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Gros Morne National Park

Near Deer Lake · Canada

Background

World Heritage since
1987
Type of site
Natural
Age of the Long Range
1.2 billion yrs

On the west coast of Newfoundland, the park is a rare example of the process of continental drift, where deep ocean crust and the rocks of the earth's mantle lie exposed. UNESCO says more recent glacial action has produced spectacular scenery: coastal lowland, alpine plateau, fjords, glacial valleys, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and many pristine lakes.

Gros Morne covers 1,805 km², the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada, and takes its name from Newfoundland's second-highest peak at 806 m, French for a large mountain standing alone. The Long Range Mountains here are an outlier of the Appalachians, the eroded remnants of a range formed 1.2 billion years ago. Wikivoyage says the season runs from mid-May to mid-October, that most visitors fly to Deer Lake an hour away and hire a car, and that there are about 20 marked day trails, from short walks to the 16 km climb over Gros Morne Mountain.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1.2 billion years agoThe mountain range that became the Long Range forms
  2. 1973Gros Morne National Park Reserve is established
  3. 1976James Callaghan visits; the mountain trail later takes his name
  4. 1987Inscribed as World Heritage
  5. 2005Becomes a full national park on 1 October

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    The Tablelands
    Mantle rock at the surface; Wikivoyage says not to miss it.
  2. 2
    Gros Morne Mountain
    The 16 km James Callaghan Trail to the 806 m summit, the park's hardest day hike.
  3. 3
    Western Brook Pond
    The glacier-cut lake along the western edge of the Long Range.
  4. 4
    Green Point
    The cliff section that defines the start of the Ordovician period for geologists worldwide.
  5. 5
    The Viking Trail
    Highway 430 through the park, with viewpoints all along it.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Fly to Deer Lake
Wikivoyage: direct flights from Toronto, Halifax and St John's, and from Montreal May to October; the airport is 35 km from the southern boundary. The alternative is the ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basques, which must be booked.
Mid-May to Mid-October
The operating season; book accommodation well ahead. Roads stay open in winter.
Moose on the Road
Collisions are common at night; an adult moose weighs well over a ton. Bears and caribou are met even on short trails.
Water, Food and Rain Gear
Weather changes fast on the longer hikes.

Tablelands and Fjord

Not yet in a GoGo guide

  1. 08:30
    The Tablelands2.5 hrs
    A walk on the exposed mantle.
  2. 13:00
    Western Brook Pond3 hrs
    The fjord lake under the Long Range cliffs.
  3. 17:00
    Viewpoints on the Viking Trail1 hr
    Coast and mountains from Highway 430.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Jun–Aug. Freezing days in Nov–Apr.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Sep (136 mm), driest Apr (88 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
Red Bay is 248 km away and L'Anse aux Meadows 260 km, both at the far end of the Viking Trail.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 419 · Wikipedia: Gros Morne National Park · Wikivoyage: Gros Morne National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0) · UNESCO listing