Trail difficulty Accessible to Easy Length 55,000 m | Hazards Road Crossings Province British Columbia | |
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Location British Columbia, Canada Use Hiking, Running, Cycling, Skateboarding, Horse Riding Trailheads Victoria, Leechtown, British Columbia Similar Sooke Potholes Provincial, Thetis Lake, Matheson Lake Regional, Sooke Basin, Victoria Harbour | ||
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) rail trail between Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and the ghost town of Leechtown, north of Sooke, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline.
Map of Galloping Goose Trail, Victoria, BC, Canada
The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation, including within the urban areas of central Victoria, which it penetrates in part. It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, 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, and runs through the communities of Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Saanich, and Victoria as well as the unincorporated community of East Sooke.
The trail surface is paved from its beginning at the west side of Johnson Street Bridge up to Wale Road, approximately 13 kilometers or one quarter of its total length.
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.(This is disputed by the Sooke Region Museum and longtime Sooke residents who say that the term Galloping Goose was not used for the old rail line. The term was applied by CRD marketing staff to the trail.)
It also forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, and intersects the Lochside Regional Trail. It is maintained by the Capital Regional District.
Although maps show Leechtown as being the end of the trail, since 2007 this area is restricted as part of the Greater Victoria water supply. In 2010 a warning sign and locked gate greet hikers before the end of the trail, Leechtown is not accessible.