The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

between Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and the

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of Leechtown, north of

Sooke Sooke () is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of t ...

, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline. Maintained by the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

(CRD), the trail forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, and intersects the Lochside Regional Trail. The section from Harbour Road in

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...

to the Veterans Memorial Parkway in Langford is also part of the

Vancouver Island Trail The Vancouver Island Trail (formerly also known as the Vancouver Island Spine Trail) is a near-completed 800 km-long hiking trail stretching the length of Vancouver Island, from its southern terminus on Anderson Hill in Oak Bay, British Columbia, ...

. The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation, including within urban areas of Victoria (Vic West and Burnside-Gorge). It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, rollerblading, 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 The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

, and runs through the communities of

Metchosin The District of Metchosin () is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the We ...

, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Saanich, and Victoria as well as the unincorporated community of East Sooke. The trail surface is paved between the west terminus (

Johnson Street Bridge The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge spanning the Victoria Harbour (British Columbia), Victoria Harbour in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia. Four known bridges have spanned the narrows between Victoria's Inner Harb ...

) to Wale Road in Colwood, approximately 13 km, or one quarter of its total length. It connects to a multi-use path across the bridge and bike lanes along Pandora Avenue. 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. Although maps show Leechtown as being the end of the trail, this area has been restricted since 2007, as part of the Greater Victoria water supply. In 2010, a warning sign and locked gate were erected before the end of the trail. Leechtown itself is not accessible. File:Galloping Goose Regional Trail, Saanich, British Columbia, Canada 17.jpg, Saanich Area File:Galloping Goose Trail - a restored train station near the Sooke Potholes.jpg, Sooke Area File:Pedestrian bridge next to Uptown, Saanich, British Columbia, Canada 16.jpg, Switch Bridge area File:Charters Creek Trestle on the Galloping Goose Trail - panoramio.jpg, Charters Creek Trestle File:Galloping Goose Trail. VIEW IN PANORAMIO FOR DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg, Biking File:Galloping Goose Trail. INFO IN PANORAMIO DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg File:Cyclist on Galloping Goose Trail. VIEW IN PANORAMIO FOR DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg, Cyclist trail File:Galloping Goose cycle trail at Switch Bridge. VIEW IN PANORAMIO FOR DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg, Switch Bridge area File:Galloping Goose trail near Glen Lake. INFO IN PANORAMIO DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg, Glen Lake Area File:Looking down at Millstream Creek old bridge foundation. VIEW IN PANORAMIO FOR DESCRIPTION - panoramio.jpg, Millstream Creek Area

References

External links

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Galloping Goose Web-Site

{{Canadian Trails Rail trails in British Columbia Historic trails and roads in British Columbia Transport in the Capital Regional District Bike paths in British Columbia