Waitsfield Webcam – 1833 Covered Bridge on the Mad River

The Waitsfield Webcam looks across the Mad River at the Great Eddy Covered Bridge, the 1833 timber bridge that carries Bridge Street over the river in Waitsfield, Vermont. The bridge portal, with its stop sign and weight-limit signs, fills the left of the frame, and the long gray side of the bridge runs out over the water toward a two-story house with a front porch on the far bank. Below the bridge the river slows into a deep, still pool between granite ledges and a gravel bar, and on a calm morning the bridge and the trees reflect in it. Maples hang into the right side of the picture, so the view changes sharply with the seasons: green in summer, orange in October, bare branches and snowy banks in winter.

About Waitsfield and the Great Eddy Covered Bridge

The Great Eddy Covered Bridge, also called the Big Eddy or simply the Waitsfield Covered Bridge, went up in 1833. It is at least the second-oldest covered bridge in Vermont. A single span of 32 meters (105 feet) on a Burr arch truss, it is also the longest single-span Burr truss bridge in the state. A walkway was added in 1940, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and it has had major repairs in 1973, 1989, 1992 and 2001.

The river has tested it. When Hurricane Irene’s flooding reached Waitsfield on August 28, 2011, the Mad River rose until there was no clearance left between the water and the bridge. The bridge survived, but it was closed afterwards because its abutments had been damaged. Bridge Street traffic runs through it again today under a posted limit of 3 tons.

Waitsfield is a town of 1,844 people (2020 census) covering 69.7 square kilometers (26.9 square miles) of the Mad River Valley, at an elevation of 303 meters (994 feet). Vermont chartered it on February 25, 1782, and it is named after militia general Benjamin Wait, one of the grantees. Vermont Routes 100 and 17 both run through it, and besides the village around the bridge the town takes in Irasville and Waitsfield Common, now a historic district.

The Mad River rises in Granville Gulf and flows north through Warren, Waitsfield and Moretown before it joins the Winooski River just downstream from Middlesex. It is a rocky, clear river and a popular one for swimming.

Weather and Climate in Waitsfield

Winters here are long and cold. Ten years of modeled weather data for the bridge put average January highs at about -3 C (27 F) and lows near -11 C (12 F), and daytime highs stay below freezing through February. In those months the camera shows snow piled on the ledges and the riverbanks, with the water running dark between them. Spring comes slowly. April averages a high of 10 C (50 F) with nights close to freezing, and by May highs reach about 18 C (65 F).

Summer is warm rather than hot, with July highs around 25 C (77 F) and lows around 17 C (62 F). July is also the wettest month, averaging about 145 millimeters (5.7 inches) of rain, out of roughly 1,280 millimeters (50 inches) of precipitation a year. September stays mild at about 21 C (70 F). October highs drop to about 14 C (57 F) with lows near 6 C (43 F), and that is when the maples in front of the camera turn orange and fallen leaves drift on the pool. By November, highs are down to about 6 C (43 F).

Things to Do Near Waitsfield

Start at the bridge itself: in summer the pool below it is a swimming hole, and tubers float the river under the bridge. Across Route 100 from Lareau Farm is another popular dip, the Lareau Swimming Hole, and the farm is the original home of American Flatbread, which bakes its pizza in an earthen oven. Lawson’s Finest Liquids pours its beers, maple brews among them, in a post-and-beam taproom in Waitsfield, and the Waitsfield Farmers’ Market sets up as a small village of tents in season.

Upriver in Warren, Warren Falls is just off Route 100, less than 400 meters (a quarter mile) down a trail. For skiing, Mad River Glen sits on a sharp bend of Route 17 in Fayston. It is owned by a cooperative of its skiers, the only cooperatively owned ski area in the country, and it still runs the Single Chair, first operated in 1948 and the oldest single chairlift in continuous use in the United States. The summit is at 1,109 meters (3,637 feet), with 621 meters (2,037 feet) of vertical. Sugarbush Resort is the valley’s other ski area.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Two of these cameras sit at the ski areas in the same valley, and the third looks out over Lake Champlain in Burlington.

• Mad River Glen Webcam
• Sugarbush Webcam
• Ferry Dock Marina Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Waitsfield Webcam?

The camera faces the Great Eddy Covered Bridge across the Mad River on Bridge Street. The bridge portal and its road are on the left, the river pool and a gravel bar fill the middle, and maple branches frame the right side, with a house on the far bank and wooded hills behind. Mad River Valley TV, which runs the camera, says you can watch the sun rise over the Green Mountains from it.

Where is Waitsfield, Vermont?

Waitsfield is in Washington County in central Vermont, in the Mad River Valley along Route 100. The village is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) southwest of Montpelier, the state capital, in a straight line, and its ZIP code is 05673. The covered bridge is on Bridge Street, just off Route 100 in the village.

How old is the Waitsfield covered bridge?

It was built in 1833, which makes it at least the second-oldest covered bridge in Vermont. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.

Can you drive through the Waitsfield covered bridge?

Yes. Bridge Street runs through it, and the signs at the portal post a stop and a weight limit of 3 tons. A walkway added in 1940 lets people cross on foot as well.

What is the weather like in Waitsfield, Vermont?

Waitsfield has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. January averages highs around -3 C (27 F) and lows near -11 C (12 F), while July reaches about 25 C (77 F). In October, with highs near 14 C (57 F), the maples on the riverbank turn orange.

Does the Waitsfield Webcam show Sugarbush or Mad River Glen?

No. The camera looks across the river at the covered bridge in the village, and neither ski area is in view. Both have their own webcams, linked above, for checking the mountain before you go.

Can you swim under the Waitsfield covered bridge?

Yes. The pool below the bridge is a summer swimming hole in Waitsfield village, and tubers float through it on warm days. The Lareau Swimming Hole and Warren Falls are popular too.

Source: Mad River Valley TV