Historic Roseman Covered Bridge

A beautiful stop to visit and take pictures. This is a good remembrance of days gone by. There is lots of graffiti on the walls, mainly who was here and where they are from. You can also launch your kayak from this bridge.

If you’re a fan of the book/movie, you’ll love it. If you’re a covered bridge fan, you’ll love it. Plan your trip to arrive at dawn or dusk. We had the perfect light and it was spectacular.

Made famous by the movie, Bridges of Madison County, the Roseman bridge stands as a tribute to the ingenuity, craftsmanship and architectural design, of the late 1800’s. Now grant it, it has a rather cheesy gift shop, the beauty of this structure and its surroundings are simply beautiful. A must see. There are several other covered bridges in the area that are just as beautiful and significant as the Roseman bridge. We will return when our adventures bring us in search of all covered bridges, especially those of Madison County.

We visited the Roseman Covered Bridge on a weekend and were pleasantly surprised by how peaceful and quiet it was, not many people around, which made the experience even more special. The bridge itself is beautifully preserved and full of history, especially for fans of The Bridges of Madison County. It’s a scenic little spot surrounded by nature, perfect for a calm walk and a few great photo ops. There’s also a small gift shop nearby with some charming local items and info on the bridge’s past. If you’re in the area, it’s absolutely worth the detour!

We visited five of the remaining six Bridges of Madison County. It was a relaxing drive. Some of it is on flat roads while other parts over dusty, loose gravel. The bridges have informative plaques that indicate whether or not the bridge is still in its original location. The county used to have 100+ of these covered bridges, but most were decommissioned, disassembled or burned down. Several of the bridges have tanks of fire repellent ready in the rafters.

Nice old Covered Bridge. Info kiosk nearby with all the history of the bridge. Part of the Iowa covered bridge scenic Highway. If you drive a pavment princesses you might want to pass because you do have to travel along dirt roads. I had no issues getting there in a Toyota camry

Lovely cover d bridge. Having seen "The Bridges of Madison County", I felt a connection that I wouldn't have felt otherwise.

If you have a farm vehicle come. If you have a city vehicle don't. You will be on limestone gravel roads. This will get in your filters, door jams, everywhere. We were stupid and also pulled a trailer through this.... just save yourself a real headache and skip this.

If you remember the movie or read the book this is a great stop. The bridge is closed for vehicles which is nice for pedestrians to walk around. A beautiful well maintained bridge in a serene setting down a long dirt road. Perfect!

As an avid amateur photographer and Iowa native... How can you not make the hop, skip, and a jump down (over or up) to explore the covered bridges of Madison County...? Here's a secret. I've never seen the movie or read the book, but I did run into Clint Eastwood and his entourage back in the day (1995ish). We weren't able to get too close though. Lol The covered bridges take you back to a much simpler time. When people and cars just weren't as complicated as they are now. The construction of each one seems to be a little unique and diffent from the next. It's too bad that they have been plagued by graffiti artists, people who can't seem to leave things as they find them, and even arson over the years. If you live within a decent driving distance you can experience the bridges in all the seasons. It might sound a little silly, but as a photographer sometimes a few months can make a world of differece in your pictures...sometimes even days. While there is curb appeal to all the bridges Roseman is probably my personal favorite. The Roseman bridge location also has a nice little gift shop you can stop at to take home a momento of your visit (open May 1st through the end of October). Don't miss the shopping opportunities in downtown Winterset. Expect to get dusty, as most of the bridges are on gravel roads, and enjoy your visit!

The most remote of Madison County's six surviving covered bridges was the next to last to be built. The 104 foot long town lattice truss span was erected in 1883 by Benton Jones and George K. Foster to bridge the Middle River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Amazing Historical bridge in Madison County, Iowa made famous by the movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. (Bridges of Madison County). Looks just like the movie, very romantic & beautiful. Winterset could use more signs leading to the bridge. Note: You have to travel 4 miles down a gravel road, no street signs and GPS doesn't work. We saw no brochures in the hotel, or anywhere to advertise this and the other 6 covered bridges.