Kinsol Trestle
By klahanie_
25 comments
This is a good place to get a little exercise in our area.
We have to drive through forestry acreages and hobby farms for about 20 minutes.
Some people keep their hedges immaculately trimmed.
In autumn the drive is very pretty but twisty and the countryside close to the destination turns raggedy and the road is turning narrow and bumpy.
Interesting and imaginative entrance to their property.
Maybe too much of a statement. Although, it fits the Westcoast wild country theme .
There is a parking spot by this rock and people have to enter the trail which leads to the trestle. It is a short 10 minutes walk to reach it. There is an entrance on the other end (same trail system) but the parking there is little further from the main event.
The short walk is lined with mossy rocks
….unfriendly dark forest ……
……and grassy patches
The Kinsol Trestle has a long and interesting history. It is one of the tallest free-standing and most spectacular timber rail trestle structures in the world. It is 614 feet long and stands 145 feet above the Koksilah River.
It was named after “King Solomon Mines” nearby, but did not serve that operation. It was built to connect Victoria to Nootka Sound to transport the region’s huge, old-growth timber.
The Trestle was officially finished in 1920 (construction started in 1911), Although,it was designed by engineers, it was built by local farmers and loggers. It provided a transportation link for the local logging industry but …..the line never reached Nootka Sound.
CN’s (Canadian National) rail service on Vancouver Island was abandoned and after 1979 no trains crossed the trestle and it gradually fell into disrepair.
Eventually, the north and south accesses were removed for safety reasons.
Historical picture
An official fundraising campaign “Save the Historic Kinsol Trestle” was launched in June 2009 in order to raise needed funds to rehabilitate the Trestle. The campaign was launched on June 10, 2009, and the Trestle reopened to the public after major renovations on July 28, 2011. It is now a part of the " Trans Canada Trail" system
The area is now enjoyed by hikers and cyclist. It is also a local tourist attraction but for us it is close enough to have a wonderful afternoon outing.
The next photo depicts the restored Trestle built from a local wood as seen from a view point.
There are few trails down to the river with picnic tables
….the river is narrow but very fast and noisy.
Distant view from the middle part on top of the structure
…..walking over Koksilah River on Kinsol trestle
There is an interesting video of the structure from the air on youtube. it is 2 min and 52 sec long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGW13w8Tzw
17 Nov, 2020
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Comments
Fascinating story and great photos Klahanie ... thank you for taking us on your lovely outing 🙂.
17 Nov, 2020
Thanks for sharing your beautiful pics and I enjoyed the ‘drive’ around. I found it very informative Klahanie, it’s good to learn about other areas/countries. The historical pic was interesting to see too, agree, it’s really fab to see it has been renovated and reopened to the public.
17 Nov, 2020
What a wonderful engineering achievement that is! It must have been an amazing task just to keep an eye on the wood to make sure it stayed sound! It was a bold vision just to imagine building it in the first place.
17 Nov, 2020
Interesting blog, and what a fantastic structure. Wonderful scenery too :)
18 Nov, 2020
Thanks for sharing a very interesting blog & pictures
18 Nov, 2020
I really love your blog and photo's ,Klahanie,as my husband and I,are rail enthusiasts too.He worked as a Fireman on the steam trains,for a while ,till being made redundant, in the late 60's.We would love to be able to see this for real,but will definitely be watching the video.What a fantastic achievement by all those workmen,who built such a wonderful Structure.They were the real hero's of those days..Thank you for sharing too..:o)
18 Nov, 2020
That was a great outing, thank you. Your scenery is awesome and the structure a fascinating achievement.
18 Nov, 2020
Absolutely fabulous scenery Klahanie and lovely to learn about its history I'm not sure that I would like to walk across it it makes me dizzy just looking at the photos ...
18 Nov, 2020
Very interesting story Klahani. It reminds me of the pioneering days of the wild wild west. I love trains and that's some amazing engineering there. It's somewhat like 'The Highline' in New York City - an old defunct railway converted to a city park and is now a destination. I wrote a blog about it. Thanks for the tour and some more amazing views of your beautiful island and a bit of history.
18 Nov, 2020
Very interesting blog thanks for sharing lovely scenery and the railway reminds my of a journey I took on Taieri Gorge Railway from Dunedin NZ two years ago .
It’s good they have restored the Kinsole Trestle .
19 Nov, 2020
Hello klahanie, you live in such a wonderful part of the world, the scenery is breathtaking, and it’s great they are restoring the Kinsol trail, that is some place to enjoy a picnic.
19 Nov, 2020
Just found and re-read Bathgate’s blog on the New York Highline ... fascinating and well worth reading. Sorry to butt into your blog Klahanie 🙂.
20 Nov, 2020
Thanks Sheila I'm so pleased you enjoyed. I really enjoyed working on that one.
20 Nov, 2020
Loved your blog, really interesting, bridge looks amazing, think i might have seen it on one of the tv programs. Did they derive the name nootka sound from the nootka cypress trees as looking at your photos, the trees do look like cypress. Also do you get any bears up in the forest, really does look amazing.
20 Nov, 2020
Bears in your garden??? It puts irritation from the odd fox and neighbourhood cats in proportion doesn't it???
21 Nov, 2020
Its hard to imagine!
22 Nov, 2020
Loved the blog and the photographs are stunning, I've an interest in history so it was a fascinating read, thankyou for sharing...
28 Nov, 2020
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What wonderful scenery near you. It's great that the bridge has been reinstated. My husband, who's a railway enthusiast was most interested in your blog. Thank you for sharing.
17 Nov, 2020