If you’re looking to do a quick and easygoing hike where you’ll be rewarded with the remains of a train wreck, keep reading. In this blog post, I will share what I experienced when I visited the site of a train wreck near Whistler, British Columbia in Canada. As usual, I hadn’t a clue what I was doing and absolutely winging it. I hope that my experience will give you an idea of what to expect.
Starting Off
When I woke up at my accommodation at HI Hostel Whistler, it was a grim, cloudy day. I was hoping that the weather would improve but it just wasn’t happening. My time in Canada was limited so I just got on with it. My accommodation was the perfect location to get to the Train Wreck and also if you’re interested in hiking to Cheakamus Lake. More about that here.
From HI Hostel Whistler, you can walk out their back door past reception and you’ll see a path. Make sure to take bear spray with you as there have been plenty of bear sightings in the area. Walk left along the path and veer right with it.
Entering the Train Wreck Hike Path
As you go down the hill, you’ll see a paved road and the Sea to Sky Sign with ‘Train Wreck’ written on it. You can enter in here. The entrance starts off with a concrete path. It’s flat and smooth so it’s very easy to walk along. There are several sign posts with arrows which guide you along the way at ease. You’ll experience some slight inclines and a short, but steep decline as you meet a bridge to cross the river.
Arriving at the Train Wreck
When you see a wooden footbridge to cross over the river, you’re very close. It’s a very well looked after and stable bridge so you should feel safe. This is a great point to take some photos if you’re on the trail with friends or family.
Once you get to the other side, you have arrived at your destination! There are multiple carriages which has been completely covered in graffiti. Each one has a variety of pictures and designs added by artists over the years to check out. There’s also a sign which explains the history of what caused the train wreck. You can also go beyond this and you’ll see some train tracks.
Duration of the Train Wreck Hike
I’m a pretty fast walker and it took me about 30 minutes to get there from HI Hostel. I think that if you were to go at a more leisurely pace, it would take about 45 minutes. I walked back the same direction that I came so that I wouldn’t get lost. There were one or two points where you could go off track and continue elsewhere but with the weather, timing and my general not-so-amazing sense of direction I played it safe.
Final Thoughts
I would recommend the Train Wreck Hike for several reasons. Firstly, it was very well sign posted and easy to navigate. Secondly, there were many people on the trail (even in the rain!) which made me feel safe, especially as the whole bears thing was very new to me!
Finally, it’s a very easy hike overall and I don’t think it would be too strenuous for those who don’t have a great level of fitness. If you have done this hike, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.
Enjoy your trip and thanks for reading! If you liked this post, you may enjoy some more blog posts I have written about Canada.
HOW TO TRAVEL FROM VANCOUVER TO WHISTLER BY BUS
CHEAKAMUS LAKE HIKE | WHAT TO EXPECT
HOW TO GO FROM WHISTLER TO PEMBERTON BY BUS
