Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Summer 2014 | Page 44

Richland Count
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The Bridges of

Bridges can be fun to photograph, which makes Richland
County a great place for a day out. The Pine River Trail alone
includes 15 bridges! This is a rails-to-trails hiking/biking path
over 14 miles, ending at Krouskop Park in Richland Center
and Richland Street in Lone Rock. It follows the Pine River
from Richland Center to the Wisconsin River near Gotham.
The bridges range from 16 feet all the way up to a 241-foot
curved bridge! The trail is free and open to the public; no
pass is required.

Of course, the bridges are functional as well as being
photogenic. Heading south from the Richland Center end
of the trail, you quickly encounter the Pine Creek Suspension
Footbridge, which may have the most suspended spans of
any bridge in North America. The bridge was originally built
in 1912 to make it easier for residents on the west side of
Richland Center to cross the river. Shortly after the bridge is
the City Arboretum.
Leaving the trail and heading further north, we have the
natural rock bridge in Pier Natural Bridge Park, Rockbridge.
This is a half-mile long “finger” of stone that forms a natural
bridge over the Pine River. A tunnel through the r