| "If you're not the lead dog, the view is always the same." |
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02/02/10 |
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These are our favourite hiking trails in Newfoundland and Labrador.June 2005 - Two new trails: The Hogan Trail, and Cow Head Trail. The Hogan Trail has been added. The Old Lighthouse Trail in Cow Head has been added. We'll add more Newfoundland hikes as we complete them. There are just a few more pictures to be added to those we've done. From now on we'll just be adding new trails as we do them, and perhaps adding trails suggested (and written up) by our site visitors. We can certainly use your help with this. Any additions from visitors will be fully credited. Please help our site grow as a source of information for visitors to the province. Click on any of the hike names to be taken directly to that hike. Click "Return to List of Trails" be be brought back to this spot. Cow Head, the Old Lighthouse Trail - The Hogan Trail - Western Brook Pond - The Discovery Centre Trail - Green Gardens - Green Point - Stuckless Wigwam - Trout River Pond - Baker's Brook Falls - Point Riche Lighthouse Trail - Alexander Murray Trail - Burnt Cape - Sandy Pond - Salvage - Tilting - The Gravels - SouthEast Brook Falls - Blomidon Trail - James Callahan Trail (Gros Morne) - Stanleyville - Sandbanks Provincial Park - East Coast Trail - Berry Hill Pond and Berry Head Pond - Beothuk Interpretation Centre - Bay Bulls to Witless Bay - Hiking Tips for Newfoundland
If you're only going to be in the Gros Morne area for a few days, and you can only do two or three hikes, we'd recommend the following: Western Brook Pond, Lookout Trail (Discovery Centre), Green Point. If you're in good enough shape to do the James Callahan Trail (Gros Morne itself), then by all means do that. For activities in those three days: The Western Brook Pond boat tour, Theatre Festival at Cow Head, the Discovery Centre on the South Side of the Park together with a trip to Trout River and a meal at the Seaside Restaurant. There's been a lovely music program (mainly classical) being run in Rocky Harbour all summer. You may want to take that it. This is the second year for that and it's had tremendous success and rave reviews.
Discovery Centre Trail - You'll have
to be in decent shape for this one. The trail leaves from immediately behind
the Discovery Centre (well worth visiting) on the South Side of Gros Morne.
To get to the South Side of the Park (Gros Morne of course), you make a left
turn immediately after you pass the kiosk at the entrance to the park.
Green Gardens -
We returned
to this trail after about a sixteen year absence. It's still a tough hike.
VERY tough if you do the full loop. We didn't. (I did it once.) You
may start this hike from either end of the loop. Parking lots are on the
highway to Trout River. We've always started the hike from the lot closer to
Trout River. If you just want to go in to the coast and come back out,
that's what I'd suggest. I think the coast near that end of the trail is
more spectacular. You start the hike with about a 20 minute hike up the side
of the hill that's facing you. Then it's downhill (with a few "bumps")
all the way to the coast.
Green Point Green Point Trail is actually a stroll along the coast. It's quite pleasant, can be windy at times. You have the ocean on one side and the fjords of the Long Range Mountains in the distance on the other side. There are a few small ponds that are occasionally visited by ducks and geese. At the mouth of Baker's Brook at one end of the trail you will frequently see fishermen after sea trout. It is actually possible to hike just one way on this, as both ends of the trail are at the highway. (Well, one end, the Green Point end, is in the camp ground just off the highway.) But to do this, you'd need someone to drive and pick you up unless, for some insane reason, you'd choose to walk up the highway. This is a nice spot for a picnic. Usually we drive to the campground, park the van in the trail parking spaces, do our hike, then, when we come back, park the van in one of the empty campsites and have our picnic. We'll take some snacks on the hike with us. This is as trail we do several times a year. Carol likes it.
Stuckless Wigwam -
This trail turned out to be a very
pleasant surprise.
The Beothuk Interpretation Centre Trail - This is near Boyd's Cove, on the Road to the Isles in Notre Dame Bay, near where you turn off to head to Twillingate. The trail is short (about 40 minutes round trip). There's an interpretation centre at the head of the trail. You'll pay $3.00 per person. The trail is very easy. Sneakers are fine. Most of the flora/fauna/trees are nicely labeled. Apart from that, the trail is entirely unexciting. The digs are entirely unexciting; however, the STATUE, THE SPIRIT OF THE BEOTHUK IS A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. I don't think I've seen a more exciting piece of art anywhere. Read more about it in our "Hikes of the Week". It's on the front page right now, but will be moved after the next hike. I'm not going to put a small picture of her here because it would not do her justice. The picture that's on the front page will eventually end up in the photo gallery.
