We decided to start with the west gorge trail on the other side of the creek. From the mill, you walk east a short distance to find Lanterman’s Mill Covered Bridge. While not as fanciful as the Cinderella Bridge, it is a very nice and well maintained example of a covered bridge. It is wide enough for vehicles, but it did not look like they were allowed.

The trail had a view of the creek, many hikers, and not much else, but there were tons of selfie stations on the trail.

And there were a few birds and delicious looking (probably poisonous) berries!

As you approach, the Cinderella Bridge shows through the trees in the distance.

The bridge was built in 1895, and it is the oldest bridge in the park. The actual name is the Mill Creek Suspension Bridge, but due to the lacy steel arches, it is nicknamed the Cinderella Bridge, Walt Disney Bridge, Silver Bridge, or Castle Bridge. While the original design was a true suspension bridges, a hidden central concrete pier was added underneath during structural rehabilitation, probably in 2007 or 2008. You can read more on the park website here.

Some clueless idiot stopped the park service lawn person in the middle of the bridge to chat for 20 minutes shortly after we arrived. You will notice a few of the pictures have the giant green lawn mower on the bridge. It makes it a lot less scenic and romantic, unless you own a lawn service. Maybe.

The supports are interesting because the land side cable is similar to a bike chain. The central cable is close to what you would expect on a modern bridge.

There is no escape! There are selfies to the left and selfies to the right!

When we got back, there was a Great Blue Heron at the base of the mill.

The trail was not the best marked, but it was fairly easy for most of the hike. There was one area where you have to almost scramble over a few rocks and dirt ridge, and that was the most complex part. The trail was a little narrow, so it was a bit tricky avoiding brushing against the greenery on the side. With the creek, there was abundant poison ivy. The entire hike from parking, to mill, to covered bridge, to Cinderella bridge, and back to parking was only about 1.75 miles. There were a lot of people and not a lot of animals or views in the gorge. It was nice to be out in nature, but it was not the most exciting hike.

After this, we headed home.