Explore Northern Kentucky’s Covered Bridges in a Chevrolet Traverse
The short answer is yes. The 2027 Chevrolet Traverse is a three-row SUV with up to 97.6 cubic feet of cargo space, a 5,000-pound towing capacity when properly equipped, and a standard 17.7-inch Google Built-In touchscreen that handles navigation on the county roads around Maysville even when your cell signal goes sideways. For a covered bridge loop through Mason, Robertson, and Bracken counties, those details earn their place. They separate a comfortable day trip from a frustrating one.
What Actually Makes the Traverse a Good Fit for These Roads?
Room, ride comfort, and built-in navigation are what make the 2027 Traverse work on this loop, and the one honest caveat is that its full-size width asks for patience on the narrowest single-lane county routes where two vehicles meeting means someone has to back up. The northeastern Kentucky covered bridge circuit is one of the genuinely underrated day trips in this part of the state. Start right here in Mason County. The Dover Covered Bridge, on Lees Creek Road south of Dover off KY 8, is circa 1835, making it the oldest covered bridge in Kentucky and a National Register of Historic Places site. The bridge is still open to vehicle traffic. A 15-mile run from Maysville, and the Traverse covers it without a second thought.
The next bridges on the loop are a different story, and knowing the difference matters before you plan the trip. The Johnson Creek Covered Bridge in Robertson County (off KY 1029 near Burika, accessible via US 68 north) is 114 feet long. Built in 1874 with Robert Smith’s Type 3 truss design, it’s the only example of that system in Kentucky. And it’s closed to vehicle traffic. You park at the pull-off and walk. Same with the Walcott Covered Bridge in Bracken County, a 75-foot span over Locust Creek along the AA Highway (KY 9) corridor off KY 1159. Reconstructed in 2002 after severe flood damage, it’s a pedestrian-only structure now.
Context matters for the vehicle question. You’re not driving through most of these. You’re driving TO them, stopping, walking, picnicking, and moving on to the next county road. The full loop runs 60 to 90 miles of two-lane KY roads, and you want a vehicle that handles all-day passenger comfort, handles the gear, and handles the navigation in areas where the phone signal dips. The comparison below lines it up.
| Decision Factor | Why It Matters on This Loop | 2027 Traverse Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger space | Full family for a 60-plus-mile day loop | Up to 7 or 8 seats (trim-dependent) |
| Cargo with all seats up | Cooler, gear, stroller, picnic supplies | 22.9 cu ft behind the third row |
| Navigation tech | County roads with spotty cell coverage | Standard 17.7-in Google Built-In screen |
| Ride comfort | An hour of rolling two-lane each way | 121-in wheelbase, standard adaptive damping |
| Towing (for a camper stay near Blue Licks) | Optional overnight near Robertson County | Up to 5,000 lbs when properly equipped |
| AWD for wet approaches | Gravel pull-offs after summer rain | Available on LT and RS; standard on Z71 |
One tradeoff is worth flagging. The Traverse is a large vehicle. Some of the approach roads to these sites are single-lane county routes where two trucks meeting each other means somebody backs up. None of that is a Traverse problem specifically, just a full-size-crossover reality in rural Kentucky. Nothing this SUV can’t handle, but worth knowing before you go.
See the 2027 Traverse trims and availability at McFarland Chevrolet
Which Trim Makes Sense If You’re Planning This Trip?
For this loop we’d steer most families toward the LT with available all-wheel drive, since it carries the tech and comfort the route needs, though the RS earns its keep if your crew is all adults rather than kids in car seats. The 2027 Traverse comes in three trims, the LT, the Z71, and the RS. Every one of them runs the same turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic. The EPA rates the FWD configuration at 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. Go AWD and that shifts to 20 city and 24 highway. Over a 70-mile loop, you’re looking at a comfortable half-tank of fuel either way.
For most families planning this trip, we’d point toward the LT with available AWD. The LT is the base trim of the 2027 lineup, and it’s genuinely well-equipped. The 17.7-inch Google Built-In screen is standard, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard, heated front seats are standard, and the hands-free power liftgate is included. AWD is available on the LT for added traction confidence on gravel approaches and wet country roads. The financing team at McFarland Chevrolet can walk you through what works for your situation.
