This week we head to the Whistler Train Wreck Trail where we get to cross a suspension bridge to see fully graffitied train wrecked boxcars in a forest. We visited this trail in the summer of 2020, when my kids were 8, 7, and 2. The older ones walked the whole way without any issues and I was carrying the little one. The trail is an easy out and back trail that is only 2.6km long with minimal elevation gain. The trail is flat and wide, and travels through the forest throughout. There is a suspension bridge near the end that allow hikers cross the Cheakamus River to reach the train wreck site. According to the 2 information boards along the way:
The wreck occurred on August 11, 1956. The train started in Lillooet - 130km (80 miles) north of Whistler - where it was loaded with lumber bound for Vancouver. When the train got to Whistler it was behind schedule, so the crew tried to make up time by going faster. With the train going more than twice the speed limit, the wreck happened on a narrow stretch of track that had been cut through rock with a sharp curve at the end. On the curve one of the engines jumped off the track and came to a stop. Twelve boxcars derailed, and some were wedged into the narrow passage, blocking the track for days. Five of the derailed boxcars were salvageable, but the remaining seven were too damaged to save. Those seven boxcars were stripped of useful material and dragged out of the way here, which was the quickest way to get trains back on schedule. Over the years Train Wreck has become a favourite destination for graffiti artists, movie makers, mountain bikers, and hikers.
This easy to hike trail is very family friendly and our kids loved seeing the train wreck and the graffiti on the boxcars.
The usual bear warning signs near the trailhead.
Flat and wide, easy to walk trail.
Getting close to the suspension bridge and train wreck site.
One of the info boards telling the story.
My son dashing across the suspension bridge. The bridge crosses the Cheakamus River.
Cheakamus River.
One of the boxcars.
Little one checking out the boxcar and graffiti.
Another boxcar.
Graffiti on the inside too.
This face reminds me of Walter White from Breaking Bad.
More boxcar.
Climbing up.
Check out my previous hikes:
- The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
- The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
- The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
- Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
- It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
- The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
- The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park
- The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
- The Magnificent Stones of Zion National Park
- The Flowing Walls of Lower Antelope Canyon
- A Glimpse of Hope at the Hope Lookout Trail
- Turquoise Waters viewed from Sea to Summit Trail
- The Three Peaks of Mount Seymour
- The Serene Winter Scene at Dog Mountain
- Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge
- Yosemite National Park
- The Bear's Hump at Waterton National Park
- Views of Okanagan from Pincushion Mountain Trail
- The Half Frozen Waterfalls at Franklin Falls
- Hole in the Wall of Vancouver Island
- Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
- Winter Wonderland at Alexander Falls
- Eagle Bluffs
- Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park
- Admiralty Point
- Myra Canyon Trail
- Garabaldi Lake
- Botanical Beach Loop
- Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse Loop