Rebuilding the Iconic RVR Covered Bridge: From First Steps to Life-Changing Moments!

Every camper who crosses the landmark that is the RVR covered bridge steps into challenge, growth, and meaningful moments they will treasure the rest of their lives. You can be part of that continued transformation by making this essential project possible.

Give today through February 22nd to be entered for a chance win a framed print of the iconic RVR Bridge, by digital artist and friend of RVR, Miles Taylor.

Your gift will go towards the public need of $60,000 to fund the bridge – thank you! 

*This contest is a limited time opportunity, ending February 22nd, 2026. Contest rules available HERE, including alternate entry method.

This Bridge Is More Than Infrastructure

Covered bridge location on RVR property map

The bridge connects the north and south sides of RVR — but what it truly connects goes far deeper. 

It connects: 

  • Parking lot → main campus
  • Main campus → pool → Adventure Camp → Adventure Park → hiking trails

Transforming:

  • Arrival → campers’ ultimate adventure
  • Nervous campers → brave ones
  • First steps → life-changing moments

Every camper who crosses this bridge is stepping into growth, courage, and meaningful life impact. This is where their journey begins. 

This Bridge Holds our Memories

Covered bridge in winter, fall, and summer

For more than 30 years, this Bridge has been part of RVR’s story. And it’s been part of your stories too: 

  • Family photos
  • Group photos
  • First friendships
  • Last-day goodbyes
  • Generations of campers returning year after year

People don’t just walk across the bridge. They remember it.  

We’re not replacing a bridge – we're preserving a landmark that holds decades of shared memories and meaning.  

And Now, the Bridge is Failing

Covered bridge compromised foundation

Years of erosion from the Gunpowder River have taken their toll.

If the bridge becomes unusable:

  • Campers would be rerouted onto Grave Run Road
  • Safety would be compromised
  • Access to key programs would be limited

Now is the moment to rebuild. By giving to the Bridge, you’re not just fixing a small problem, you’re preventing a significant loss.  

Replacing the Bridge now ensures RVR remains safe, connected, and fully accessible for the next generation. 

Built Wisely. Built Together.

We're working to secure the majority of the funds through key partners, with the remaining $60,000 coming from RVR supporters like you through this effort! The cost of the Bridge reflects our commitment to do this project right: 

  • Modern river engineering for the Gunpowder River, an important natural resource in Maryland 
  • Deep abutments for long-term stability
  • Erosion prevention to protect the land

And uniquely, RVR staff will build the bridge themselves, using wood harvested from RVR's own land. This is stewardship in action: 

  • Honoring creation
  • Honoring craftsmanship
  • Building with care, purpose, and responsibility

Covered bridges were originally designed to help people (and horses!) cross when fear was real. At RVR, crossing the Bridge often happens before courage arrives. 

This bridge becomes a picture of protection, trust, and stepping forward — even when you can’t see everything ahead. 

A Special Thank You!

To celebrate the iconic RVR covered bridge and the memories it holds, every gift during this campaign enters you for a chance to win an original painting of the old bridge, by digital artist and RVR summer camp staffer, Miles Taylor, set in a custom frame using wood from the current bridge.  

It’s a piece of RVR history, created to honor what this bridge has meant to so many. 

Miles Taylor and Jon Bisset holding commemorative bridge painting

This contest is a limited time opportunity, ending February 22nd, 2026. Contest rules available HERE, including alternate entry method.

The bridge connects the RVR campus, protects campers, and sends the next generation forward into life-changing experiences.