Wayfarrow

California Powder Works Bridge

Covered bridge · Santa Cruz County, California

MASONIC PARK C.B.; 1872 SMITH; 180'S OVER THE SAN LORENZO RIVER; PARADISE PARK IS THE SITE OF THE FIRST POWDER MILL ON THE PACIFIC COAST. SMOKELESS POWDER WAS F
MASONIC PARK C.B.; 1872 SMITH; 180'S OVER THE SAN LORENZO RIVER; PARADISE PARK IS THE SITE OF THE FIRST POWDER MILL ON THE PACIFIC COAST. SMOKELESS POWDER WAS F · JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

California Powder Works Bridge is a covered bridge in Santa Cruz County, California. California has 13 covered bridges on record at Wayfarrow, 3 of them in Santa Cruz County.

It was built in 1872, in the late 19th century, making it the 2nd oldest of the 5 in California with a recorded construction date; it is about 180 feet long (2nd longest of 6 measured in California).

Status check, 2026-11: Smith-truss bridge on a private road in the gated Paradise Park community, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015 and still carrying cars and pedestrians. California Powder Works Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 37.0106° N, 122.0439° W.

Key facts

Current structure built1872
Length180 ft
Heritage designationNational Historic Landmark
National RegisterListed
Coordinates37.01056, -122.04389

Open the location on a map

Nearby places

Questions

Where is California Powder Works Bridge?

California Powder Works Bridge is in Santa Cruz County, California, at 37.0106, -122.0439.

How many covered bridges are in Santa Cruz County?

Santa Cruz County, California has 3 covered bridges on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.