The National Forest Covered Bridge Scenic Byway follows State Route 26 from Marietta to Woodsfield, Ohio. For most of its length, it parallels the Little Muskingum River. The scenic byway traverses some of Ohio's most beautiful countryside and many choose to stop along its route, to camp and savor the natural beauty of this area. There are five campgrounds along the byway. The Scenic Byway is a self-guided tour to interpret 35 miles of scenery and history along the Little Muskingum River. To guide you along the tour, look for the tour markers that will lead you to each of the ten stops. The tour is approximately four hours, plus one hour to return to Marietta. For a shorter tour, omit Stops #9 and #10 and return by S.R. 260.
Marietta is at one end and Woodsfield is at the other end.
Water:
None
Restroom:
Vault
Operated By:
Marietta Unit, Athens Ranger District, 27750 Star Route 7, Marietta, OH 45750 740-373-9055
General Information
Directions: To begin. From Interstate 77, take Exit 1 (S.R. #7). Go towards Marietta on S.R. 7. Turn right at Acme Street (the first light). Acme St. ends at Greene Street. Turn right on Greene St. (S.R. 26). Follow S.R. 26 approximately 5 miles. Turn right on County Road 333 to the first tour stop. There is a small parking area at the south end of the bridge.
This scenic byway parrallelling the Little Muskingum River showcases some of the area's most beautiful scenery. It is a road that winds back through time to pastoral scenes with covered bridges and Mail Pouch barns.
Special Feature
river, covered bridges, historic structures
Outdoor Learning
SHOW
Interpretive Areas
This byway has numerous interpretive stops along the route with panels which explain why the stop is significant. It also had an audio component which is being redone and more information about the stops available in a brochure and on the website.
Scenic Driving
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Scenic Driving
The Scenic Byway is a self-guided tour which interpret 35 miles of scenery and history along the Little Muskingum River. To guide you along the tour, look for the tour markers that will lead you to each of the ten stops. The byway takes approximately four hours to drive, plus one hour to return to Marietta. For a shorter tour omit Stops #9 and #10 and return by S.R. 260.
Size Restrictions
Some of the roads are gravel, and you do go through a covered bridge so extra wide vehicles may have difficulties however, you can turn around and do the byway without going through the bridges and would only miss two stops.
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