Rock Wall Walking Tour Information

Most visitors to Trail are unaware of its rugged hidden beauty. Most cities have bleak lifeless retaining walls of concrete, but the Italian community in Trail built stunning rock walls of all shapes and sizes.

Generations of Italian rock masons passed down their knowledge and skills to their descendants who would move to Trail to work on the railways and in the mining industry.

These craftsmen laboured in the smelter during the day and would create their labour intensive rock masterpieces when they returned home from a full days work. These beautiful walls of rock supported their homes, gardens, yards, roads and covered walkways. The Gulch area of Trail is known as Little Italy because of its steep hillsides with narrow winding streets that are alive with colourful homes painted in shades of blue, pink and yellow with terraced gardens that produce abundant flowers and vegetables.

Most cities would have torn down the artisan rockwork and replaced it with a poured slab of concrete, but the people of Trail chose to keep this living testament of a bygone era. Knowing such labour intensive and skillfully built rock structures are echoes of past that will never be built again in this day of concrete and steel, the people of Trail chose to preserve, document and treasure this testament of Italian cultural heritage.

 The Rock Wall Project is a group of volunteers who work tirelessly to document the history of Trail's rock walls. They have produced a wonderful self-guided walking tour brochure with pull-out maps and dramatic photographs of the walls. A book, photo display and video of the walls will soon follow. Pick up your copy of the Rock Wall self-guided walking tour brochure at:

Rossland

Clansey’s

Ferraro Foods

Delich Jewellers

The Essential Body

Trail

Star Grocery

The Colander

Marino Wholesale

Hall Printing

Ferraro Foods

L&J Books

Rock Island Tape Centre

L'Bear's Natural Foods

Gerick Cycle & Sports

Trail Vision Care Clinic

Chamber of Commerce

Waneta Plaza