Since the weather here has warmed up significantly, we decided to take a short, 76k road trip to view the Kinsol Trestle, located in the Cowichan valley, and now part of the Trans Canada Trail.
The trestle spans the Koksilah River. It is 187m long, and rises to a height of 44m, one of the largest in North America. Now for a bit of not to boring but condensed history.
Orginally built by the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway in 1911, it was needed to connect Victoria to Nootka Sound to transport old growth timber. The actual construction was undertaken by local farmers and loggers. The CNoPR was take over by the Canadian National Railway in 1918 who oversaw completion of the trestle by 1920. Last train to cross the trestle was in 1979, and the trestle was abandoned one year later. 
The CNR gave up ownership on Vancouver Island in the 1980s, and the rail line was given over to the Ministry of Transportation. Due to the fact that the trestle sat unused , it’s deterioration in the following years rendered it’s use prohibitive by hikers on the rail trail. It seemed unlikely at that point in time that the trestle would be able to be restored to use.
After Much debate for and against restoration, an agreement was reached to preserve the trestle for it’s historical and tourism value. A feasibility study was conducted as to the work needed to restore it to use. It was estimated that 5.7 million would be needed. The provincial government kicked in 4.1 million and the rest was raised by local fund raising. The restoration was started in 2010, and the trestle opened to the public in 2011.
The Kinsol Trestle has proven to be a very worthwhile addition to the Trans Canada Trail as seen by the number of people who visit it each year. Whether hiking, biking or on horseback, the trestle is available to all those who love the great outdoors. Cheers.
We loved Vancouver Island when we visited, though we never found the Trestle. To us Brits from our tiny island, the unimaginable distances during which you saw nobody and no sign of human intervention simply astonished us. We remember fondly Lost Shoe Creek on our way through to Nanaimo.
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Fantastic photos. There’s something fascinating about trestle bridges
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Thanks, Miriam. It’s the “old stuff” that gets to me. Also, this is my first trestle encounter. Cheers.
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Love the photos. Thanks for the history lesson, It is good to know how this great trestle was restored to be used by hikers on the Great Canadian Trail.
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