Nature Wins in Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne Park Cliff Views over Sea Caves & Gulf of St. Lawrence

Gros Morne National Park of Canada! Finally.. we have arrived! The park is one of the “big kahunas” of the Newfoundland, Canada parks system. It had Bro and I in a huff… way too excited for our own good.

The park has it all… mountains, beaches, cliffs, waterfalls, sea caves, sea stacks, lakes, forest, rivers and wildlife like moose, whale and bear. It is everything on the menu for an outdoors person… mmm… mmm… good.

The Gros Morne National Park of Canada provides a unique and ever changing landscape for many seasonal adventures. In the summer months people enjoy hiking trails, backpacking trails, wilderness camping, fishing, kayaking, sightseeing tours, cycling, mountain biking and canoeing. In the winter months cross country skiing and snowmobiling take the top prize.

The massive park has allot to brag about too. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the second largest mountain in Newfoundland – The Gros Morne Mountain. It is the site of the Tablelands Mountains which are geological wonders created from the Earth’s mantle. The park enjoys over 20 hiking and backpacking trails. Yahoooo!  And… there are… get this… 4800+ moose living in the park.

Gros Morne Mountain Trail

The national park includes some developed areas and some areas are left to the will of the wilderness. The main developed areas include the Information Centre and Discovery Centre plus there are a smattering of picnic sites, campgrounds, information signs and lookouts spread out along the highways.

The remote wilderness regions are, mostly, accessed via the hiking trails and sightseeing tours. The tours and trails delve deep into the arms of nature discovering beaches, canyons, fjords, river valleys, mountain summits, sea caves and cliff side viewpoints.

While staying in the Gros Morne National Park we decide to explore the following trails – some were easy paths ideal for all ages…  and some trails were %^?&$#!  and suited for the hardy and determined hiker and backpacker.

The list of trails include the Tablelands (4 km return), Green Gardens (15.5 km loop) , Wallace Brook (12 km return), Coastal (6 km return), Western Brook Pond (6 km return) and the Gros Morne Mountain Trails (16.9 km return). All trails will be published on the upcoming NovaScotiaEH.ca Travel Website in the near future. But for now, we will share with you the Tablelands and the Green Gardens Trails. Both were educational and… how should we put it… vastly different.

Tablelands Mountains in Gros Morne Park

TABLELANDS TRAIL:  Out of all the easy trails in the park we decided to explore one of the most popular  ones called the Tablelands Trail. It is a level and safe trail suitable for all ages and fitness levels. There are interpretive tours and self guided opportunities as well.

The trail follows a 2 kilometre one way double wide gravel access road along the base of the Tableland Mountains through a sea of boulders and rocks. The access road then connects to a short section of boardwalk path before connecting to a viewing lookout platform. From the lookout the jaws of the Tableland Mountain Range open up for you … the lookout seems to peer right down the throat of the mountain range itself.

What makes the Tableland Mountains so special and unique is their origin and their red-brick like color. The mountains are classified as ancient peridtite rocks which, long ago, were thrust up from the earth’s mantle. Over time the winds and rains sculpted the edges of the mountains

Green Gardens Trail in Gros Morne Park

GREEN GARDENS TRAIL: The highlight of our stay in the Gros Morne National Park was the Green Gardens Trail. It was a grunting-huffing-puffing-snorting type of adventure trail. It turned out to be an all out slug fest with nature – taking on every obstacle nature could throw at us in the shape of stairs, ladders and mud.

All of this is pretty funny because we pegged the trail as a moderately challenging route… we did not anticipate – the stairs from hell – coming at us that hard, fast and repetitive. Nor did we anticipate the humming of the theme song  “Jaws” over and over in our heads one step at a time.

The Green Gardens Trail can be enjoyed in two ways – (1) following a well mark, well used 9 kilometre route or (2) following a 15.9 kilometre tough and rugged less used route.

Most hike the well used portion of the trail from the Long Pond parking lot to the Sea Caves and then return back the same route.  From the cliffs a set of stairs drops you down into a remote sandy beach with some sea caves. Down at the far end of the beach is a hidden waterfall.

Plan for low tide and the beach provides beach access around a rocky point exposing some sea caves for exploring.  At the other end of the beach is a beautiful waterfall hidden away in a river canyon. From the beach follow the river up stream to the falls surrounded by giant boulders. The route from the Long Pond parking lot to the Sea Caves is well signed and trail conditions are relatively good. It is considered a far easier route than the alternative… option 2.

EH Tourism and Falls near Sea Caves

We did not want to see the same scenery again and hike back the same way we came.  When most turn back there are a few of us which continue forward. We wanted more… something new, something different… more sights and sounds… more interaction with nature. We forged ahead, not looking back, following the rest of the 15.9 kilometre loop route into the mountains and down into the river valleys.

From the Sea Caves the trail continues to the Green Gardens. This portion of the trail wanders along coastline cliffs, wading through fields of wildflowers and prickly plants. At the Green Gardens there is a wilderness campground and some stairs for accessing another beach. It is after this beach when the trail turns moody and becomes a monster.

Going Down Stairs too Tired for Picture of Going Up.

There are stairs…. lots of them… they are wooden, covered in mud and hidden by tall grasses… they go straight up and go straight down… no switchbacks, you wish… and they never stop – no resting benches or platforms. You are on a mission.

There are thousands of steps crawling up a mountain and then diving right back down into a valley… and then up another mountain and then diving right back down into a river valley… and up and down we go like a yo-yo.

Everytime we dropped into a river valley we had to find a way to cross the river.  There are no bridges here, nor is there rope or a set path… oh no… you must fjord the river by hopping boulders…. Bro and I both got soakers… oh yeah baby.

One step after the other, we walked up and down the endless stairs and ladders.  Going up and down there were some amazing views of the river valleys, beaches, wildflower gardens, sea stacks and coastline cliffs.  The stairs and ladders… the prickly plants and mud… well… they left bruises, bumps and cuts. Battle scars to remember our fantastic adventure by.

Just when you turned a corner and thought you were done… there were always more stairs going up with no end game in sight. By the end of each climb our legs were like jello. Each leg had its own heartbeat. Thumping and throbbing. But yet we pushed on every time our legs felt like screaming. We talked little and we focused hard. It is safe to say we did not meet many people on this section of the trail.

River Valley on Green Gardens Trail

The memories of this adventure are logged deep into my brain.  The  adventure was well worth the effort. So many beautiful sights and sounds. So many stories.

If you are planning on doing this adventure please remember the following check point.  This is no easy hike so  be honest with yourself after the first big climb. Then and there make a decision if you are hiking the loop route… because there are an army of  stairs still ahead to climb up and down.

It is important to be in good condition to do the entire 15 kilometre loop route. One should pack rain gear and layer clothing as weather changes fast and winds can be fierce. We just missed a rain storm by 1/2 an hour on our hike.

One should have very good footwear – a no brainer you would think. And one should pack a good supply of liquids and snacks. You will get thirsty quickly. If wet socks are an issue you may want to pack an extra pair… you do cross two rivers and encounter mud buddies (puddles).

Green Gardens Trail was one of the most memorable hikes this year to date…  and one of the toughest day hikes recorded on our long list of trails explored so far in Canada. It satisfies your needs for spectacular scenery and quenches your thirst for a challenging adventure.

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