Golden in Columbia-Shuswap, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)
The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Story
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2022
1. The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Story (part 1)
Part One — Creating the Vision
Planning this unique project began nearly 5 years before its completion and was originally envisioned to be a long steel span, but local influence provided a convincing case to instead build a covered wooden bridge. The community considered several architectural options, with residents’ ultimately choosing the covered Burr Arch truss design.
With a design and location in place, funding and partnerships were now required to move from paper to reality. A combination of influence, skill, and commitment brought a dedicated local government, service club, and trade organization coordination team together between the Town of Golden, the Rotary Club of Golden and the Timber Framers Guild.
With the Town securing an impressive array of grants and sponsorships, and a project coordinator organizing food and accommodation needs, the Timber Framers Guild established the venture as its North American rendezvous project for 2001. This effectively committed to Golden the participation of an international corps of timber framing experts and apprentices to building the bridge.
As an international, non-profit,
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Calls to the community for billeting services, construction volunteers, material and professional sponsorships, and logistical help were met with great enthusiasm, and soon technical and event teams were established to prepare for and implement the project upon arrival of the Guild members to Golden.
By mid August of 2001, timber framers had begun descending upon Golden, and working alongside them were members of the local community, some timber framers in their own right, excited to learn from some of the great masters of the trade.
Part Three — Completing the Vision
Despite the tragic events of September 11th in New York, the bonds of friendship and dedication between the Guild members and community volunteers kept the American contingent on-site determined to finish what they had started. As a fitting metaphor of defiance against that day's shadowy beginnings, the first truss assembly
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2022
2. The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Story (part 3)
By the end of September most temporary visas had expired and only a skeleton crew of mostly locals remained. Finishing the project before winter snows would now require an extraordinary effort to complete the structure where it stood.
With the timber frame portion now complete, the most daunting task of the project now remained: moving the bridge to its resting place over the river. Using a 16-wheel winch operated dolly, along with two of western Canada's largest mobile cranes, the bridge now weighing almost 200 tons was slowly hoisted across the river.
The move took four days and required a temporary set of “legs” to support the bridge during repositioning from one bank to the other. On October 25th, the bridge reached its final resting place where it will stay for several hundred years.
The bridge is now a touchstone for the community of Golden, serving as a tribute to the art and craft of woodworking and the importance of the forest industry to the area.
It is also a popular tourist attraction, and an emblem of progress and diversification for the surrounding economy.
Perhaps most importantly, the
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2022
3. The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Story Marker
Looking east across the Kicking Horse River. The marker is mounted atop the inside railing, near the northeast corner of the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge.
• The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge is the longest timber frame clear span pedestrian bridge in Canada.
• It was awarded the Communities in Bloom Most Innovative Project in the nation in 2001.
• The Town of Golden was presented with an award in 2004 by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities in recognition of the community supporting the use of wood in a building project.
• Total span: 45.7 metres (150 feet)
• Structural weight: 95.2 metric tonnes (210,000 lbs)
• All structural beams, trusses, arch, and roofing members are locally milled Douglas fir. Braces, wedges, shear blocks and pegs are Illinois sourced White oak. The decking is Engleman spruce. Approximately 21,945 metres (72,000 board feet) of timber were used for the trusses. Approximately 3,657 metres (12,000 board feet) of timber were used in the decking, railings, and trim.
• The bridge was assembled on-site in 24 days.
Topics. This historical marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2022
4. The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Story (part 3)
Looking east across the Kicking Horse River. The marker is mounted atop the inside railing, near the center of the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge.
Location. 51° 17.987′ N, 116° 58.099′ W. Marker is in Golden, British Columbia, in Columbia-Shuswap. It can be reached from 8 Avenue North south of 6 Street South. The marker is near the northeast corner of the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Golden BC V0A 1H0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the BC Interior and in Thompson-Okanagan. Globally, it is in North America, in the Rocky Mountains, on the Ring of Fire, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Brief History of Covered Bridges (a few steps from this marker); War Memorial (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Rivers & Railways (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); History of Mountain Tourism in Golden (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Skiing: resort, backcountry & heli-skiing
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2022
5. Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge Interior
Also see . . . 25th Anniversary of the Building of the Pedestrian Bridge in Golden, British Columbia.
(By Golden BC Museum, 23 June 2026) Excerpt: The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge could not have existed without the extraordinary generosity of the Timber Framers Guild of North America. Founded in 1984 to preserve the ancient art of timber framing, the Guild is a community of skilled artisans dedicated to keeping alive joinery traditions that built Europe’s great halls and bridges long before the first wire nail was ever driven.(Submitted on October 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In the first two weeks of September 2001, more than 100 Guild members — journeymen and master timber framers from across the United States, Europe, and Canada — arrived in Golden to put those skills to work. They came not for wages, but for craft, community, and a trade they refused to let die. True to the Guild’s open spirit, anyone from Golden who wandered downto the work site was welcomed and immediately put to work alongside the masters. When the first great truss rose on the evening of September 4th, everyone gathered at the riverbank knew they were witnessing something rare.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 20226. Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge (southeast elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
