National Historical Parks - Utah

Golden Spike National Historical Park

5/29/1997 Back on to the mainland and up to Golden Spike NHS. First, a picnic lunch, then to the visitor center. Saw some displays about the great undertaking of building the railroad. Outside are beautiful replicas of the two locomotives that met at the Golden Spike ceremony, actually fired up and spouting steam. Drove a short way to the Big Fill trailhead. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific actually ran parallel tracks for a while; we first walked on the bed of the CP for 0.75 miles, seeing the cuts and fills required. At the end of the trail was the Big Fill, where massive amounts of fill were needed between two hills. Right next to it was where the UP trestle was. Followed the trail back on the UP bed.

The park sign

Great reconstruction of the event

Nice view of the two engines

Me in front of one of the locos

The Big Fill