Trout River Pond - This trail leaves from the tour boat site and goes up the north side of Trout River pond. It's a nice hike. You're in sight of the pond most of the time. It gets a little rocky as you proceed along the base of the Tablelands. At that point you'll be in direct contact with some of the oldest rock on the planet. Hiking boots would be recommended for this portion of the hike as the rocks are sharp and you'll need some ankle protection. This hike can take several hours. It is not a loop, so you can just go as far as you'd like and then turn around. If you want to see pictures, go to the photo gallery and you'll see some winter pictures of the pond there. As you look at the pictures, you'll be hiking up the left side of the pond. The next time we do that hike I'll add some new pictures.
Alexander Murray Trail - Step, steps, and more steps. This is beautifully prepared trail, a little rough at the back end (going clockwise), but a great hike. It will take you two to three hours. You could build a town with the amount of lumber used on this trail. The top of the trail will see you overlooking Green Bay. There's a great little spot there to eat your sandwiches and your oranges. Bring lots of water. Sneakers should to it for hiking. The dogs had no problem. When we did this hike, daughter and Myla the Boxer were with us. It was a lovely day. The whole Green Bay area is lovely to explore. Later this year we hope to take the ferry to Little Bay Islands and do some of the trails there.
Point Riche Lighthouse Trail
- This is not so much a trail as a stroll along the coast.
(The picture at left is of a wedding that was taking place at the Point Riche Lighthouse when we pulled into the parking lot to start our hike. I didn't want to intrude, so I took my pictures from a distance. I'm sure though, that if we'd gotten a little closer, we'd probably have been invited to the wedding. Such is the nature of Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders.)
Burnt Cape -
She was taunted along the way by a couple of ravens. Maybe they were trying to lure her off the cliff.
Salvage - See the article Farther Along on my "rants" page for the full story of this wonderful hike. Here's an excerpt from that essay. The next day, still making our way to St. John’s, Piqa took us to Salvage (pronounced with the accent on the last syllable). Salvage is at the end of a road in Terra Nova National Park leading through Eastport out to the coast. Another very tiny, clean and welcoming community. There are no knickknacks in the lighthouses here. It was Sunday morning, around 10:30. We could hear music. Loud. It was a brilliant Newfoundland fall day; the music was pleasant. But where was it coming from? As we approached the church, the music got louder. It was coming from the steeple; it was country gospel, wafting around the entire cove.
Right at the end of the road we found
our trail. There were several actually. It wound out around the coast, up
the hills overlooking the community. Plenty of boardwalk; well marked;
dry. The end of the circle we took brought us to a head overlooking the
harbour, the ocean, and a couple of small islands. Piqa was so thrilled
with it all she had the zoomies for about 10 min Piqa thinks she’s in doggy heaven, the gospel tunes adding to that belief. She'll understand it all, by and by.
Tilting - Here's an excerpt from the Father Along essay on my rants page. It describes the Tilting trail. Tilting is a tiny outport cuddled snuggly in the Northeast corner of Fogo Island. We found a well marked trail there. It starts by winding through the tuckamore and abandoned gardens. It’s quite walkable. On our scale of difficulty, one being the equivalent of strolling around a ball field and five being a six hour hike up the side of Gros Morne, over shale and rocks, this would be about a two and a half. We met an old skipper there. He was sitting down on the side of the trail digging a hole with an old spade.
He had planted a rosebush the day before; now he was moving it because he didn’t like where it was. He pointed out a few pine trees to us that his friends had planted. We chatted; Piqa had no manners. Through the woods and the gardens after about 20 minutes, the trail wanders along the coast, on flat and rounded cliffs. There are sawhorses along the way, to sit on. You’ll also see the occasional lobster pot placed for photo ops. One sawhorse actually had a piece of driftwood attached, curved, looking like a horse’s head. Such is the care and pride that these trailmakers and tenders take in their trail and their community. The hike took about an hour and a half.
