Explore the most popular camping trails in Newfoundland and Labrador with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
What a great hike! Going up the steep hill can be tough on the legs but well worth it for the views on the other side!!
The walk down the other side of the mountain is nice and steady not to hard
The walk is probably more like 18/19km.
You know you’ve done a hike after this one as your legs will tell you!
Fantastic hike well worth the hard work!!!
They revamped the trail by turning it into a broad gravel road, which while I understand it I don't have to like it. The pond, however, is still amazing. I recommend taking the scenic loop extension, literally nobody else did while I was out there.
Steadily rises from the parking lot to the base of Gros Morne, basically if you found that part difficult turn back now. Signs greet you warning to not continue if the summit is obscured or the weather is bad because you will risk death. Fun! Scrabbling up the scree filled gully brings you to the summit soon enough, but your day is nowhere near finished yet. The descent around the backside of the mountain is long and rough but provides some great vistas along the way. Remember to bring plenty of water, unless there's still some snowpack in the gully that you plan to melt the only water on the trail is the stream crossing at the base.
This used to be a beautiful trail but Parks Canada built a forest access road over top of it. Shame you on, Parks Canada. So sad. RIP Western Brook Trail
Not a boardwalk trail as some older photos suggest. This is a wide gravel road leading to the pond. There's plenty of other woods roads in NL that offer scenic views of Western NL, don't waste your time and money unless you really need to take the boat tour.
Incredible views, it was 30 degrees and I ran out of water 3 hours before the end. I had brought 3 litres. Definitely a very challenging hike, if I would do it again , I would pick a slightly less hot day.
We went down this trail for the boat tour. The view is nice at the end of the trail and the trail is pretty accessible and well groomed (more of an unpaved road). I wouldn’t go out of my way to walk this though unless you’re going on the tour.
Took this hike earlier today to connect with the boat tour on the lake. The hike is underwhelming- wide open on a wide (vehicle) gravel path. Some of the scenery is cool as you get a good viez of the different types of vegetation. The boat ride is well worth the hike as the views on the lake are awesome.
The most beautiful hike. Took our time getting up the hill as it was so hot going up without any sun coverage. Be sure to bring lots of water with you.
AmaZing and challenging hike. Stunning views. Would be a great place to camp as well.
David V. on Gros Morne Mountain Trail
Did it today. Unfortunately weather turned foggy and views were almost non existent. The climb to the summit was demanding but doable. Still some snow but ok. The hike down is more demanding as the rock trail can be tricky and a little hard on the knees. Although some wore lighter shoes, a decent hiker would be recommended.
Underwhelming if you're not doing the boat tour.
This is a great hike but I would not recommend hiking up the steep rockpile path when there is snow on the mountain. I was genuinely fearful for my life!
The park now says dogs are allowed on leash. The information is wrong. However the ascent is very steep and rocky. For some dogs this might be a challenge.
Great hike and amazing views. It makes for a long and strenuous day but well worth it.
Love this place. Lots of trails for different diffulty levels from easy to hard.
It was a beautiful day, but got cold near/at Cape Spear, so bring layers. Hiking shoes or boots are needed since there are a few areas where it's really rocky (vertical climbs for 20+ feet) and muddy (river crossings). The trail is well-marked and well-maintained.
Amazing trail!!!
Absolutely enchanting! Head the weather warning sign at trailhead; hiked in early September and the weather turned quite quickly to thick fog, driving rains, and high winds (~40 mph) at the summit. Visibility was low, but fluorescent trail markers were helpful. Ascent is straight up scree. Wild blueberries, moose, and stunning fjords were worth the effort.
Did an overnight stay from Dec 8th to 9th. The climb was rough; the combination of rock and solid ice doesn’t allow microspikes (they’ll bend on the rock) so I used a chain-like alternative to get up the mountain side. At the summit, the visibility was low with fog and blowing snow, but the guide arrows are enough to get you through. On the first few km down the mountain, there’s almost no sight of the trail with 90+ cm of snow to trek through, so hang on to your gps and break when necessary. It was a grueling hike in winter, but so very worth it! Keep an eye on the weather, and good luck
Spectacular! The effort is strongly rewarded!
Amazing but incredibly difficult on the body. A rocky ascend to the top with an amazing view is only about a third of the trek. The hike down the backside and around is the other two. Beautiful scenery that changes as you go. Blueberry bushes for snacking up and down. Recommended start is 10-11 as it takes 6-8 hours.
Snug Harbour is absolutely beautiful! Crisp clear water with gorgeous mountain views. The first section of the trail is heavily trafficked (as it is the trail to the Western Brooke Pond Ferry), but then you fork off onto the Snug Harbour trail which is lightly trafficked. You will have to ford across the Western Brooke River, so be prepared (water can be anywhere from knee to waist deep with a following current). The trail after this point was very muddy and often overgrown. After the trail reconnected onto the shoreline, I opted to stick along the shore instead of going back on the marked trail through the woods (to avoid the mud holes and slow pace caused by them). Then after I forded across a second small brooke, I reconnected with the marked trail. From this point it was an easy 5 minutes into Snug Harbour.
Beautiful hike. We were up and down in just over 5 hours - didn't rest much at the top because it was chilly and started to rain. Amazing views, especially of 10 mile pond on the back side. Saw a moose and a rock ptarmigan. We wore running shoes - something more substantial would be more comfortable. Lots of rocky terrain. Highly recommended - loved this hike start to finish!
Our first section on the East Coast Trail began with a steep, quarter mile ascent! The first part of the trail travels through forests and exposed areas with some ocean view. It then takes a long descent down to the shoreline of Freshwater Bay. After crossing it, the remainder of the section ascends then follows the cliff edges all the way down to Blackhead.
We camped there for our first night. No stores or accommodations, although I recall a small craft shop just as we were leaving town, continuing on to Cape Spear.
This section is in excellent shape and did not disappoint. Challenging enough, but nothing compared to what laid ahead. Like so many spots along the ECT: Heaven on the eyes, Hell on the legs!
Very worth it! Took us 7 hours to complete it, exactly 3.5 to reach the summit and 3.5 to loop around and descend. You get a great view before you come down the backside of the mountain and a great view as you climb. The steep loose boulders at the beginning of the climb is not as tough as you would think and most people in my group found that part the easiest of the hike. It is the descent that is the most difficult I found.
Lovely trail and ell taken care of. Goes inland a little more than I would like.
Don't be discouraged at the elevation! When you make it through the few brutal miles, you will likely be above the clouds...simply spectacular!
Fantastic hike. Have good shoes, sandals, and gaitors. You will hike through a river, a bog, mountain terrain, and tundra. The backcountry camp is in snug harbour. Be sure to take the trail up to the North Rim. The views are stunning and you won't be disappointed. This is a difficult trail, especially after a heavy rain. The trail is not well maintained and the bog can be tough. The mud sank up to our knees in spots. The beauty makes it worth every step. Plenty of wildlife (moose, ptarmigan).
Stunning trail! We were lucky to get sunny weather the whole time. Incredible views. Part of the hike through scree and snow before hitting a false summit and then the true summit (really more of a flat area). The whole trail has interesting things to see, and don't miss out on the fresh spring water at the small lake/pond on the backside of the mountain coming down.