Burpee Covered Bridge

Back when public displays of affection were more taboo, covered bridges popped up in every corner of the province of New Brunswick. Built mostly in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the wooden, roofed structures helped farmers and travelers get safely from one side of a river to the other, even in the snowy, harsh winters of yesteryear.

But in their heyday, “covered bridges” wasn’t the only term people used to identify the river-crossing spans. In popular parlance, “kissing bridges” became the go-to expression instead. Especially among young couples.

The reason for the colourful, smooch-worthy nickname isn't hard to figure out: shielded from the gaze of onlookers, horse-and-carriage riders could enjoy a few brief moments of glorious privacy while passing through, which meant a quick chance for some kissy-kissy action with your main squeeze before reaching the other side.

You didn’t even have to get a room.

Once upon a time, New Brunswick boasted hundreds of these rather fragile, lumber-heavy marvels. Today, only about 62 remain in service.

A fine example of these engineering throwbacks is the ever-so scenic, 50-metre-long Burpee Covered Bridge at Gaspeareau Forks. Set back just enough from the main highway to feel hidden, the site is 10 minutes from the nearby village of Chipman and about an hour from the provincial capital of Fredericton. 

If impossibly picturesque rural scenery is your thing, consider a visit.

Fair warning though. Arriving at the Burpee Bridge feels like stepping through a time portal to the days of a bygone era. It wouldn’t seem out of place if a character from a Lucy Maud Montgomery novel suddenly sprang to life on the two-lane Gaspereau Road.

But this is Atlas Obscura, not Goodreads, so we’ll have to discuss the creator of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley some other time. As for the Burpee Covered Bridge, how long has it stood in the New Brunswick countryside?

The question is an interesting one for history nerds. Signage at the site today clearly dates the bridge to the year 1913. Old newspaper clippings, however, suggest the bridge was already in use by the summer of 1912. So there’s that.

By the way, the span’s double-b name relates to a prominent family, the Burpees, that owned plots of land in the vicinity at the time when the bridge was put up.

In 2026, colourful markings on the vaulted interior point to a new moonlight tradition. High school grads have clearly taken to decorating the rafters and wooden walls, graffiti-style, with their names and other vivid symbols of their impromptu imagining. Fear not though, the artwork scarcely detracts from the bridge’s charm and appeal. 

The quaint days of horse-and-carriage travel are gone. But kissing is still a thing.

When you get here, drive through the darkened bridge a couple times. In your pickup, EV, or hatchback, lean over to that special someone and show some affection. You’ll be re-enacting what generations before you did on the kissing bridges of New Brunswick.