Hiking to Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge via Mortero Palms

[@55shorty11]

In the early 80s I worked on that bridge rebuilding the bottom structure, boulders from a flood in the late 70s blew out the bottom of it spent about 2 1/2 months with a crazy old English man in his 70s wearing v8 underwear no shirt running the show. A locomotive 2 water tankers , a crane with hoppers and equipment gens misc. 5 loaded flat cars with special upr bags of concrete, concrete pumps at the bottom with wood movable Shute to concrete the replaced beams. 20 people working on the bottom 6 on top sending hoppers of dry concrete to be mixed in about 5 mixers . With the loaded train above on the bridge. It was a interesting summer.

[@williamschoemann4209]

55shorty11 That's fascinating. I'll bet it was a time you will not forget. Thank you for sharing.

[@vbritain1]

I did that hike about 10 times. Came in a couple different ways. This hike seemed a bit harder and there was no rope. There is another way up instead of the palm wash and cuts off about an hour. Came in also from the top of the hill north of this trail and dropped down to the BM Puff. Always a fun hike.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Yeah it is a neat but desolate place, I kept thinking about the dudes who had to build that railroad, crazy.

[@MichalOlender]

Like this trail. I did the train tracks one, just to find out afterwards it was illegal, but it was a fun one, made a video as well!

[@adanandrade4714]

Did this hike last week, google maps took us the same route to the trailhead as shown in the video, but there is a much more manageable way. Don't turn into the windfarms, stay on imperial highway for a few more miles, there is a much less rugged path to the same trailhead. You still have to go over a set of railroads but it's much easier, we even saw a sedan out by the water tower.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Cool, thanks for that, we may do this hike again soon so that is great info.

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

Wow! Deadly if you are alone and twist an ankle or break a leg.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Yeah this is not a hike to do alone. It is not well travelled or marked and there is zero water sources anywhere near by. I'm always accompanied by at least one person when I hike in the desert.

[@lopezexplora]

Awesome 😎

[@chuniquepaceno470]

Thank you so very much, I've wondered if there was a way besides following the train tracks. I shall make this trip some day...preferably during the winter months when rattlers hibernate as that palm canyon gave me the creeps with the thought of them. A walking stick is real nice to put down ahead of a foot or hand to draw anything out, and they offer excellent support when you're "mountain goating" it, as I think you put it. The time was very helpful, too. Thanks again.

[@NickandRachel]

Looks peaceful out there!

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Absolutely, only one other group on the trail, just a lot of nature

[@pigeonpallz1733]

Thanks for the great video ! I wanted to take my adventure bike along the trail but haven't watched the video all the way through yet lol thanks again

[@ToyotaKTM]

I rode there twice, down the tracks with my dirt bike. I didn't see ANYONE on either trip.

[@williamschoemann4209]

That's beautiful country. We hiked the rail grade from the top near Hwy 8 down through Carrizo Gorge to one of our favorite camping spots near the water tower at Dos Cabezas. It was in the seventies, the season after flash floods washed out the rail between Dos Cabezas and Occotillo. We figured it would be illegal, but that there would not be reconstruction during that season. From the looks of your video, the rail has not been repaired. I'm surprized to see one comment talk of repairs to the bottom of the trestle. It's spectacular. I hope it remains.

[@Chucklesrailarchive]

Really interesting chaps thanks. I would love to see that viaduct trouble is I’m in the UK. Now retired after driving trains for 45 years so l do have a true railway interest and would travel if it would be possible to see that line. Who owns it all now? Last l heard there was a possibility the line would reopen.

[@donaldduncan7095]

Never take this hike alone, a KZbinr >" Sunkissed Mary " and her partner took this hike when they noticed a bad smell that they thought was a dead animal and turned out to be a human. They called the police and showed them where the body was. I can see why someone could slip and fall. I wouldn't worry about crossing the trestle, I think you have a better chance of being arrested for removing the label from your mattress. 😉

[@glasshalffull8625]

IMHO, going through Mortero Palms is the MOST difficult and time consuming way to get to the trestle. Mortero has no well marked trails as you leave it and many large boulders to navigate. On the way down , it’s even worse. Much better to use the trail just to the north from the parking lot. Out of the parking there are two washes. The left wash goes to the Palms and you pass the water trough. The right wash has a trail that climbs a ridge. Steep going, but not anywhere as difficult as the Palms Trail and it is easy to follow. People have place branches at the very top of the Palms Trail to direct hikers AWAY from the Palm Trail on their way down.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

What fun is that? To each their own. It is super cool though any trail you take to get to it

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Nice video.

[@jd.1184]

And I'm sat here wondering how you guys found your way thru all that 😂 I would totally get lost

[@koffer]

Amazing trip!

[@elee325]

Is the road to the trailhead rideable with a big adventure bike, like BMW 1200 GS?

[@crystaldemott9689]

Beautiful hike! Thanks for your entertaining footage. I know this is not the route for me!

[@donnygillihan8768]

Wow beautiful rugged America.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

It is no-kidding desert out there, you can't believe people built that railroad through that terrain

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

Somebody should maintain those structures as a open air railroad museum.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

I hear the bridge is private property, so someone, most likely a railroad, owns the bridge. I had read some speculation that they may try to use it again. One of the tunnels is collapsed though, so it would take a lot of work and I am not sure if the bridge would pass inspection for heavy freight trains.

