VIEWPOINT: Gros Morne National Park (Canada)

LONG STORY SHORT
Newfoundland is a collection of hidden gems, and Gros Morne National Park may be its crown jewel.

It seems there are few places left on Earth that remain relatively undiscovered by tourists. Iceland and Alaska were once in this category but are no longer. And any national park worth going to in the contiguous United States will see plenty of visitors regardless of its proximity (or lack thereof) to a major city. Canada, it appears, is a different story.
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Gros Morne National Park is on a remote shore of a remote island, and unlike Iceland or Alaska, those two factors are keeping it hidden. But we wonder for how long. The entire island of Newfoundland is incredibly scenic, with some of the most pristine rivers and picturesque shorelines in the world. And on its west coast lies Gros Morne National Park, which at times can resemble a combination of Yosemite and Kenai Fjords National Parks.

WHERE IT STANDS

TOP-TIER PARK
★★★★★

NATURE: INCROYABLE!
EXPERIENCE: INCROYABLE!
VISITING: DIFFICULT

See more on what our ratings mean.

NATURE: INCROYABLE!
Unique and Full of Grandeur

Mother Nature’s cheat code for beautiful scenery is a glacier, and similar to Yosemite, Gros Morne National Park was formed by several of them. The result is multiple majestic canyons filled with water (locally referred to as “ponds”) that don’t quite reach the sea and therefore are technically not fjords. But they do certainly look and feel like fjords.

Those fjord-like canyons are the main attraction, but Gros Morne has some amazing landscape diversity as well. A region called “the Tablelands” features orange plateaus that exist because Earth’s mantle found its way to the surface. And the inland areas of the park look an awful lot like the Scottish Highlands (for good reason – they were neighbors on the supercontinent Pangea).

As for wildlife, we mostly saw frogs and interesting plants. But elk and caribou also call Newfoundland home, and moose are common enough to warrant road signs that keep an annual tally of how many cars they’ve wrecked. Offshore you may spot some whales depending on what time of year you visit.

EXPERIENCE: INCROYABLE!
Great Sights and Great People

Our primary reason for visiting Gros Morne was to see the fjord-like-but-not-a-fjord Western Brook Pond. To reach the most scenic viewpoint, visitors must ride a boat across the pond and then be escorted by guides on a hike and scramble up the canyon’s rough and unmaintained trail. The journey was exciting and the payoff was incredible, to the point that we consider it one of the three best day hikes we’ve ever done (Angels Landing in Grand Canyon is No. 1, and the third spot rotates among many contenders).

But beyond the hiking, scrambling, and boating, what we really loved about the area (and Newfoundland in general) was the people. After our hike, we met up with several guides at their go-to restaurant in nearby Rocky Harbour. We drank beer, ate burgers (beef for us, moose for the guides), and finished up with a local specialty, patridgeberry cheesecake. During our evening conversation, the guides said that Newfoundlanders are known for using generosity to extract gossip…but we couldn’t help but feel welcomed, moreso than most places we’ve been.

Before the night was through, the guides had walked us through local traditions (like Mummering, which is worth a google search) and jargon (residents of provincial seat St. Johns are Townies, other Newfoundlanders are Baymen, and we were Mainlanders or Come-a-shores), and given us recommendations for the remainder of our trip. Between the hike and dinner, it remains one of the best days we’ve ever had while traveling.

VISITING: MEH
A place this great makes visitors earn it

It’s likely that much of the reason Gros Morne remains a hidden gem (for now) is that it takes some effort to get there. First up is a flight into St. Johns (on the east coast) or a ferry from Nova Scotia to the southern coast of the island. We opted for the flight, by way of Montreal. Upon arrival in Newfoundland, getting to Gros Morne National Park requires a long drive or bus ride. We rented a car in St. Johns and drove eight hours (over a few days) to get to Rocky Harbor, which is nestled between the two halves of the park.
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But even once you’re there, visiting Gros Morne is not the easiest. There are some good trailheads that can be accessed by car, but as previously mentioned, our favorite hike required a boat ride and a couple guides. And considering what we passed on our drive, it seems that overnight backpacking may be the best way to explore the park.

STUPDITY INDEX
The Stupid May Get Hurt

The remote nature of Gros Morne National Park both works for and against The Stupid. On one hand, there is plenty out here that can hurt you. And with no state-of-the-art medical complexes nearby, a minor injury can easily turn serious. On the other hand, it's not easy to get into tough spots without a guide, and those folks are well-trained to save The Stupid from themselves.

CATSBY'S TAKE
​Undecided

The humans spared me the nightmare of two flights and an eight-hour drive, so I did not join them.