The Gravels
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Blomidon Trail - This starts on the road to Lark Harbour along the south shore of the Bay of Islands (leaving from Corner Brook). We've never completed this hike, we've only walked in as far as where the kids go swimming. I found this first part of the trail very difficult walking, with big round rocks have been exposed by hikers and washed clear by the rains. You'll need to walk carefully and wear good footwear. I think this is a trail for real back country hikers. It will take you to the top of the Blomidon Mountains and I'm sure you'll have a spectacular view when you get up there as you'll be overlooking the Bay of Islands and you'll be able to see all the way up the Humber Valley to Marble Mountain. (I only assume you'll be able to see Marble because from Marble you can see the Blomidons. It works both ways doesn't it?)
SouthEast Brook Falls - A short little walk just off the road to Gros Morne. This is just a five or ten minute walk off the road to the top of the falls (not uphill). In the spring there's a lot of water going over the falls. I wouldn't call it spectacular, just nice. It's a nice 10-20 minute break if you want to stretch your legs.
Gros Morne - The James Callahan Trail
- The mother of all trails. I'm going to have to go and find some
pictures to scan into this spot. We haven't done this trail for years, and I
doubt if we'll ever do it again, but it's a MUST for young folks or older
folks who are in great shape. The hike can range from 5 1/2 hours to seven
or eight hours, depending on what shape you're in and how fast you're
moving. It's TUFF. The trail is well marked and fairly easy going except
for the rock cut. What I call the rock
Anchor Point Wintering - This is just a nice 20 minute stroll, a partial loop, you know kind of like a balloon. It goes around an area where the folks from Anchor Point used to live in the winter. It's a nice way to stretch your legs on the way to St. Anthony. It's not too far from Anchor Point. Go figure.
Stanleyville - Leaving from Lomond Campground on the South Side of the park, this is a nice little hike over a hill to what was once a community. There's nothing there now except beach. It's a particularly nice hike if you're camping in the Lomond Campground. It's gently uphill and then gently downhill. (Well, maybe just a little more than "gentle." Sneakers will do, but good hiking boots are always better. There's a picnic table on the beach. Bring a snack; have your lunch when you get back to the campground. The round trip will take you a hour to an hour and a half. I've got pictures I'll put in here when I can find them. (Pictures to be added.)
Sandy Pond - Terra Nova National Park
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Berry Hill Pond and Berry Head Pond - These are two very similar hikes. They're in proximity too. Berry Hill Pond trail leaves from Berry Hill Campground, just north of Rocky Harbour. It's a pleasant hike (about 45 minutes) around a pond with a prominent beaver lodge about half way around. You may see moose on this hike. Berry Head Pond is just a little further north on the highway. Again, it will take you about 45 minutes. There's lots of boardwalk. Sneakers will suffice for both of these. Spring or fall is the best time. There may be lots of mosquitoes and/or black flies in the summer.
East Coast Trail - There's a remarkable project underway on the East Coast that I can't say very much about. The aim of the project is to connect 520 km of trail. They have 220 km completed. They have maps of each of the 18 "paths." We'll be doing at least a part of at least one of those paths the next time we're in St. John's. In the meantime, you may want to visit the East Coast Trails website. Bay Bulls to
Witless Bay - Well, actually, we did it the other way around. We
drove the van to Bay Bulls, parked it, and my sister drove us to Witless Bay
so we could hike back to the van. It was a foggy day in the middle of a hot,
muggy week. If this trail is indicative of other completed paths, then this
is an impressive project. It is a seven kilometre hike. The trail is fairly
easy with only a few short climbs over headlands, and only a few roots to
dodge as you trek through the woods at the Bay Bulls end of the trail.
Sneakers OK.
We'll add other sections of the East Coast Trail right here as we do them. If we go to St. John's in September we'll do another section or two. There is a detailed description of our hike of another portion of the trail (La Manche) in the Hikes of the Weeks section.
The Hogan TrailThis is in Hawkes Bay on the Great Northern Peninsula on
the Viking Trail (to St. Anthony).
