swinging bridge

this is a favorite spot to get away from the crowd at the lake. The old suspension bridge which still handles traffic is a tribute to engineering of the past. The setting in the ozark hills is perfect for taking pictures, with calm clear water below and kids playing, or canoes gliding through the water you get a true feel of the Ozarks. It can be tricky to find, but just travel down 42 about 5 miles past the State Park entrance and you will see the road on the right, follow it about three miles down and you will cross a small old suspension bridge which is all metal, then just after crossing you will see the second large wooden bridge. !!!! If you have children with you watch their step walking the bridge, gaps between boards are big enough to drop a foot through and one section was big enough for a child to drop through!!!!

Cool spot Wirth the drive. After I left I started down some dirt road back in time it seemed. Finally came out on hwy A. Fun twist road to fly around on. Beautiful country.

It is a bit out of the way. Easier to get to if you come from Rt 42. The bridges are interesting but the best part for us was watching a Bald Eagle hunt and feed.

If you like an out of the way place to visit and don't mind the wooden deck. Worth the drive to see, walk over and drive over

This was fun. It's not an amusement park kind of fun, but definitely worth the drive. It can be difficult to find, but another reviewer has written terrific directions. We went 4th of July weekend 2014 and this road was busy with locals driving through and they are very nice and I believe they think it is amusing that we tourists come to see these bridges that are their everyday lives. My husband and I drove across the shorter bridge and I did not have the nerve to drive over the longer bridge, but we walked across it and were not run over on this one lane bridge when someone else drove over it, they drive rather slowly over it. It was very interesting to see a bridge built this way and if we had children we would definitely take them. Definitely a go see once.

There are actually two historic, swinging suspension bridges over Grand Auglaize Creek. Access is a gravel road (Swinging Bridge Road, a.k.a. Lake Road 42-18) originating off of 54 just west of Brumley. These are a must see for bridge and history lovers. For people whose primary interest is recreation or entertainment, they probably be a disappointment. We drove across both bridges and back (slowly). They were rock solid. We saw a pickup pulling a boat cross, not even on the reinforced part of the deck. Not a great destination for toddlers, as there would be safety issues.

Since it was a rainy day, we drove to the swinging bridge. It would be difficult to find without a GPS. It was interesting to see, but I would spend much time there. We did not hike around, picnic there or swim in the river. We drove over the bridge and turned around.

These were so cool, but a little scary too! We went over 2 swinging bridges in our 1/2 ton pick up truck. Very pretty back roads drive!

It was pretty cool to look at, scary to drive over.... very loud and narrow, not much room for error. The roads to get to the bridge is gravel but not horrible to drive on.. Worth the trip.

My husband and I took a drive to find the swinging bridge yesterday. It is pretty difficult to find. Our GPS had no idea where to go. If you're heading from 54 on 42 go 5.5 miles past Ozark State Park and you'll see a gravel road named "Swinging Bridge Road" on your right hand side. Turn on the gravel path and follow that for a couple miles. You'll drive over one small bridge and then up a tiny bit to the right is the large swinging bridge. It was shaky and a little scary to walk across, but fun. I refused to drive our car over it even though we saw four larger trucks drive over. There's a river down below that people were swimming and fishing, so you could probably make a little day out of this visit. Definitely fun and a little adventurous to go and see if you'd like to go for a little drive.

I like old bridges and barns. The park area has restroom facilities and the water looked very inviting. I didn't have my swim suit and skinning dipping isn't in my plans at 70+. Still I think it would be a great place to take the kids a piocnic and have a great day.

We packed a lunch and brought some inner tubes for a day trip here. The water was nice and cool and not to deep for a lot of family water fun.The kids loved the rope swing and building castles on the sand bar.The swinging bridge was really cool, but if your going to drive out there pack a lunch and enjoy the area.It was a great day!

Do you like old bridges? I'm a bit of a bridge hunter myself. If your looking for an excuse to ride your Motorcycle or drive you car to and out of the way place then this may be just the ticket. First, if you don't like dirt/gravel roads this is not for you. I thought it was difficult to locate so I included a snapshot from my GPS. There are actually two bridges so don't stop at the first one. You can't miss the second one. What they lack in size they make up for in character. Wood decked, bouncy, creaky and maybe just a little swingin'. Not sure I would take a car across, but I risked my bike. They were worth a short visit for me, you don't see bridges like this every day. There is a little park on the river if you want to stay a little while. Nothing fancy... Enjoy!

Don't take the kids! You oh look a swinging bridge, Hmmm! Ok let's leave. Sure its free. Glad it is.

Glad to see a historic bridge built in ways we just don't do any more. Must walk out on the long bridge. Very spooky how much it moves, creaks and pops as traffic passes.