Rochfort Trestle Bridge in Canada

Hubby was delighted to see the Rochfort Trestle Bridge on our way to Alaska. It was in the town of Rochfort Bridge, near Mayerthorpe, Alberta. It's not only beautiful, but the bridge is something of an engineering wonder. The bridge is so large that we weren't able to get it in a single photograph. The best that we could do is the shot that you see here. It was taken from the lookout on Range Road 80 and is the best view of the bridge that we could find.

John: Rochfort Trestle Bridge

It's not wonder that getting it in one photo is impossible. At 2414 ft. long and 110 ft. tall, the Rochfort Trestle Bridge is the longest wood trestle in North America. It was built almost 100 years ago and spans the the Paddle River. A nearby plaque says that the frame is made up of 12" square timbers at an approximate cost of $10, 919 (in 1919).

I was impressed to find out that the Rochfort Trestle Bridge is still in use by the Canadian National Railroad. Updates have been made along the way, but the ability of the Rochfort Trestle to still carry trains today only adds to the impressiveness of the magnificent structure.

Plaque at Rochfort Trestle

The stop was as unique as its history. The Mayerthorpe Freelancer has an interesting article about walking the bridge. It appears that several brave residents have walked the top of the structure at one time or another. Although I'm sure the Rochfort Trestle Bridge provides stunning views of the landscape, I'm also sure that my feet will remain on the ground.

Before you ask, no, we didn't get to see a train go across. However; how could we be disappointed? The structure is stunning and the surrounding area is very pretty. We also enjoyed stopping in the nearby community of Rochfort Bridge. All-in-all it was a very good visit.

Rochfort Trestle Bridge

One thing that we will do is check the Canada Railroad train schedule next time. This way we might be able to see it if a train crosses the trestle. We'll certainly stop here again even if we don't see a train. The bridge and surrounding countryside well worth the stop.

For those of you who were tracking our mileage, the Rochfort Trestle Bridge is 2,473 miles from our Tennessee home. A long way gone, a long way to go.