| Goat Canyon | |
|---|---|
| The canyon with Goat Canyon Trestle | |
| Floor elevation | 1,690 ft (520 m) [1] |
| Area | Jacumba Mountains [2] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Carrizo Gorge [2] |
| Coordinates | 32°43′57″N116°11′23″W / 32.73250°N 116.18972°W [1] |
Interactive map of Goat Canyon | |
Goat Canyon is a valley in San Diego County, California, United States, located within the Carrizo Gorge in the Jacumba Mountains. [2] [1] The rock forming the canyon is crystalline basement. [3] One feature of the canyon is a dry waterfall. [4] The canyon is bridged by a wooden railroad trestle, the Goat Canyon Trestle, [2] [5] which is the world's largest curved all-wood trestle. [6] The canyon is accessible by trail by traveling west from Mortero Palms. [7]
Goat Canyon is named after desert bighorn sheep that live within and around the canyon. [8] During a desert bloom, which occurred in 2017, monkey flowers were observed flowering in the canyon. [9] The endangered species least Bell's vireo migrates through the area around the canyon. [10]
Prior to Spanish governance, there was Native American activity in the area around Goat Canyon; [11] the impact of this activity includes petroglyphs and pictograms in Carrizo Gorge. [12] The last Native Americans to live in the area were the Kumeyaay. [13] Later cattle ranchers utilized the area. [14] Beginning in 1912, construction began on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway in the area. [13] The Carrizo Gorge portion of the line, including Goat Canyon, was the final portion to be completed. [15] A railroad tunnel of The San Diego and Arizona Railway, Tunnel number 15, was built into the side of the canyon but it collapsed in 1932. [16] The collapse was caused by an earthquake, which dramatically changed the inclination of Tunnel number 15. [17] After Tunnel number 15 collapsed, it was decided that it would be bypassed using a wooden trestle. [18] During the construction of the trestle, segments were lowered into the canyon from the partially completed trestle. [19] Construction workers took breaks in a portion of the collapsed tunnel that they called the "mud shed". [20] The trestle was completed in 1933. [21]
In 1976 Hurricane Kathleen's effects impacted the region around the canyon, destroying tracks and other trestles in Carrizo Gorge; [22] the trestle over Goat Canyon was also damaged, with some of its footings destroyed during the hurricane. [23] By 1981, repairs from the hurricane damage were completed. [24] Heavy rains returned to the area in 1982 and 1983; [25] this led to rail service being discontinued over Goat Canyon and through Carrizo Gorge. [26] After repairs were again completed, trains once again ran over Goat Canyon in 2004. [5] [27] [28] [29] In 2008 the trains once again stopped running over Goat Canyon. [27] [28] [30]
In 1999, Huell Howser traveled to the canyon to visit the trestle over it. [31] In 2017, the canyon was depicted in a "Mysteries of the Abandoned" episode on the Science Channel. [32]
There is another Goat Canyon in San Diego County, which is located north of the Mexico–United States barrier and south of the Tijuana River. [33]