Lethbridge Viaduct

The High Level Bridge crosses the Oldman River coulee at Lethbridge and is one thousand six hundred and twenty-four metres long and about ninety-six metres at its highest, which makes it the longest and highest railway trestle of its type in the world. It was built between 1907 and 1909 to replace a route with numerous small wooden bridges that flooded and burned, using around twelve thousand tonnes of steel. Canadian Pacific still runs freight across it. The coulee below is a park with river-bottom cottonwood forest, and Fort Whoop-Up, a reconstruction of a notorious whisky trading post, sits under the span.

What you actually see

• The full span - 1.6 kilometres of steel trestle across the coulee.
• The height - ninety-six metres above the river at the deepest point.
• The passing freights - CP trains still crossing the structure.
• Fort Whoop-Up - a reconstructed whisky trading post below the bridge.

When to go

Year-round; sunset from the coulee puts the structure in silhouette. Trains cross irregularly, so seeing one is a matter of luck or patience.

Honest expectations

The bridge cannot be walked or crossed on foot; it is a working railway. Viewing is from the park below or the rim. Train frequency is unpredictable.

Nearby

Nikka Yuko garden lies east; Fort Macleod is northwest.