Accessible by winding dirt roads in the tiny town of Brookfield is a Vermont attraction that sounds almost made up.
A bridge you can literally drive across while it floats on a lake.
The Brookfield Floating Bridge stretches across Sunset Lake on Vermont Route 65 and has been part of this small Orange County community for more than 200 years. The Town of Brookfield calls it the only floating bridge east of the Mississippi River, and its various iterations have been supported by everything from wooden floats to barrels to today’s modern fiber-reinforced polymer flotation system.
It has sunk. It has been rebuilt. It has spent years closed. And today, you can still drive right across it.
This is exactly the type of wonderfully strange Vermont detour I will always make time for.
Why Does Brookfield Have a Floating Bridge?
The story goes back to the early days of Brookfield.
Sunset Lake, originally known as Colt’s Pond, divided the community, and crossing it could dramatically shorten the trip between opposite sides. In winter, residents could travel directly across the frozen lake rather than making the longer journey around it.
But building a conventional bridge across the lake presented a challenge. The water was too deep to make traditional bridge construction practical, so residents came up with another solution:
Why not make the bridge float?
Brookfield’s first floating bridge was constructed on the ice in 1820 and began floating after the lake thawed in the spring of 1821.
More than two centuries later, we’re still using essentially the same solution. Just with considerably better technology.
This Is Actually the Eighth Floating Bridge
The bridge you’re looking at today isn’t the original. Not even close.
Floating wooden structures and water have a somewhat complicated relationship, and Brookfield has repeatedly rebuilt its bridge as earlier flotation systems became waterlogged and failed.
VTrans says the structure was replaced seven times after the original bridge was built, making the current version the eighth bridge to occupy this crossing.
One of the more interesting versions came in 1932, when the bridge was supported by hundreds of wooden barrels.
Yes, barrels.
It’s one of my favorite details in the bridge’s history because it makes the entire thing feel even more like a Vermont solution to a Vermont problem.
Eventually, though, those older flotation systems deteriorated. The previous bridge closed to vehicle traffic in 2008 and ultimately required complete replacement.
The Current Bridge Opened in 2015
The latest version of the Brookfield Floating Bridge opened in May 2015 after years of closure.
Rather than attempting to replicate the older flotation systems underneath the bridge, engineers incorporated modern materials while preserving the experience and appearance of the historic crossing.
The current structure uses a fiber-reinforced polymer flotation system arranged in five modular rafts. The material was selected because it is durable, corrosion resistant and better able to withstand ice, boats and other forces the bridge experiences on Sunset Lake. VTrans estimated the new structure could have a service life of 100 years.
Above the water, however, it still feels remarkably simple.
There’s a timber bridge deck, railings and sidewalks running along the sides. And beneath you? A lake.
Yes, You Can Drive Across It
This is the part that makes the Brookfield Floating Bridge particularly fun.
Route 65 actually crosses it.
The official VTrans route log lists the bridge at approximately 321 feet long with a three-ton weight limit.
Drive slowly and you’ll notice that this does not feel exactly like crossing a traditional bridge.
Because it isn’t one.
The structure is floating on Sunset Lake, and that slight awareness of water immediately beneath the bridge makes the short crossing considerably more memorable than its length would suggest.
If you’re nervous about driving across it, don’t. You don’t have to.
You Can Park and Walk Across Instead
There is parking near the bridge, making it easy to stop and explore on foot rather than driving across.
I’d walk it even if you do drive over. Crossing on foot gives you time to actually look at the structure, take in Sunset Lake and appreciate how unusual the whole thing is.
In warmer weather, don’t be surprised to see people fishing from the bridge or simply hanging out near the water.
Brookfield isn’t a place where you need to rush from attraction to attraction.
The bridge is the attraction. Park. Walk across. Look at the lake. Stay awhile.
The Bridge Closes During the Winter
There is one important thing to know before making a special trip.
The floating bridge closes seasonally to vehicles.
That makes sense once you understand what Vermont winters do to a small lake. Ice creates enormous pressure, and the modern bridge was specifically engineered to withstand the stresses and strains associated with ice loading.
The exact opening and closing timing can depend on seasonal conditions, so I’d check with the Town of Brookfield or current road information before making a special trip specifically to drive across it.
Once it’s open, though, this is one of my favorite quirky Vermont road-trip detours.
Sunset Lake Is Part of the Experience
The bridge gets most of the attention, but don’t overlook where you are.
Sunset Lake is small, peaceful and surrounded by the rural landscape that makes Brookfield feel considerably farther from everything than it actually is.
You won’t find a huge commercial recreation operation here.
That’s a good thing.
The lake and bridge feel like part of the community rather than something that was constructed specifically to attract tourists.
On a warm day, you might see someone fishing from the bridge, people walking across or visitors sitting near the lake enjoying the view.
There’s not much you need to do here.
That’s part of why I like it.
Make the Drive Through Brookfield Part of the Adventure
Getting to the floating bridge is also half the fun.
Brookfield is in Orange County in central Vermont, and depending on which direction you’re coming from, you’ll find yourself weaving along some very Vermont backroads before arriving at Sunset Lake.
This isn’t the type of destination where you’re exiting an interstate into a giant attraction parking lot.
You’re going to a tiny Vermont community whose population is measured in hundreds, not thousands, to see a bridge residents originally devised because they needed a practical way to get across a lake.
The Town of Brookfield itself dates to 1781, and the community has several historic village areas. Pond Village, where the Floating Bridge is located, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
So slow down as you arrive.
The setting is part of what makes the bridge special.
One of Vermont’s Best Quirky Roadside Attractions
I’ve found plenty of unusual things on Vermont road trips.
A giant gorilla holding a Volkswagen Beetle. A 40-foot filing cabinet. A granite zipper. Whale tails beside the interstate.
But Brookfield’s Floating Bridge is different because this isn’t simply public art designed to make you look twice.
People actually needed this thing.
More than 200 years ago, Brookfield residents had a lake standing between them and decided the solution was to build a road that floated across it.
Eight versions later, we’re still driving over it.
If you’re exploring central Vermont, make the detour to Sunset Lake.
Drive across the water.
Then park, walk back out onto the bridge and appreciate the fact that sometimes the most interesting Vermont attractions aren’t really attractions at all.
They’re simply very old solutions to living here.
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