Goat Canyon Trestle is an abandoned, historic railroad bridge in Anza Borrego State Park (albeit just barely inside the southern park boundary) just 2hrs east of San Diego. This trestle is actually the world’s largest wood trestle at 182 feet tall and 600 feet long. This is by far our favorite hike in Anza Borrego. We've done it several times since we're based out of San Diego.
You can hike this trail from both ends, neither of which are faster than the other. The first trailhead will require a car with decent clearance and may be a hair quicker depending on how far you can get. The second trailhead is pretty close off the 8. It’s almost impossible to get lost, but the hike is pretty boring to be honest until you reach the trestle. From each direction, you just walk along the track for miles with the occasional tunnel. Sometimes you'll run into a few obstacles, but the path around is pretty easy to navigate.
There is absolute zero shade on this hike. If you time this one incorrectly there's a strong chance you're gonna have a bad time. Anza is actually pretty perfect hiking weather in the winter. Anytime between November and March is going to be your best bet.
Walking along train tracks for miles is pretty brutal on your feet. You never really get a flat and firm step which over time can get pretty annoying. If you don’t want to kill your feet, you can bring a mountain bike and bike the track. Not the easiest ride, but way faster.
We have seen rattlesnakes on the tracks on two separate occasions. They seem to really like heating up on the tracks and are usually hanging out in the middel of the trail in the mornings. Obviously there is no cell service out here so be alert and do not hike this one alone.
Worlds largest wooden trestle just 2hrs east of San Diego. Super easy. Just pull up to the trailhead and follow the train tracks until you hit the trestle. Next to impossible to get lost. Pretty possible however you might run into a rattlesnake, so don't hike alone and stay alert. Getting bit out in the middle of the desert with no cell service sounds not fun.