Galloping Goose Regional Trail

For other uses, see Galloping Goose.

Coordinates: 48°25′42″N 123°22′20″W / 48.42836°N 123.372324°W / 48.42836; -123.372324

Galloping Goose Regional Trail

A restored train station on the Galloping Goose Trail near the Sooke Potholes
Length 55 km (34 mi)
Location British Columbia, Canada
Trailheads Victoria
Leechtown
Use Hiking, Running, Cycling, Skateboarding, Horse Riding
Hiking details
Trail difficulty Accessible to Easy
Hazards Road Crossings
Galloping Goose
Legend
0km
Johnson Street Bridge
Point Ellice Bridge
Selkirk Trestle
Gorge Road
Burnside Road
Switch Bridge
Lochside Trail
Tillicum Road
Burnside Road
McKenzie Avenue
5km
Saanich / View Royal
10km
View Royal / Colwood
Helmcken Road
Burnside Road
Highway 1
6 Mile Road
Highway 14
15km
Sooke Road
Colwood / Langford
Langford / Metchosin
20km
25km
30km
Metchosin / Sooke
Matheson Lake Park
Roche Cove Park
35km
40km
45km
Charters Trestle
Todd Trestle
50km
55km Leechtown

The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) rail trail between Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and the ghost town of Leechtown, north of Sooke, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline.

The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation, including within the urban areas of central Victoria, which it penetrates in part. It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, skateboarding and (in places) riding horses. It connects up with many other trails and parks in the area.

The trail was created in 1987 on the former right-of-way of the Canadian National Railway, and runs through the communities of Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Saanich, and Victoria as well as the unincorporated community of East Sooke.

The trail surface is paved from its beginning at the west side of Johnson Street Bridge up to Wale Road, approximately 13 kilometers or one quarter of its total length.

In 1996 two important connecting links were opened. The rebuilt Selkirk Trestle across the Selkirk Water and the Switch Bridge over the Trans-Canada Highway.

The trail was named after the local gas-powered passenger car (No. 15813) that ran on the line from 1922 to 1931.(This is disputed by the Sooke Region Museum and longtime Sooke residents who say that the term Galloping Goose was not used for the old rail line. The term was applied by CRD marketing staff to the trail.)

It also forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, and intersects the Lochside Regional Trail. It is maintained by the Capital Regional District.

Although maps show Leechtown as being the end of the trail, since 2007 this area is restricted as part of the Greater Victoria water supply. In 2010 a warning sign and locked gate greet hikers before the end of the trail, Leechtown is not accessible.

References

    http://www.imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_choice.cfm?id=55&photoid=408688624

    External links


    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.