The Z71 is AWD-only and adds all-terrain tires. Genuinely useful for hunting season or farm use. On a summer covered bridge loop on KY 8 and US 68, you won’t notice the difference versus the LT AWD. If you already want the Z71 for other reasons, it absolutely handles this trip. It’s just more than this route asks for.
The RS is the appearance-forward trim, available in AWD, and seats seven with standard second-row captain’s chairs. If your crew is six adults rather than a family with two car seats in the second row, those captain’s chairs make a four-hour day on winding roads noticeably more comfortable than a bench.
- Seats up to 8; 22.9 cu ft of cargo behind the third row with everyone on board
- 328-hp turbo four-cylinder and 8-speed automatic across all trims
- Google Built-In navigation standard on that 17.7-inch screen (no app required)
- AWD available on LT and RS; standard on Z71
- Up to 5,000 lbs towing when properly equipped, if you want to tow a camper to Blue Licks Battlefield State Park for an overnight
Explore Financing Options for the 2027 Traverse
Is the Traverse Overkill If You’re Just Hitting One Bridge?
Yes and no, depending on your passenger count, because the Traverse is more SUV than two people hitting a single bridge actually need, yet it becomes the right tool the moment you fill those three rows for an all-day drive. Fair question, and we’ll give you a straight answer.
If it’s just two adults making a quick run down to the Dover Covered Bridge and back, the Traverse is genuinely more vehicle than the trip requires. A three-row SUV for two people is a lot of empty seat. Something like the two-row options in our inventory fits that scenario better day-to-day, not just for this trip but for the 364 other days of the year.
The calculus flips the moment you add people. Five adults in a mid-size two-row crossover for four-plus hours on rolling KY county roads is a fundamentally different experience than five people spread across the Traverse’s three rows with 41.5 inches of second-row legroom per Chevrolet’s listed specifications. The ride is quieter, nobody’s fighting for elbow room, and the person in the back isn’t miserable by the time you reach Robertson County. None of that is marketing, just the geometry of the thing.
One more factor is worth mentioning, the 17.7-inch Google Built-In navigation. Getting to Johnson Creek on KY 1029 is where phone navigation tends to fail, since the signal drops somewhere on US 68 outside Mount Olivet. The Traverse’s built-in system handles offline mapping in a way a phone mount can’t. On a bridge-hopping loop through three northeastern Kentucky counties, that’s a practical edge. Not a brochure line.
By the McFarland Chevrolet Team | August 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 2027 Chevrolet Traverse fit through Kentucky’s covered bridges?
Most covered bridges on the northeastern Kentucky circuit are pedestrian-only for modern vehicles. The Johnson Creek Covered Bridge in Robertson County and the Walcott Covered Bridge in Bracken County are both closed to vehicular traffic. The Dover Covered Bridge in Mason County, the oldest in Kentucky at circa 1835, is still open to vehicles. The 2027 Traverse is approximately 79 inches wide at the mirrors, so a slow and careful approach is essential. The bridge’s clearance is the limiting factor, not the Traverse’s size, since Dover is open to traffic.
How far is the northeastern Kentucky covered bridge loop from Maysville?
Starting from Maysville, the Dover Covered Bridge in Mason County is roughly 15 miles via KY 8. Adding the Johnson Creek Covered Bridge in Robertson County via US 68 and KY 1029 extends the trip by about 30 additional miles. The Walcott Covered Bridge in Bracken County off the AA Highway (KY 9) on KY 1159 adds another leg of roughly 25 to 30 miles. A full loop through all three sites typically runs 60 to 90 miles depending on route and stops, including a possible visit to Blue Licks Battlefield State Park.
Does the 2027 Traverse have all-wheel drive for wet gravel roads near the bridges?
Yes. AWD is available on the 2027 Traverse LT and RS trims, and standard on the Z71. The AWD system adds meaningful traction confidence on the unpaved pull-offs and gravel approaches near bridge sites after summer rain, which is a real consideration in northeastern Kentucky through early fall. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for AWD models is 20 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. The Z71 adds all-terrain tires for more aggressive grip on loose surfaces.
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