Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
Dog-Friendly: On the ground, yes, but not in the trains. Also, be mindful of weather. It gets hot in summer!   Kid-Friendly: Yes
Article by Allison Garton:
The depot for the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad's Desert Line was built in 1919 and handled passenger traffic until 1951. The railroad across southern California was troubled from the planning stages. Over the last century, fires, landslides, earthquakes, collapsed tunnels, all plagued the Impossible Railroad and contributed to the financial problems that make the railroad seemingly impossible to operate.
The most recent operation attempt went belly up after just a few months and never ran one train. For the truly adventurous, this rail segment includes the world's largest curved wooden trestle -Goat Canyon. That's a trip for another day.
Depending on which company is currently leasing the track, what you see around the yard may vary. However, the old wooden cars off-track will certainly never move again. They once served as housing for the railroad workers and now house bees..
Personal Experience: Stumbling upon this property was a stimulation overload the first time! It's nice to visit old trains filled with so much history that aren't a 10 mile hike like the Goat Canyon Trestle. If you do go here, please go with the utmost respect and leave everything exactly as you found it. Let's all do our part to help preserve history.
Roger Cutter
I lived in Tucson in the 1970’s and used to fly charter flights to San Diego and passed over the Carizzo Gorge bridge many times. Always wanted to visit the area on foot, but never made it. I have the book on the SD&AE and am so glad it is not gone. Going but not gone. It is amazing how in the desert the wood lasts so long, here in the east not so much.
I hope it hangs on until a multi-millionaire shows up to save it. We have one here in the east, the 3′ gauge East Broad Top. We all have our favorites.
October 27, 2017