the top, hikers can spot wildlife like caribou, snowshoe hare and rock ptarmigan usually associated with locations much further north.
How to prepare for Gros Morne trails Whatever the trail, Stone says hikers need to understand where they are and take precautions. “People forget or don’t realize our hikes are situated on different geological features of the Appalachian Mountain Chain, the Earth’s mantle and even volcanic rock,” she says. “We suggest bringing durable hiking boots for the hard rocks you’ll be on all day.” “Terrain may be more rugged than folks are used to,” says Katie Broadhurst, co-author with Alexandra Fortin of Hikes of Western Newfoundland. Proper preparation is particularly important when planning a hike in Gros Morne. “As a local guide, people often tell me the trails are rougher, it’s windier and it rains more than they are used to. Newfoundland is called the Rock for a reason. There are bogs and bugs. Come ready to hike with good footwear, good rain gear and a day pack prepared with the 10 essentials.” Those who arrive well prepared to take on this rugged landscape with a good pair of hiking boots or a tough mountain bike—and that pack of essentials—will find hundreds of kilometres of trails, each with its own challenges and big rewards. “You can hike or ride and often see more animals than people, usually have a view of the ocean and get to explore some of the oldest land on the planet,” Broadhurst says. Back on the Bakers Brook Falls Trail, when Peter Thurlow and I return from its big reward, we come across an interpretive sign entitled “A Broken Cycle” with little cartoon moose all over it. “It looks as though the forest here was smashed by a tornado,” the sign reads. “But it wasn’t beaten—it was eaten.” The sign goes on to explain that this forest was devastated by a little caterpillar that left only a few birch and spruce standing among the devastation. When young trees began to grow again, the exploding moose population browsed on the new growth, preventing the forest from regenerating. Moose are an invasive species here and are changing the very nature of the park, which is a big deal because, among other things, Gros Morne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Still, the presence of the big herbivore in the park has its benefits as well. I can pause here on this trail that would otherwise be a dark path through the woods and look out over one of the country’s great landscapes.
Add these activities to your Gros Morne to do list. • Take a boat tour on Bonne Bay to see dolphins, whales and seabirds. • Take the boat tour on Western Brook Pond, the park’s great inland fjord, to see its highest waterfalls. • Bust a gut to the hilarity of musical comedy group, the Anchors Aweigh Band at the Ocean View Hotel in Rocky Harbour. • Take the water taxi between Rocky Harbour and Woody Point for the views and to visit both enclave towns. • Take in a show at the lovingly restored Woody Point Heritage Theatre. • Check out the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse in Rocky Harbour. • Enjoy wild foraged mushrooms with your meal in Chanterelles Restaurant at the Sugar Hill Inn. • See live theatre by the Gros Morne Theatre Festival in Cow Head. • Check out the salt water aquarium and touch tank at the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point. • Rent a sea kayak from Gros Morne Adventures in Norris Point to get out on the water.
Left: Pitcher plant is the provincial flower for NL. Right: Ferns on the Gros Morne trail.
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