Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada

Gros Morne National Park running along Newfoundland’s west coast is a dramatic coastal area of rounded mountain tops and bluffs overlooking the sea and waterways. It’s a long park, 55 miles between Wiltondale in the south and the northern entrance.

The southern section is known for the Tablelands, an area of ancient baren rock that was once the sea floor 500 million years ago, one of the oldest such examples in the world. In addition to its geological significance the orange rock is also quite picturesque in the fading light of the afternoon sun.

In the northern section of the park highlights include the hike to Gros Morne summit – a challenging hike that involves a steep trudge up a scree gully – and the stunning narrow fjord at Western Brook Pond. While the fjord can be seen along the trail to the water’s edge it is most commonly visited by tourist boat.

There are several populated areas within the park which are not actually on park land – Cow Head, Glenburnie, Norris Point, Rocky Harbour, Trout River or Woody Point. Here you can find accommodations, restaurants, supplies and a few shops. Or you can camp in one of the park’s campgrounds.

Trails

Park Trails Map

Trail 15 – Lookout Trail

3.6 miles with 1000ft elevation gain

The trail from the National Park Discovery Center at the southern end of the park climbs the hill behind the parking lot to a viewpoint with sweeping vistas of the water below. It’s a stunning setting made complete by a small bleacher stand with 2 Adirondack chairs. The trail up is well graded with switch backs through a mostly forested hillside that can be hot at midday but shaded when the sun is a bit lower.

Near the top is a boardwalk that crosses a bog with numerous specimens of Newfoundland’s provincial flower, a type of insect eating pitcher plant. The lower leaves catch insects in a fluid that then drowns them. In early August they were blooming, their maroon heads swaying in the short grass.

At the top of the trail is a loop track that circles a section of the plateau with the viewing platform on one side. If you are short on time head right at the fork and walk straight to the platform. If you have time to explore the rest of loop is a flat area with big sky views overlooking low vegetation. At the far end from the platform are views of Tableland’s mantle rocks (a rare exposed area of the earth’s mantle), best seen in the morning light. We were there mid to late afternoon with little color on the distant mantle rocks.

Trail 16 – Tablelands

2.5 miles return. Gentle uphill on way out.

The out and back hike to a waterfall at the base of a hill is mildly steep on the way out. The gravel trail takes you through mantle rocks some of the oldest rocks visible today. Once an ancient ocean floor the area is highly prized by geologists for the rare opportunity to see this mantle layer usually found far beneath the earth’s crust. For the casual tourist it’s an interesting area of greenery against barren rock. At the end of the trail is a picturesque waterfall with the golden mountain side towering above, nicely lit in the late afternoon. Look for serpentinite, a type of metamorphic rock with a web-like pattern.

Trail 9 – Gros Morne Mountain

Trail to summit – 10.5 miles return with a 3280ft elevation gain

Approach trail – 5.5 miles return with a 1300ft elevation gain

One of the iconic hikes in the park, this 17km lolly-pop hike climbs to the summit of Gros Morne Mountain. While the hike to the summit is a real challenge, the trail to the base of the mountain (the stick of the lolly-pop) is a more gentle climb that still affords sweeping vistas.

The first part of the trail winds through the forest along a river crossing over it near a twin waterfall. Before the base of the mountain the trail flattens out along an area of low vegetation and wetland ponds. At the junction with the loop summit trail there is a viewpoint where you can see the steep gully trail to the top.

Although it was a beautiful day for a climb we were short on time and decided not to do the upper section. This is a very popular trail. The lower section is fairly wide and maintained and can hand the heavy traffic. The trail through the flatlands before the base of the gully climb is much narrower with muddy sections. Despite the traffic it’s a pretty trail and worth doing in good weather even if you don’t do the upper summit section.

