A short drive from my home, around 50 kilometres, the West Montrose Covered Bridge had been on my day trip sights for a while. In August, 2017, we finally got there. I’m not going to say it was a complete disappointment but I am going to say it may be misrepresented as an attraction.
Sure, the ‘Kissing Bridge’ is very historically significant and it is a sight to see. However, this is a bridge that is completely surrounded by private land. Add to that, this is still an operating bridge, meaning there is considerable automobile traffic on the one lane span over the Grand River. It may be a must-see for those interested in the history of Ontario and Canada but it is not a destination.
West Montrose Covered Bridge Image Gallery
West Montrose Covered Bridge
The West Montrose Covered Bridge is located in the unincorporated town of West Montrose. This is located 20 kilometres north of the centre of Kitchener, Ontario, in Woolwich Township in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. The town has under 300 residents. The bridge spans the Grand River, a body of water that starts near Dundalk, Ontario and empties into Lake Erie at Port Maitland. The length of the river is 280 kilometres or 170 miles.
Also known as the Kissing Bridge, this covered bridge was built by John Bear and completed in 1881. This is the last wooden covered bridge in the Province of Ontario and the oldest wooden covered bridge in Canada. Since 1998, it has been owned and maintained by the Regional Municpality of Waterloo.
In August, 1960, the bridge was designated an Ontario Provincial Historic Site. On November 28, 2007, the Kissing Bridge was added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Our Take
Do not plan to spend the day here. Do not plan to spend more than 20 minutes here. The area should be known as Private Property No Trespassing and not West Montrose. There is a small parking lot about a block away from the bridge with an information sign (pictured above). The road between the parking lot and the bridge is narrow without sidewalks. You may not move off that road as per the numerous signs stating ‘private property’ and ‘no trespassing’. The bridge is a single lane and is still quite active with automobile traffic.
A big part of our local history, the West Montrose Covered Bridge should be seen. However, do not make it your destination. If you’re in the St. Jacobs area or just passing through, by all means, take a pit stop to check it out.
The whole private property no trespassing situation is something I can understand. If owned the land, I wouldn’t want people tramping down by grass, dumping their garbage and possibly getting an injury that I would be liable for. I have no ill will to the property owners. I do have some ill will to those that advertise this spot as a tourist attraction (such as the Region of Waterloo) and don’t mention the overall situation.
The bridge is shown on the cover of the Ron Brown book ‘Top 150 Unusual Things To See In Ontario’. The title is bang on. It’s something to see, then move on to quickly to something else.
