History on the Evening Walk
Covered Bridge Park & the Pine Valley Bridge
An 1842 covered bridge over the North Branch, wrapped in a working neighborhood park — New Britain's past and present sharing one lawn.
Covered Bridge Park is exactly what its name promises and more: the 1842 Pine Valley Covered Bridge — one of about a dozen covered bridges surviving in Bucks County — crosses the North Branch of the Neshaminy at the park's edge, while ballfields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and creek-side paths fill the acreage around it.
That combination is the charm. Most covered bridges require a pilgrimage down a back road; New Britain put one inside the township park, where kids' games, evening walks, and family picnics happen in its shadow. The bridge is not a museum piece here — it is scenery for ordinary life.
History & Heritage
The bridge
The Pine Valley bridge (also called the Iron Hill bridge) was raised in 1842 in the town-lattice style that Bucks County's builders favored — a wooden web of planks and pegs that has now carried traffic across the North Branch for more than 180 years. It stands among the last dozen or so survivors of the county's once-numerous covered crossings.
Painted the county's traditional red with white portals, it is among the most photographed structures in Central Bucks — and among the easiest covered bridges anywhere to actually visit, given the park wrapped around it.
History & Heritage
The park around it
Covered Bridge Park handles the township's daily recreation: ballfields in play all season, playgrounds, pavilions booked for birthdays, and mowed paths along the creek where herons hunt the riffles. The North Branch's wooded corridor keeps the whole park cooler and greener than its road frontage suggests.
Its position minutes from both New Britain borough and Chalfont makes it a shared backyard for the two communities — and a favorite first stop for new residents discovering what they bought into.
Questions People Ask
Covered Bridge Park & the Pine Valley Bridge — frequently asked questions
What is Covered Bridge Park in New Britain?
Covered Bridge Park is a New Britain Township park containing the 1842 Pine Valley Covered Bridge over the North Branch of the Neshaminy Creek, along with ballfields, playgrounds, pavilions, and creek-side walking paths.
What is the Pine Valley Covered Bridge?
The Pine Valley Covered Bridge is an 1842 town-lattice wooden covered bridge crossing the North Branch Neshaminy in New Britain Township — one of roughly a dozen covered bridges surviving in Bucks County, and it still carries local traffic.
Where is Covered Bridge Park?
The park is on Covered Bridge Road off Route 152 in New Britain Township, minutes from New Britain borough, Chalfont, and the US 202 Parkway Trail.
Can you drive through the Pine Valley Covered Bridge?
Yes — the bridge remains open to single-lane local vehicle traffic, one of the working survivors among Bucks County's historic covered crossings.
Want Covered Bridge Park & the Pine Valley Bridge in your daily life?
I help buyers land in New Britain and the neighborhoods around it — and I know which streets put places like this in your weekly routine.