Cow Head - Old Lighthouse TrailI like trails that have panoramic views. This trail has
that. When you drive in through Cow Head and you take the road out to the
wharf, you'll see a road off to the left leading up to the graveyards and
the amphitheatre. The trail to the old lighthouse leaves from there. It
winds up over the hill (easy), and across a meadow to a lovely lookout
overlooking the south side of the community. It's quite beautiful. On the
way up you can also see out over the north side and over Shallow Bay, where
the campground is and where you'll find one of the provinces finest beaches.
You can hike on that beach for an hour or so too if you'd like, all the way
from the day area to the northern head. Take a lunch with you if you do
that, and you'll have to cross one very small brook, sometimes extremely
small depending on how much rain there's been.
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Just
before you get to Woody Point you have to take a VERY sharp left, uphill
turn. The first kilometer or so of this road is VERY rough, but it does get
better, and they're working on it. The trail is uphill. After rain you may
hit some muddy, slippery spots, but generally it's quite good. It will take
you about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the base of the lookout. You'll
see the last string of steps in front of you. You have to make a choice
here: Do you go left, or do you go up the steps? We'd recommend you go
left at this point. This will take you through a mountain meadow with
the tablelands stretched out in front of you. As it winds around to the
lookout, you'll see Bonne Bay and Gros Morne (the mountain). When you
get to the lookout, then you can choose to walk down the steps, or go
back the way you came. The walk through the meadow (all boardwalk), will
take 15 to 20 minutes. The return to the parking lot will take about 45
minutes. If you don't have it in you do the James Callahan Trail (the trail
to the top of Gros Morne itself), then this is the next best thing in terms
of the view and scenery. It may even be better. Wear light hiking boots
for this if you have them. You need something with good traction and
support, even though we've done it several times in sneakers. On the way up,
when you get to the first lengthy boardwalk, the toughest part of the trail
is over. It's all pure pleasure from there. On the steep part,
if you get discouraged, just turn around and look at the view. That will
energize you. (Remember, through all my comments, that I'm overweight
and pushing 60. My legs are still in good shape, but I could stand to lose
40 pounds and get a few more hours exercise a day.) There's a full
feature on this trail in our "Hikes of the Week."
This stage will take about 50 minutes to and
hour - about an hour and fifteen minutes total. Once you're at the coast, if
you go a very short distance you'll find a length of steps leading down to
the "beach". Go down there. Have your picnic. Then, if you're
going straight back out, take your time. Maybe go a little ways along the
meadows. This is where folk from Trout River and other communities keep
their sheep. Watch your step. The trip back out is pretty tough (at least it was for an old
fellow like me). Piqa loved it.
Especially chasing the sheep (or trying to - we got her on lead before she
actually knew what they were and that they'd run from her). The trail
is a little rougher than many of the others. In places along the
trail, because travel has exposed the soil, the soil has been washed away
and medium sized rocks are plentiful. You have to be alert or you could
easily turn an ankle or trip. This is NOT an easy hike. It took us about
three and a half hours to go in and out. We spent about 45 minutes to
an hour having our picnic and taking pictures. If you do the loop (and
it gets harder going out the other way), you'll need about six hours. Wear
good footwear. (Semper ubi sub ubi!)
We (I) thought it was a pond in the valley that we could
walk around in about an hour. It turned out to be a mountain pond. It took
us about 40 minutes to hike to the pond. We calculated (after we studied the
map), that it would take an additional two hours to go around the pond, so
we went for about another 20 minutes and then turned around. Piqa had a nice
swim in the beautiful mountain pond; she got the zoomies. It was so
pleasant we decided we'd come back and do the full hike. We'll allow four
hours for it and take a nice lunch. We may even do some trouting in the
spring.For now, we're going to wait until the leaves start to turn. It
should be wonderful in about two weeks (the end of September). So we'll wait
for a clear, cool day. There is a long incline on the way up to the pond,
and the trail isn't as well traveled as some, but, as far as we went, there
wasn't anything too challenging. I expect there are plenty of moose in the
area and a bear or two. (Talking about bears, we've only ever seen three,
all from the car. There is bear sign on most of the trails in the park. It's
only when we stop to think about it that we worry at all. But, we make
enough noise, and we have the dog who'll probably give us plenty of warning
and then run and hide behind us.) The hike could become a regular one,
especially if we have any luck trouting there in the spring. Our next
door neighbour tells us there are trout there. All "pan sized."
pass. If you're in a position to do so, get the family pass before
the end of May as it's deeply discounted until then.) This is a nice but not
spectacular hike. You'll walk through a lot of deadfall. Baker's Brook and
the Falls will reward you at the end. There's a nice little platform where
you can have a snack before you start your way back out. We've seen both
caribou and moose on this trail. There are Lady Slippers to see when they're
in season. This hike may take you about two and a half hours. Sneakers should be fine.
