This old road accesses a decommissioned reservoir and lake beyond. The original gate with tough-sounding warning signs is still up, which keeps out most motorized toys. This was the water source for the City of Trail.
Difficulty: A1
Distance: 6km one way
Time: 3 hours round trip
Access: easy
Season: April through November
Map: 82F4/ Rossland-Trail
Drive: There are no signs and barely any street markers in Warfield.
From Trail, head north on Hwy 3B, 3km from downtown. Moments after passing an old railway overpass, turn left at the Ray Lynn motel and Trail Treasure Chest on your left. This is Wellington Ave. Pass a cement plant. Cross a bridge and turn right (Haig St, no sign). For another few blocks, go left (east) at a dirt road Y. Go sharply uphill. Again, no signs. 100m along the road, take the switchback to the right (straight is clearly someone’s driveway). 1/2km park at the stone gate posts leading to another home on the left.
You can personalize your workout according to how far you drive up the road. Most stop just across from the last driveway you’ll encounter – after this, the road gets sketchier – still very much drivable.
Trail/Road: Continue on the road: switchbacks twice, then in about 20 minutes it turns due south into the shade of the forest (a good place to park if you haven’t already). In 10 minutes is the gate. It is easy to walk or push a bike around, but the signs tend to make people nervous. It’s technically private property (see following).
The road continues its steady incline through the woods for 30 minutes. At a junction with the pipeline road – an alternate route to here via logging roads from Rossland. Moments later is the weir and the road evens out to a pleasant flat that winds along the shore of the reservoir. More signs will warn you away.
3 km farther on, with some elevation gain between the bodies of water, you will hit the larger, more natural, Violin Lake. An old track peters along its east shore if you feel like doing more exploring, but the main road ends here.
Visits to Violin Lake are trespassing. The City of Trail would like to remind the community that the Violin Lake area is private property and is closed to the public for any use at all times including trucks, ATVs or motorcycles, campers who have pitched tents, built campfires, and left garbage. The city will continue to monitor Violin Lake regularly. Trespassers will be asked to leave immediately and will be reported to the authorities.