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

@@johnnyringohikingadventures Shame ..

[@KurtfromLaQuinta]

@@johnnyringohikingadventures Mexico has an interest in reopening the line. Since that line goes through Tecate with "easier" access into the United States . They're dumping money into the project. This has been done in the past with money being stolen out of investors pockets. Especially after they realize the cost of maintaining "The Impossible Railroad". My son and I rode our mountain bikes up from Dos Cabesas a few years ago. You do that now... if you get caught... look for a heavy fine and a court date. They aren't fooling around. Maybe this whole "opening the line" will fail like it has in the past. And us plain folk can go back to enjoying this area again. Nice video of some beautiful country.

[@AfghanistanExploration]

Thanks for this video, i been wanting to do this hike.

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Awesome, you'll like it, just make sure you download a map, parts of the trail aren't clear. It is going to be cool enough soon to do it. We are talking about doing it again this fall.

[@joecastro853]

Is the rope there or did you guys place your own?

[@emiquintana509]

I have a high clearance 4runner, but it's 2WD. DO you think it would be fine for the off-roading portion?

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

I did it in my stock 2014 4Runner, I have 4WD but I think you can do it with 2WD, it is more about the clearance underneath than anything

[@emiquintana509]

@@johnnyringohikingadventures Ok sick, thanks man. Looking forward to going with a friend of mine.

[@alfiocissello6511]

Thank to post the video. I am planning to do this next January, but unlinkely I will be alone, is possibile reach the trail with normal car?

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

It might be, the route I took was tight in a 4Runner at the railroad tracks and towards the trailhead with a rock in the road. You might be able to make it with some scrapes.

[@glasshalffull8625]

I did the hike yesterday and my Toyota RAV 4 has 7.8 inches of clearance and we were fine. The rail crossings we used from the wind farm control buildings have been improved for normal vehicle traffic and are not a problem. I’m guessing that any clearance below 5.8 and you will be scraping.

[@alfiocissello6511]

@@glasshalffull8625 Thank you so much in a few days I will tell

[@glasshalffull8625]

@@alfiocissello6511 My pleasure! Hope you have a good hike! I’m in my early 60s and though I walk a lot and do moderate trail hikes, I had forgotten how difficult this trail can be. I drove from San Diego and planned to be at the trailhead at 9am. I underestimated the time once you leave the paved road. It was slow going due to the washboard ruts on the dirt roads. I planned for 3 hrs to the trestle, an hour to explore and 3 hrs back. Unfortunately, we decided to take the Mortero Palms route on the way back and found it very difficult and potentially dangerous. I commented elsewhere on this thread if you care for my recommendation. I also used two dried yucca stems as walking sticks and this helped greatly.

[@alfiocissello6511]

@@johnnyringohikingadventures Finally I did and car was not a problem. Problem was my stupidity: when I reach the palm, instead of descending, I climb rockyes and after 3 hours I arrived on the railways, hiking 2 mountain. Once there, I was sure that to go back I had to descend canyon, that was in opposite direction. So i slept 3 nights in desert, back and down from trestle bridge, I found water in a little pool and after in a tunnel. Finally I decided to walk all the railway, but in both direction was closed; yesterday morning I encountered many people, telling me that they would have dropping me at the car after. Simply I was about to climb the little mountain to arrive on the other side and wait them. But after 5 minutes, helicopter of Sheriff department rescued me, my wife gives the warning 2 days begore, I had no battery on the phone. I was stupid because in my mind there was no way at the back of the bridge, but next time I will pay more attention, in Italy trail are always down to up, in USA many times opposite, that's why I was disappointed. Sleep in the desert is very cheap anyway.

[@richwilsey2881]

Or u can take dirt road to gated tunnel and just walk right in,,no big deal,!,!

[@austinstitzel]

What pass do you need to hike the Goat Canyon trestle Bridge?

[@philmoore71]

surely you walked across the bridge... off camera

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

I mean...that would be illegal, reportedly. There were plenty of people crossing the bridge. One dude was climbing around the timbers underneath, and that is why it is probably illegal to be on the bridge. I was surprised with how many folks were out there. We didn't see any on the hike in but it appears most folks get there by following the railroad tracks.

[@mrbill1683]

kill the music. otherwise good video. -your voice is too low compared to music. I turn up volume to hear you then you blast music. check volume levels dude. do you listen to your videos?

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Yeah, I am learning the audio piece. Thanks for the feedback

[@CAPTAINsaveAhomie]

First

[@sperrinoutdoors7642]

Hi buddy looks great why don't we support each others channels looks like we enjoy the same interests

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

Yeah absolutely, you're my 14th subscriber. Going to try to make videos regularly. Your channel looks cool, you have my support.

[@pokert9401]

Can a 2WD SUV make it to the trailhead? I have a toyota rav4

[@johnnyringohikingadventures]

I think you would be fine, tough part is crossing those railroad tracks and then there is small rock section. You should be fine, just take your time and get out and plan your approach.

[@pokert9401]

@@johnnyringohikingadventures ok thank you so much..appreciate the help.

[@glasshalffull8625]

I did it in a RAV 4 yesterday. The RR crossings I took have been improved for normal vehicle crossing. See my previous comment earlier.