In 2003 the Iron Horse Trail was officially opened at Abilene Junction. From here the trail travels about 90 km to Cold Lake, 90 km to Heinsburg and 90 km to Smoky Lake.
In the early days CN installed a boiler here to heat water from Mann Lake to provide steam to trains so they did not have to spend more time waiting for water to heat up. Passengers and freight going from St Paul to Bonnyville also had to change trains here.
Please note – unless otherwise indicated, all staging areas and rest stops are day use only with no overnight camping allowed. If people need to overnight, a letter of authorization must be obtained in advance from the Iron Horse Trail office call 1-877-645-4521 or email info@ironhorsetrail.ca