We love great garden designs, and that includes larger garden structures like bridges, trellises, and even gazebos!
This gallery features some really incredible wooden and stone bridges in many different styles. Most bridges expand over a small creek or river, while others are a more decorative element in a Zen garden.
Creeks and ponds are a fantastic way to add character to your garden, but if they run naturally through the center of your property or garden, you’ll want to ensure that you have a sturdy bridge!
Of course, not all bridges are meant to be walked across. Smaller versions can be used purely as decorative pieces, to enhance a garden pond or a dry bed creek running through a traditional dry Zen garden.
We hope you’ll be inspired by these creative and beautiful bridges tucked deep within manicured gardens!
1. Miniature Footbridge
While this bridge is a tad too small to walk over, it does make a really stunning addition to this lush garden. Every detail is perfect, including the flat stone supports beneath it. The sounds of water flowing through the garden are certain to be soothing. A few pops of color draw the eye around the garden display.
2. Rustic Hewn Log Arched Footbridge
A wider creek is bridged by a simple wooden bridge with logs hewn in half and placed next to one another. Flagstone stepping stones lead away from the bridge and through the rest of the garden. Water-loving plants and shrubs are planted near the steep banks of the little creek.
3. Large Pond With Natural Stone Slab Bridge
Opting for a more natural look, a large koi pond with a tiered waterfall and rounded stones stacked along the banks has a small river bridged by a thin, but sturdy stone lab. A similar slab is stacked on another portion of the bank, to ensure the owners can easily get around to the waterfall pump.
4. Stone and Wood Bridge
This bridge crosses a shallow, but mossy creek, connecting two stone and dirt pathways. Each pathway is heavily shaded by tall trees and ferns. The unfinished natural wood of the railings contrasts with the thick stone base of the bridge.
5. Cedar Bridge With Rope
For a much deeper creek, opting for a floating bridge can be a great focal point for your garden. Rope handles add to the nautical feel of this rich cedar wood bridge. Adding potted plants to the steps is another great way to add greenery to any large, wooden structure.
6. Simple Floating Bridge
In gardens with a lot of water, floating bridges are a must. Depending on foot traffic, you’ll want to choose a sturdier or wider model. Clean, crisp lines make this bridge an elegant addition to a tropical, lush garden. Large boulders in the center of the pond add to the already lovely scenery.
7. Rustic Wagon Wheel Bridge
This sturdy, but rustic foot bridge crosses a manmade channel through a residential garden. The soft curve of the railings resemble an old western wagon wheel, but on either side are traditional stone Japanese lanterns, making for a lovely, eclectic display.
8. Iron Arched Bridge
A pretty green wrought iron and wood arched bridge over a small manmade pool. The small, but colorful ground cover flowers add to the English country atmosphere of this garden. Pretty, sturdy, and the prefect addition to a country-style garden!
9. Rustic Wooden Bridge Over Pond
A large, winding pond and river flower through this expansive garden, and separate two large meadows filled with lush arrays of colorful blooms in pink, red, yellow, and white. An expansive rustic wooden bridge joins the two banks together, with a dirt path leading into other areas of the garden.
10. Simple Concrete Bridge
A winding concrete path through a forested park crosses a shallow, murky, wide river. The bridge is a simple concrete pathway with moss around the edges. The delicate spines of the railings have an ivy-like quality that is both at odds with and perfectly meshed with its surroundings.
11. Mossy Country Bridge
There are no defined pathways in this garden, only thick, soft clover leading around the undefined planting beds and to the mossy wooden bridge with white railings. A walk through this garden is almost like taking a trip back in time.
12. Wooden Bridge With Raised Pathway
Another idyllic garden scene with a small, slow-moving creek flowing through the middle. A dirt path extends in three directions after crossing the simple wooden bridge, with one leading off into a thick area with lush trees and flowering bushes and shrubs.
13. Elegant Wooden Bridge
This utterly elegant bridge with delicate, thin metal decorations on the end of each railing. Each section of the railing is decorated with an incredible hanging basket with trailing vines that reach to the swimming pool below. This is an incredible feature that helps blend the natural garden with the manmade swimming pool.
14. Entry Bridge With Ornate Railing
Upon entering the front garden of this lovely gated home, guests are greeted by a cobblestone path leading over a small pond. On either side of the foot bridge are decorative wrought iron railings that are incredibly elegant. A perfect way to set the stage for your home. Talk about curb appeal!
15. Black Zen Garden Bridge
The gentle curve of this black wooden bridge expands over the manmade pebble “river” that leads to a small pond. These dry “river” beds are a common feature in Japanese Zen gardens, where they replace many actual water features.
16. Stone Slab Bridge
If you’re going for a more natural look, choosing a thick, but flat stone slab is the perfect way to add a foot bridge without drawing attention away from its surroundings, like this beautiful natural waterfall and pond. Greenery is in abundance, including both evergreen trees and water-loving bushes.
17. Contemporary Flagstone Bridge
This smooth, lovely footbridge lacks railings, but the small pool beneath it isn’t very deep, just in case. Lavender, willows, and other water-tolerant plants are planted around the stony banks of the pool, which is utterly crystal clear, allowing you to see to the flagstone bottom of the pond.
18. Arched Country Bridge
A silty, slow moving river below this bridge makes for a beautiful view, in addition to the thick, lush trees surrounding the bridge and pathways. Cobblestone supports and paths bring to mind an Old World atmosphere. Walking along this path, you might feel as though you’ve stepped entirely out of time!
19. Red Natural Bridge
This simple log bridge has few embellishments, but is painted a dusky red, making it pop against the reeds and other thick grasses of the meadow. The red is reflected in the glass-like surface of the large pond in the foreground. Beyond the meadow is a lovely forest, dark and deep.
20. Stone Garden Bridge
When a natural looking bridge is desired, but the bridge needs to be a little longer, creating a simple stone bridge doesn’t require a lot of engineering. This style of bridge works perfectly in a Japanese Zen Garden, which favors natural structures and neatly and deliberately designed sections of the garden.
21. Tiny Footbridge
A tiny stone footbridge might not be necessary to cross a dry bed stream flowing through the grass of a Japanese Zen garden, but it sure does add to the river effect! Avoid slipping on or displacing the thousands of tiny white pebbles that make up the river. Flagstone steps lead through the rest of the garden.
22. Expansive Bridge
When a little bridge just won’t do to cross a large creek or pond, you need a sturdy footbridge with railings. This one crosses a crystal clear pond down the hill from a lovely home. While the garden is hidden from the view of the home, it is a private paradise perfect for a spring stroll.
23. Hand-Carved Bridge Railings
This bridge may feel somewhat like an extension of the path, with no discernible breaks in the smooth path, the hand-carved look of the railings adds a bit of tropical flavor to the design. This bridge is right in the center of the perfect blend of tropical flowers, trees, and shrubs, contemporary paths, and light fixtures.
24. Decorative Garden Bridge
Not all bridges are meant to be walked across. This little wooden bridge is used as a decorative piece, with a little boy statuette perched with his feet hanging over the water. A windmill, stacked stone waterfall, and other small sculptures add to the adorable scene. Perfectly quaint, and suited to a small backyard residential garden.