Trail 3 – Western Brook Pond

3.7 miles, relatively flat

This 6km return trail is the walkway to the Western Brook Pond boat tour. The trail is a wide gravel walkway that is mobility challenged accessible. The views of the fiord can be seen in the distance at the start of the trail, but it’s worth the walk to see the fiords at the waters edge even if you don’t plan on doing the boat trip. Generally boat trips need to be reserved in advance. The trail passes through mostly level grasslands including a peat bog with a mild change in elevation.

At the dock at the end of the trail there are viewing platforms with good but distant views of the fjord. To me the boats looked small and packed, but those we talked to who had done the trip said that there was plenty of room and that the trip was well worthwhile.

Lomond Campground

Lomond Campground located near the southern end of the park makes a good base for a short visit. The campground is situated on Bonne Bay with 6 tent sites along the water with pretty views across the bay to the mountains on the opposing side. There are 33 sites in all, some on the hillside above also with views of the water as well as RV sites in the forest. There are also a couple of chalets.

The tent sites along the water are a short walk from the parking area. The toilet, water and sink facilities are a bit longer walk up the hill. While the sites along the water are moderately close together the campers were respectful and quiet and it was a pleasant place to spend a couple of nights. They also have storage lockers near the sites that can be locked with your own lock.

Two negatives – one, the service building that serves the tent sites has only 2 individual handicap accessible bathrooms and no other bathroom facilities. Meaning it’s a long wait between guests washing up at the bathroom sink. Not a practical setup when serving numerous campsites. Two, the sites are in full sun during the day and on a warm summer day were only pleasant early in the morning and after 6 in the evening.

Ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland

The Marine Atlantic Ferry from North Sydney, NS to Port aux Basque, NL is a giant long distance ferry. For vehicles check in is 2 hours before departure. The journey is 6 hours with a half hour time change. The ferry is large and comfortable with a choice of cabin, reserved seating or open seating. For the daytime voyage I reserved the seats. They were comfortable and had a large picture window and access to a power outlet.

In good weather the upper deck has plenty of space to enjoy the sunshine and views.

Food on the ferry was not very good. They have a café that serves sandwiches or pizza and a restaurant that has basic menu items such as burgers, salads and bake fish in a cream sauce. If you are looking for something healthy there isn’t much to choose from. The Thai stir fry was mostly carrots without much flavor.

Otherwise the ferry is well run and getting the vehicle on and off the boat was easy. The entrance to the ferry terminal in North Sydney is a little tricky to find. It’s on the northeast side of the overpass.

St. Christopher’s Hotel, Port aux Basque, NL

With a late arrival into Port aux Basque and a 4-hour drive from town to Gros Morne National Park, a night near the ferry terminal may be advisable. St. Christopher’s Hotel is a 5-minute drive from the ferry terminal and is a convenient place to spend the night.

Our queen room had two beds with views of the hillside behind the hotel. The room was clean and comfortable. Room amenities included a coffee maker, soap, shampoo and a hair dryer.

The hotel dining room is formally decorated in blue and yellow with white table clothes and is a pleasant space despite being somewhat dated.

Breakfast at the hotel was quite good but was not included in the room charge. The breakfast menu offers a selection of traditional breakfast fare including eggs, pancakes, omelets and French toast. The eggs were well cook and the potatoes fresh hot.

Dinner in the hotel restaurant is convenient but is a challenge for those trying to eat healthy. There was next to nothing on the menu that wasn’t red meat, deep fried or covered in cheese and/or cream sauce. We tried a local specialty, cod tongues and scrunchions. The cod tongues, really morsels of cod neck muscle, were tender and well cooked, albeit battered and panned fried. The scrunchions are basically fried pork fat. The steamed mussels were one of the better choices but had been sitting before they were served. The Caesar salad was a weird concoction with ham bits. The turkey soup, the soup of the day, was one of the healthiest choices but was overloaded with sweet carrots.

August 2-4, 2023

For links to all the posts in this series see the Canadian Maritimes + Newfoundland page.