Goat Canyon Trestle

CA · Goat Canyon → Goat Canyon

The largest curved wooden trestle in the world exists because a tunnel collapsed.

Heads up: The tracks and trestle belong to San Diego's transit agency — being on them is trespassing, and the structure isn't maintained.

In 1932, part of Tunnel 15 on the San Diego & Arizona line through Carrizo Gorge caved in. Instead of re-digging it, engineers ran the tracks around the outside of the mountain and across Goat Canyon on a new trestle, finished in 1933.

They built it out of redwood, not steel. The canyon swings from freezing nights to scorching days, and wood handles that better than steel would. The result is 597 ft long, about 186 ft tall, and curved — the largest wooden railroad trestle in the world.

Trains crossed it for about four decades. Tropical Storm Kathleen wrecked the line in 1976, and although short-line operators ran parts of the gorge again until about 2008, the trestle has been out of service since. It stands in the Anza-Borrego desert, weathering and unmaintained, reachable only by a long hike or a rail cart.

Drone shot — Goat Canyon Trestle ride-along. Watch the full video below.

Goat Canyon Trestle in Carrizo Gorge — 597 ft long, 185 ft tall, world's largest all-wood curved trestle

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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