Hiking boots are better. The trail is reasonably flat, not wet (lots of
narrow boardwalk), but with skeeters and black flies and stouts. (Our last
hike on this trail, July 2004, was relatively free of bugs and things that
bite.)
The trail
is "marked" only where needed by small boulders laid out in a line.
You don't really need them, but they'd come in handy if the fog rolled in
quickly. The rock formations are interesting. The trail leads to an
archeological dig. Archeologists claim that every archaic group that
ever lived in Newfoundland lived on this site at one time or other. Sneakers
will do for this. Any amount of time would suffice, even fifteen or
twenty minutes (up to perhaps two hours). You may turn around at any time.
I don't think this is really a hike, but it was a great
hike.
Around
the Harbour from Raleigh where we visited Abiel Taylor's craft (carvings)
store, is the road to Burnt Cape. It's not a road I'd like to take a car
over, even though they do it regularly. We parked out car at the start of
the road, just at the bottom of the hill, and hiked to the Cape. This trail
is noted for its extremely rare flowers. There's a natural botanical
garden there, with little plants tagged and staked. The hike is along cliffs
along the coast. At the end of the road you'll come to a couple of
magnificent sea caves. You'd need a boat to get a good view of them. The
hike is an easy one, but long. It will probably take you two hours round
trip, especially if you take the time to smell the roses (or whatever the
rare flowers are). We took a lot of pictures of the various plants we
found along the way. (Look at the "flora" link in our Photo Gallery). Piqa
loved the hike. 
utes. It was so bright, so
clear, and the air so invigorating that I started to get a headache. If
anyone was of a religious inclination, the words of Farther Along
might have seemed a too happy coincidence, and perhaps you would
understand why people had lived here for centuries. (Salvage is one
of the oldest continuously populated communities in North America.) They
continue to live here in a life style that all those folks from up-a-long
are just now discovering. There were 22 land surveys done in
Eastport this summer, all by folks from Ontario and the United States
looking to buy homes and land. 
This
is at the beginning of the Port Aux Port Peninsula (a few kilometers from
Stephenville).
It's a lovely stroll along the coast of the Port Aux Port Peninsula. It was
still under construction when we did it in 2003, so I can't tell you just
how far it goes or how long it actually it. It's a nice walk, not
challenging, and you can go as far as you want and turn around. It
wasn't a loop when we did it. Near the end of the hike you will find an
historic church and an associated museum. We visited that by car a little
later, and I'm not 100% sure it's accessible from the trail, but I'm pretty
sure it is. This is the kind of trail you'd do if you just want to get out
of the car and go for a walk to stretch yourself out a little. There
are picnic tables at the beginning of the trail. We had a snack there, but
they're very close to the road so there's a fair amount of traffic. 
cut is a pile of loose boulders
(not round boulders) going straight up the side of the mountain. (My son,
the rock climber, informs me that this is actually a "talus slope.") It will
take you about 45 minutes of HARD work to travel this section (and it comes
after about an hour or hiking gently uphill to the base of the mountain).
You'll need good footwear, plenty of water, and again, you'll need to be in
good shape. Once you've gone up the rock cut, the hardest part of the hike
is over and the spectacular part is about to begin.
You traverse the top of
the mountain where you'll see rock ptarmigan (if they move) and maybe arctic
hare. As you get to the other side of the mountain you'll be overlooking Ten
Mile Pond. This is the best spot to stop and have your lunch. Bring oranges,
sandwiches, some hard boiled eggs, and some trail mix. (And did I say plenty
of water?) Bring a camera. It's spectacular. Then you'll continue your
hike back down around the back of the mountain. You don't go back down
the rock cut. Some do. I consider it dangerous to go down. If
you go back down your trip may be a little shorter. The trip around the back
of the mountain is much easier, but longer. You may find your legs starting
to give out on the way down. Many people (myself included), find walking
downhill much harder on the legs that going up, but going up is harder on
the lungs and heart. Your feet may blister also, so again I stress the need
for good, well fitting footwear. Also bring a few bandaids and a small first
aid kit. This is a remarkable hike. It's the gem of the hikes in Gros Morne,
followed closely by the Discovery Centre Trail. If you're not quite up to
the former, do the latter (which also requires you be in decent shape).
