Just an hour north of Victoria, in a moss-laden corridor of cedar and fir, something extraordinary rises from the forest floor. The Kinsol Trestle, once a forgotten wooden railway bridge, is now one of Canada’s hidden engineering marvels—quiet, massive, and alive with the echoes of locomotives that no longer run.
Constructed between 1911 and 1920 to support the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, the trestle was meant to move lumber from deep within the Cowichan Valley. At 44 meters high and 187 meters long, it ranks among the tallest free-standing timber rail trestles in the world. It was named after the nearby King Solomon Mines—ambitious in name, short-lived in practice.
After only a few decades of service, the railway was abandoned and the bridge left to the elements. For years, it was known mostly to locals, a whispered landmark overgrown by forest and time. Then, in 2011, it was lovingly restored and integrated into the Cowichan Valley Trail, a segment of the coast-to-coast Trans Canada Trail.
Crossing the Kinsol Trestle is a journey through time. Each footstep on the wooden planks feels like a quiet tribute to the hands that built it. Below, the Koksilah River winds its way through a canyon of green and stone. The silence is profound, broken only by birdsong and the occasional tire crunch of a mountain bike.
Despite its architectural significance and scenic beauty, Kinsol Trestle remains largely off the radar for most travelers. There are no crowds, no souvenir shops—just the vast hush of the forest and a trail that welcomes those who seek more than a destination.
It’s a bridge not just across space, but across eras. And in that crossing, you may discover that some of the most meaningful journeys are the quiet ones—carried on old tracks, reclaimed by nature and rediscovered by those who take the time to look.
