The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on 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 right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

between Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and the

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Leechtown Leechtown is at the confluence of the Leech River into the Sooke River in southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The ghost town, off BC Highway 1 is about by road northwest of Victoria. Geology Leechtown is notable for its geologic placeme ...

, north of Sooke, 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 Lochside Regional Trail is a trail that runs from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation. It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, s ...

. 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 Juan de ...

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, to its northern te ...

. 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 Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

, and runs through the communities of Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford,

View Royal View Royal is a town in Greater Victoria and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. View Royal has a population of 10,858 residents. With over of parkland, View Royal includes Thetis, McKenzie, Pike a ...

, Saanich, and Victoria as well as the unincorporated community of

East Sooke East Sooke is an unincorporated community south and east of Sooke, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of over 500 houses (and one volunteer fire department) along with the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) ...

. The trail surface is paved between the west terminus (

Johnson Street Bridge Four known bridges have spanned the narrows between the Inner Harbour and Upper Harbour of Victoria, British Columbia, connecting Johnson Street on the east shore with Esquimalt Road on the west shore. The current bridge is Canada's largest sin ...

) 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. However, the name 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; it was applied by CRD marketing staff to the trail. 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

Capital Regional District's Regional Trails Brochure
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{{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