Adventure Filmmaker Jeven Dovey Explores Historic Goat Canyon Trestle

Exploring Goat Canyon Trestle Before It's Gone

Adventure filmmaker Jeven Dovey documents one of Southern California's most remote railroad landmarks

In the middle of the Southern Californian desert, there's a structure that seems completely out of place, a massive wooden bridge standing over a rugged canyon. It's remote, abandoned, and it holds a secret history that many people haven't heard of.

This is Goat Canyon Trestle, the largest freestanding wooden train trestle bridge in the world.

I've always wanted to explore this, but because of its remote location near the U.S.-Mexico border, I've never made the trek out. However, I want to see it before it gets destroyed."

A Journey Through Desert History

Before heading to the trestle, Dovey visited a San Diego railroad museum that features a scale replica of the historic railroad and Goat Canyon Trestle.

"What I faced to get out to this trestle is 17 miles of harsh desert, multiple bridge crossings that might be a little sketchy, and a range of tunnels from 100 feet to half a mile long, some of which have already collapsed."

To make the journey, Dovey and a friend used mountain bikes and followed the abandoned railroad route through the desert.

Along the way, they encountered abandoned railcars left behind from past attempts to revive the line and passed through numerous tunnels carved into the mountains.

The Railroad That Connected San Diego

"We have to roll the clock back over 100 years. The story starts at Goat Canyon. A piece of railroad history stuck in time, standing still. The Goat Canyon Trestle revolutionized travel through San Diego by connecting the remote valleys with the coastline."

Dovey recounts how San Diego entrepreneur John D. Spreckels funded the San Diego and Arizona Railway beginning in 1907, determined to establish a direct rail connection between San Diego and Imperial Valley communities.

Construction faced economic hardships, legal battles, engineering challenges, and disruptions caused by the Mexican Revolution.

Why the Trestle Was Built

"In March of 1932, an earthquake hit the region and tremors shifted Tunnel 15.

The alignment of this tunnel cracked and collapsed, and the engineers had a choice: rebuild the inside stone or think differently. And they chose to reroute around this tunnel."

Instead of rebuilding the damaged tunnel, engineers constructed the Goat Canyon Trestle, spanning the canyon with a massive curved wooden structure.

"They assembled the sections down below and hoisted them up. Redwoods, not steel, because the desert heat swings would have destroyed the metal. And they gave it a curve, 14 degrees, so that it will dance with the wind instead of fighting it."

War, Storms, and Decline

During World War II, the railroad became an important transportation route through Southern California.

"This desert route became a hidden artery for the war effort."

After the war, passenger service declined as automobile travel increased.

By 1951, scheduled passenger service had ended, leaving freight trains as the primary users of the line.

Repeated natural disasters continued to take their toll.

"In 1976, Hurricane Kathleen hammered the line and sections of the line were destroyed.

Repairs dragged, and by 1983, tunnel failure shut it down again."

Although the railroad briefly returned to service, operations ceased again in 2008.

Reaching the Goat Canyon Trestle

After hours of travel through triple-digit temperatures, Dovey and his companion reached their destination.

"At this point, we were both exhausted and barely talking.

The heat was crushing, and for a moment I wondered if it's even worth continuing.

But turning back now would mean giving up on the whole reason we came."

Emerging from the final tunnel, the bridge finally came into view.

"And there it was, rising out of the gorge like something out of another time, the Goat Canyon Trestle."

A Piece of History at Risk

"This is an impressive structure. It's crazy how it's just out here in the middle of nowhere and they're just kind of leaving it."

Standing before the bridge, Dovey reflected on the tremendous effort required to construct the railroad through the rugged mountains and desert terrain.

"It's unbelievable the amount of work that went into building this entire railway through all these mountains, through all the tunnels, building a wooden structure way out here."

He also expressed concern about the future of the trestle.

"You would hope that somebody would want to restore this, but the state of it now is—earthquake, boulder, fire can easily come down, take it out, and it's gone forever."

Preserving the Story

Dovey concluded his journey with a reminder of why places like Goat Canyon Trestle matter.

"In a world speeding toward a digital future, places like this are an anchor to what's real.

They're living pieces of history, offering a tangible connection to the past.

But without vision and care, they'll be lost forever, leaving future generations with nothing more than museum replicas."

Source: Edited transcript from Explore With Jeven Dovey
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ExploreWithJevenDovey

Goat Canyon Trestle Facts



• Goat Canyon Trestle is located in the Carrizo Gorge area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego.
• It is part of the historic San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway, often called the "Impossible Railroad" because of the engineering challenges involved in building it through rugged mountains and desert canyons.
• The trestle spans Goat Canyon in the remote backcountry of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
• At approximately 633 feet long and 185 feet high, it is one of the most impressive railroad structures in the American Southwest.
• It is recognized as the largest freestanding wooden railroad trestle in the world.
• The structure was completed in 1933 after a 1932 earthquake damaged Tunnel 15.
• Engineers chose to build the trestle rather than reconstruct the damaged tunnel.
• The bridge was built using redwood timber, which better withstands the extreme temperature changes of the desert environment.
• The trestle features a distinctive 14-degree curve, allowing it to flex with wind and temperature changes.
• It is located within the dramatic landscape of Carrizo Gorge, known for steep canyon walls, tunnels, bridges, and desert scenery.
• The railway route through Carrizo Gorge includes 17 tunnels, several bridges, and numerous engineering features designed to navigate the rugged terrain.
• The railroad was originally developed to connect San Diego with Imperial Valley communities and the national rail network.
• Construction of the San Diego & Arizona Railway began in 1907 under the leadership of San Diego entrepreneur John D. Spreckels.
• During World War II, the railway served as an important transportation corridor for military and freight traffic.
• Passenger service ended in 1951, though freight trains continued using portions of the route for decades.
• Floods, earthquakes, landslides, fires, and tunnel collapses repeatedly damaged the line over the years.
• The railway through Carrizo Gorge has been largely inactive since 2008.
• Goat Canyon Trestle remains one of the most photographed and visited historic railroad landmarks in Southern California.
• Because it is located within Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, visitors should be prepared for extreme heat, limited services, and rugged conditions.
• The trestle can only be reached by hiking or biking along the former railroad route.