Hiking & Walking Trails in Gros Morne

There are more than 100 km of trails in the park, ranging from half-hour strolls to four or five day backpacking routes. In total there are over 22 separate hikes in the park. The "Trail Guide" is a waterproof topographic map with hiking trail profiles at 1:100 000 scale.

Baker Brook Falls Trail: Easy/Intermediate, 10km return. The trail starts at Berry Hill campground and takes you down a boardwalk running through wetlands to a series of waterfalls, Bakers Brook Overfalls. You'll find the largest falls in the park here. The trail should take about 1 hour to complete.

Berry Head Pond Trail: Easy, 2km, loop. The trail begins about 10 km from the Visitors' Center and circles Berry Head Pond which has the first of two viewing platforms. Further along you'll pass through forest and wetlands. The trail provides you the opportunity to catch a glimpse for the areas woodland birds and ducks as well as other species. The trail should take about 1/2 to 1 hour to complete.

Berry Hill Trail: Easy, 2km, loop. The trail begins in the Berry Hill campground and provides views of Gros Morne Mountain and Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse. The trail should take about 1/2 to 1hour to complete.

Broom Point Trail: Easy, 1km return. The trail begins at the Broom Point parking lot and takes you through patches of twisted tuckamore trees and a coastal meadow, overlooking the mouth of Western Brook. From there you'll have a sweeping panorama of beaches, backed by tall sand dunes with the Long Range Escarpment in the distance. The trail should take about 1/2 hour to complete.

Green Gardens Trail: Intermediate/Expert (Hike). The trail starts at either Wallace Brook trailhead along highway 431 or the Long Pond trailhead, 13 km from Woody Point. The Long Pond entrance leads you on the most direct route to the coast. Hiking through the barrens, forests, meadows, cliffs and along the coast. You can access the beach from the trial. The coast provides for interesting areas with diverse geology and cliff faces including the dark basalt cliffs of Green Gardens. The trail should take about 3 to 4 or 6 to 8 hours complete depending where you start. River fording of a shallow river is required if you hike the whole loop. There are primitive campsites on route allowing you make an overnight of it.

Green Point Trail: Easy, 3km one way. The trail begins at Green Point campground and travels up the coast running along the bluffs above the beach. At times the trail tunnels through dwarfed tuckamore forest as you head towards Baker Brook. The trail should take about 1/2 to 1 hour to complete.

Gros Morne Mountain Trail: Expert, 15km, loop. The trail begins 3 km south of the Visitor Centre and is one of the most popular hikes in the park. It climbs to the summit of Gros Morne Mountain which is an ascent of more that 800 meters, with a particularly steep section on route. At the right time of the year you might see some of the herd of Caribou that live in the park. There are also Arctic hare, rock ptarmigan, water pipits and horned larks. This can be a gruelling hike but worth the trip. The trail should take about 7 to 8 hours complete. Hikers should ascend the Gully while using Ferry Gulch on the return for safety reasons. The hike shouldn't be attempted in bad weather.

Lobster Cove Head Trail: Easy/Intermediate, 2km. This is a network of trails that start at the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse and lead to viewpoints overlooking the ocean, while other trails take you to the shoreline where you can see tide pools and underwater life such as sea anemones, mussels, sea urchins, crabs and various ocean fish. The trail should take about 1 hour to complete.

Lomond River Trail: Intermediate, 6km one way. The trail starts in the parking lot beside highway 431 just east of the turnoff to the Lomond Day-use Area and takes you through the forest to the Lomond River. You will travel through a forest pine maple and ash with trees that are very large for this part of the province. The trail should take about 2 hours to complete.

Lookout Trail: Intermediate to Expert, 5km loop. The trail starts on highway 431 about 1 km from Woody Point. It climbs passed the tree line to the summit of Partridgeberry Hill, where you will have a panoramic view of Bonne Bay, Gros Morne, the Long Range mountains, the Lookout Hills Plateau and the Tablelands. The trail should take about 2 1/2 hours to complete.

Old Mail Road Trail: Easy, 2km. The trail begins in the Shallow Bay Day-use Area. As you hike you will pass though forests of dwarfed white spruce and balsam fir and across dunes on a boardwalk to Shallow Bay beach, which has the most extensive sand beach in the park. The trail should take about 1/2 hour to complete.

Snug Harbour Trail: Intermediate, 8km one way. The trail starts after a 2 km walk along Western Brook Pond Trail and travels through a wet mossy forest to a pebble beach. It then goes back into the forest again where it climbs small hills of glacial moraine. The trail leads to the primitive campsite of Snug Harbour. The trail should take about 2 1/2 hours to complete.

Southeast Brook Falls Trail: Easy to Intermediate, 1km. This trail begins in the parking lot about 10.5 km north of Wiltondale on Hwy 430 and takes you to a viewpoint at the top of the Southeast Brook Falls, that overlooks the valley of Southeast Brook. The trail should take about 1/2 hour complete.

Stanleyville Trail: Intermediate, 4km return. This trail starts at the Lomond Day-use area and travels uphill through the forest, then descends toward a small cove on the shore of the East Arm. The trail should take about 2 hours to complete.

Stuckless Pond Trail: Intermediate, 9.5km loop. The trail begins by the parking lot off of Hwy 431 just east of the turnoff to the Lomond Day-use Area. It travels along a boardwalk, over a fen then passes through dense mixed forest where you will cross a suspension bridge over the Lomond River before ascending to Stuckless Pond. The trail should take about 3 to 4 hours to complete.

Tablelands Trail: Intermediate, 4km return. The trail starts about 4 km from Woody Point and leads you to the tablelands, which are one of the reasons that Gros Morne was named Canada's 10th World Heritage Site. You travel across the rock barrens of the Tablelands which are made of peridotite rock, which is rare at the earth's surface. The trail should take about 1 1/2 hours to complete.

Trout River Pond Trail: Intermediate, 14km return. The trail starts at the Trout River Day-use area and follows the north shore of Trout River Pond. Traveling at first through meadows and forest, it then heads out across the rock barrens of the Tablelands. You will encounter many intermittent stream crossings as you climb above the Narrows, where two ponds join along a beach. At the end of the trail you will have a view of the Big Pond in the valley below. The trail should take about 4 to 5 hours to complete.

Western Brook Pond Trail: Easy to Intermediate, 3 km or 4.5 km one way. This trail starts 32 km north of the Visitors Centre on Hwy 430. It leads to the Western Brook Pond, where you will see wetlands separated by low forested limestone ridges. This is a very good trail for spotting waterfowl. From here you can continue to Stag Brook, which starts about 100 meters from the edge of the pond. This trail gives you a view of the Long Range Mountains and takes you to a secluded sandy beach. The trail should take about 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours to complete.


All walk times are approximate return times at a moderate pace. Never stray from the trail. Always pack water and a snack. Tell someone your destination and estimated return time.


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