in 2018, the Camp Fire, which destroyed most of Paradise, California, also destroyed the Honey Run Covered Bridge. However, an effort is underway to rebuild the bridge. To learn more about the rebuild, visit the Honey Run Covered Bridge website at hrcoveredbridge.org.

The bridge’s construction was a marvel; it hearkens back to a different era. It had an aesthetic and craft that most modern bridges lack — I hope it gets rebuilt.