Covered Bridge

The Lake of the Woods Covered Bridge was constructed to connect the two sides of Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet. Designed by German Gurfinkel, and dedicated in 1965.

After the purchase of an 80-acre tract of land west of the Sangamon River in the 1960s, the Lake of the Woods Covered Bridge was constructed to connect the two sides of Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet. Designed by German Gurfinkel, a Civil Engineering instructor at the University of Illinois, the bridge was a replica of the Pepperel Bridge near Boston.

In 1965, the bridge was dedicated in honor of Harold Moon, then Lake of the Woods Superintendent, who directed the actual construction. The work took 18 months and cost $55,000. The bridge was 140 feet long and 32 feet wide and was made of southern pine and Douglas fir.
In 1996, major repairs and renovations were made to the bridge. The base of the bridge was reinforced to prevent erosion, the entire deck was replaced, and the walkway area was widened as part of the newly-constructed bicycle-pedestrian path. The bridge continues to be a popular destination for visitors to Lake of the Woods.