Parke County in western Indiana is famous for its covered bridges...31 in all!  Nancy and I started before sunrise and managed to photograph 25 of them by day's end.  We started the day with the rather unique Portland Mills Covered Bridge, and finished with the same bridge by evening after a circuitous loop around the county.  The bridges shown below are in the order visited.

Portland Mills Covered Bridge Entrance - Parke County, Indiana:  Built in 1856 and relocated in 1960 over the Little Raccoon Creek along CR650, it is 130' long.

Portland Mills Covered Bridge - Parke County Indiana:  A morning view of the bridge as viewed from the Little Raccoon Creek.   

Narrows Covered Bridge Looking West - Parke County, Indiana:   Built in 1882, this 121' bridge crosses over Sugar Creek on Narrows Road...but bridge traffic was bypassed in 1960. 

Narrows Covered Bridge Looking East - Parke County, Indiana:   Another view of the Narrows Bridge showing the concrete arch of the replacement bridge that now carries traffic along Narrows Road. 

Cox Ford Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:  Cox Ford Bridge is located near Turkey Run State Park in northern Parke County.  This 176' long bridge is still being used and crosses Sugar Creek. 

Cox Ford Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County, Indiana::   This wider angle view was taken from the southern shore of Sugar Creek.

Wilkins Mill Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Another covered bridge that crosses the Sugar Creek along Cox Ford Road in northern Parke County.

Jackson Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:  Yet another bridge that crosses the Sugar Creek, and at 207' long is the longest single span covered bridge in the state still being used!

Jackson Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County, Indiana:  A closer view from beneath the bridge from the banks of Sugar Creek.

Marshall Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Crossing Rush Creek, this one was built in 1917, is just 56' long and still carries traffic on CR800. 

Rush Creek Covered Bridge  - Parke County, Indiana:  As the name implies, this one also crosses Rush Creek, is 77' long, and carries traffic on CR900. 

Bowsher Ford Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:  This is the view that greets travelers as they approach the Bowsher Ford Covered Bridge along Bowsher Road in rural Parke County.

Bowsher Ford Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County, Indiana:  Nancy captured this inviting view showing the interior of this 72' bridge which crosses over Mill Creek. 

Mill Creek Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:   Built in 1907, the appropriately named Mill Creek Bridge crosses the Mill Creek and is 72' long.

West Union Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:   One of my favorite bridges of Parke County, the West Union was built in 1876 and is very long at 315 feet!  It sits along Tow Path Road and was bypassed in 1964.

West Union Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County, Indiana:    Another view of the West Union Covered Bridge as viewed  from below along  banks of Sugar Creek. 

Melcher Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  The Melcher Bridge is located along Strawberry Road, is 83' long and transports cars across the Leatherwood Creek. 

Sim Smith Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  The Sim Smith bridge crosses the Leatherwood Creek via County Road 40. 

Phillips Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:   Arabia Road runs through the short 43' long Phillips Bridge as it crosses Big Pond Creek.  The intersection of County Road 40 is seen just beyond the bridge. 

Mecca Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Built in 1873 at 150' long, the Mecca Bridge crosses the Big Raccoon Creek on Mecca Road, but was bypassed in 1965.  Part of the new bridge's railing can be seen on the far right. 

Zach Cox Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Located along Tick Ridge Road, this one is being restored over the Rock Run Creek. 

Harry Evans Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  This one was built in 1908 and stretches 65' over the Rock Run Creek.

Roseville Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Rather long at 263', the Roseville Bridge crosses the Big Raccoon Creek on County Road 325. 

Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:  Bypassed in 1961, the Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge was built in 1912 and crosses over the Big Raccoon Creek.

Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge  - Parke County, Indiana:  Sitting along Catlin Road near Rosedale, the 163' Thorpe Ford Bridge is a reminder of times past.

Nevins Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Found along gravel road CR130 E., the Nevins Bridge was built in 1920 and is 155' long. 

Neet Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  The 126' Neet Bridge crosses the Little Raccoon Creek and was bypassed along Bridgeton Road north of Bridgeton in 1996 and is now open to only foot traffic.

McAllister Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  This one is still in use along County Road 400 and crosses the Little Raccoon Creek. 

Crooks Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Another covered bridge that crosses the Little Raccoon Creek.  Built in 1856 along Wimmer Road, Crooks Bridge is 132 feet long. 

Billie Creek Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Located at Billie Creek Village, this 62' long bridge crosses the Williams Creek just outside Rockville, Indiana. 

Beeson Covered Bridge - Parke County, Indiana:  Built in 1906, this rather short 55' bridge was relocated in 1980 over the Williams Creek and now serves as an entrance way to the Billie Creek Village.

State Sanatorium Covered Bridge 1 - Parke County, Indiana:  This 154' bridge carries traffic over the Little Raccoon Creek via County Road 100 N.  It was relocated and restored in 2009.

State Sanatorium Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County, Indiana:  Another view of the bridge from the overweight/size concrete vehicle bypass crossing that spans the Little Raccoon Creek. 

Portland Mills Covered Bridge 2 - Parke County Indiana:  A late afternoon view of the bridge as viewed from the Little Raccoon Creek.   We finished the day right back where we had started with one of our favorite bridges. 

Portland Mills Covered Bridge 3 - Parke County Indiana:  A peaceful evening view of the bridge from the Little Raccoon Creek.