Once you reach a certain point of the game in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will be able to build bridges across rivers. Each bridge requires 4 Log Stakes, 4 Clay and 4 Stone, so they aren’t too cheap.
Until then, you’ll be stuck using the Vaulting Pole, which you can obtain from Blathers once he reaches your island. You won’t be able to craft bridges until you’ve built the Shop, which requires paying back your move-in miles owed first.
This guide was created during the first week of Animal Crossing: New Horizons release on the Nintendo Switch. Depending on when you’re reading this guide, some thing may be different due to future updates. However we’ll always try to come back and update these guides! For more of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons Guides & Best-of lists, make sure to check out our dedicated area here!
Building Bridges in ACNH
As previously mentioned, you won’t have access to Bridges from the start of the game. You’ll need to have completed multiple tasks, which include building the museum, paying back your 5,000 Nook Miles and building the Shop for Timmy & Tommy, all these structures need to built and not be under construction.

Once the shop is built and you return to the island, Tom Nook will receive a call that some new islanders want to move in. It’s your job to find a place to set-up their new home. To do that, you’ll get access to some new DIY items including the Ladder and Bridge Construction Kit.

To craft a bridge, you’ll need to use 4 Log Stakes, 4 Clay and 4 Stone. You can obtain Clay and Stone by hitting a rock with an axe. You should already have the recipe for Log Stakes in your workbench, each Log Stake will cost 3 wood. Once you’ve built a bridge, it will be under construction, and won’t be complete until the next day.