WARNING: Check the weather forecast before you leave, dress appropriately
and in layers, and don't leave if the top of the mountain is shrouded in
cloud. You can get lost up there very easily if fog or cloud moves in, and
then it gets DANGEROUS. If this happens to you, stop and stay or that might
be the last anyone sees of you. (These are rather old pictures,
scanned, which you may deduce.)
This is another
trail you'd like to do just to get a break from your
drive. There are
several like this in Terra Nova National Park. Sandy Pond is a kilometer or
two off the highway (paved road). There's a lovely little pond where you
could also go for a swim. It's pretty busy
in the summer, being one of the few places campers can take their children
for a safe swim in relatively warm water. The trail goes around the pond and
will take you about 45 minutes if you take your time. It's an easy hike.
Sneakers will be fine. Go for a swim when you're finished. We find
this a nice break when we're on our way to St. John's. Piqa likes it because
she can do her two favourite things, run and swim. She can also eat moose
poop. The Canada Jays are saucy; bring something for them
to eat or they'll pick your pockets. 
There's another trail in Terra Nova that we do just for a short stop on
the way to St. John's. It's along the coast. It's called the Coastal
Trail to Headquarters Wharf. We start at Salton's Brook Marine Centre
(an interesting place to visit). You can also start at the other end, Newman
Sound Campground. You can go just about as far as you'd like and then turn
around. It's a nice little break for Piqa, but we don't enjoy it as
much as Sandy Pond, but folks who like the coast may enjoy it more.
Hiking
boots better. It took us about two hours and forty five minutes. We took a
lot of pictures and stopped for short snacks. My new camera got a workout
looking down over the numerous coves, punctuated by sharp cliffs and deep
inlets biting into the shore. Through the fog we could hear the sounds of
tour boats and tourists seeking commune with nature and the whales. All this
to the sound of Newfoundland traditional music from the boats. Some like it
I guess. One high speed zodiac came zipping into one of the coves, killed
its motor for a moment and let the passengers hear what we heard. Nothing.
Nice. There are maps available of all eighteen of the completed paths.
There's
a remarkable story about the person after whom the trail is named. You can
find it
it
would be wheelchair accessible. It's an easy hike, lasting about 45 minutes
one way and taking you to the falls and the salmon ladder. Our round trip
lasted about two hours and fifteen minutes, giving us time for a few
pictures here and there and a snack at one of the lookouts. It was a
pleasant but spectacular hike, and it was a good break on our way to St.
Anthony. We'd do it again. This type of river hike through the woods doesn't
interest me as much as a hike along the coast or through the woods to a
spectacular view such as the hike to Western Brook Pond. We would do it
again though; it's a great leg stretch. Because it's all on four foot wide
boardwalk, sneakers would be entirely appropriate for this hike. What a lot
of work must have gone into it, and it's well maintained. There was a fella
in there with a small chainsaw clearing deadfall and tidying up some of the
intruding trees and branches. It would be nice to do the hike during the
salmon season and watching the anglers and the salmon trying to jump the
falls before they find the ladder. 
The
Old Lighthouse Trail will wind back around to the parking lot; we did that;
it's not necessary. If you just follow along from the lookout for a little
bit, you'll come to the old lighthouse - not terribly exciting. I'd just
turn around there and come back the same way. There IS a trail going off the
mail trail that probably goes down to the coast; you may want to try that.
We didn't. This was a nice hike. If you just went as far at the old
lighthouse and turned around, it probably wouldn't take you any more than 45
minutes. If you're staying at the Shallow Bay Campground, it would make a
nice little change for you. This is also only a few minutes drive from
the Gros Morne Resort. Sneakers would normally be fine unless it's wet, then
sneakers may be a little slippery. Hiking boots would be better. 
This site was last updated 06/09/05