Unsettling yet somehow hauntingly beautiful, abandoned places tend to captivate our attention. For some people, they invite quiet reflection; for others, they stir imaginations and creativity, inspiring art, photography, and writing, or spark a desire to learn every detail about the site and its history.
Canada is no stranger to sites like these. From coast to coast, there are abandoned places that beckon those intrigued by mystery, history, and the ominous. Here are six sites that are well worth visiting.
1. McNabs Island (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Aside from visitors to the island who tour the ruins found there, McNabs Island has been largely abandoned since World War II. The island is situated in Halifax Harbour and proved to be a valuable place for military forts during World War I and II. It was decommissioned as a military site in 1959 and has since been labelled a National Historic Site. Visitors can tour the island and see remnants of the military presence and the island inhabitants who settled there in the late 1700s.
The island is filled with physical ruins, but it also holds a sense of the supernatural and fantastical, with tales of ghosts, sea monsters, and buried treasure attached to it.
2. Trinity Loop (Charleston, Newfoundland and Labrador)
The Trinity Loop in Newfoundland was built to accommodate the region’s steep slope, making it impossible to lay train tracks along the terrain. The loop lessened the steepness of the slope by circling the area to create a gradual decline that a train could ascend. The loop was in use from 1911 to 1984, when the railway company decided to close this section of track.
For a time, the area was converted into an amusement park, but this too eventually closed operations. The park left in its wake an abandoned site consisting of train and amusement park artifacts.
3. Old Borden Bridge (Borden, Saskatchewan)
Built during the Great Depression, the Borden Bridge was the longest bow-string bridge in North America when it was constructed. It replaced the area ferry service and provided a significant number of jobs during a time of economic instability. In the 1980s, it was closed after a new suspension bridge was built.
The bridge was bought by a private buyer who intended to turn it into an open-air dance hall, but there were too many restrictions to make it happen. Today, it remains standing, albeit slowly deteriorating, and is used occasionally by people who want to go fishing.
4. Lake Minnewanka Underwater Ghost Town (Improvement District No. 9, Alberta)
The remains of an old town can be found at the bottom of Lake Minnewanka. The town was once a thriving place well known for its resort hotel, remnants of which can still be seen in the lake waters. The area was abandoned to provide power to faster-growing cities like Calgary. A dam was built, and the resort town disappeared into the glacial water without a trace — or so you’d think from the water’s surface.
Those with the right gear and know-how can take a diving tour to see the remarkably intact town. According to Parks Canada archaeologist Bill Perry, wood survives quite well underwater because of the cold, clear water. Thanks to this, details of the town, from sidewalks to the foundations of buildings, are still intact, giving divers plenty to explore.
5. Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam, British Columbia)
Operating from 1913 until 2012, Riverview Hospital is an abandoned place with an eerie atmosphere that attracts filmmakers, with productions like the Saw movies and the TV series Smallville, The X Files, and Fringe having used it as a filming location.
The building was a psychiatric hospital and was known for its terrible and inhumane treatment of its patients for much of its history, but it turned a page in the 1970s.
Laura Johnston, legal director of Health Justice, reported to CTV News that “many people who were detained at Riverview in the past identify as survivors — they were there against their will, and they were not allowed to leave… Riverview used mechanical and chemical restraints and many other practices that were considered controversial and criticized even at the time they were being used.”
The heaviness of this abandoned hospital may have you reaching for comfort or distraction after you leave — like a light-hearted sitcom or an entertaining game (here are some great new online casinos), either of which will pull your mind away from the hollowed, discomforted feeling.
6. Venus Silvermine (Tagish, Yukon)
Found on a steep slope along Tagish Lake in the Yukon is an abandoned silver mine that was once the area’s hub. Its heyday was from 1905 to 1906 when silver was a high-value commodity. The presence of such an industrious mine led to the development of a village, Conrad. As the value of silver fell, the mine was closed and left to the elements a decade after its most prosperous years.
The history of this site is a significant draw to visitors, but the stunning views of the Windy Arm of Tagish Lake are competing for attention. The sparkling blue waters lined with white-capped mountains are hard to ignore and even harder not to appreciate, even for history enthusiasts looking for a glimpse of a time gone by. Visitors can embark on a steep and difficult hike to the historic site, where artifacts from slowly decaying buildings and machinery to deserted old boots can be found. Just be sure to leave these items untouched.
Final Words
These abandoned places across Canada allow visitors to see what was and, in some places, to picture what could have been. They captivate the way only abandoned places can and are worth the time and effort to see.