The Cordite Trail runs along the south side of a ditch all the way to Plessis Road. This ditch carries the overflow from the retention ponds (man-made lakes) of Kilcona Park and Harbour View.

Adjacent to the trail is the Cordite Ditch and Cordite Road. During the Second World War, the Transcona Munitions Plant, operated by Defence Industries Ltd., a Crown corporation, opened in 1941.