Aug 22 - Exploring the Tablelands

Our aim for today was to walk/hike in Gros Morne National Park. It was a cool, overcast morning, so we dressed in layers and packed extra clothes.

Before heading south to the park, we headed a bit north to Lobster Cove Lighthouse. It was a blustery, cool time up there, so we took in the view and skedaddled.

Gros Morne is a Canadian national park and World Heritage Site. At 697 sq mi, it is the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada after Torngat Mountains National Park in Labrador which has an area of 3,700 sq mi. Banff National Park, by comparison, is 2,564 sq mi.

The park takes its name from Newfoundland's second-highest mountain peak 2,644 ft located within the park. Its French meaning is "large mountain standing alone," or more literally "great sombre." Gros Morne is a member of the Long Range Mountains, an outlying range of the Appalachian Mountains, stretching the length of the island's west coast. It is the eroded remnants of a mountain range formed 1.2 billion years ago. In 1987, the park was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO because "The park provides a rare example of the process of continental drift, where deep ocean crust and the rocks of the earth's mantle lie exposed."

The Gros Morne National Park Reserve was established in 1973 and was made a national park on October 1, 2005. In 1987, the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its geological history and its exceptional scenery. The geology of the park in particular illustrates the concept of plate tectonics and has shed important light on geological evolution and its processes.

The majority of Gros Morne is trees and rocks and water. The Tablelands section of the park (our destination for the day), on the other hand, looks more like a barren desert than traditional Newfoundland. The Tablelands are found between the towns of Trout River and Woody Point south west of Gros Morne National Park.

The Tablelands are a unique geological formation that are unlike anything else in the world. The red and orange rock formations that make up the Tablelands were once part of the Earth's mantle, deep beneath the planet's crust. They were forced to the surface millions of years ago, creating a barren landscape that is unlike anything else in Gros Morne National Park. The Tablelands are also home to a number of rare and endangered plant species, making it a truly unique ecosystem.

More that 400 million years of those towering mountains eroding were needed to reveal what we see today: a surreal barren, orange landscape -- the Earth's inner soul: the mantle - exposed the way few have seen it.

We stopped at the first Visitors’ Centre to get our day passes and to confirm that the trail in the Tablelands was about 4 km in total, and it was. There was a sign at the centre for a hiking trail to a scenic lookout that was 350 meters. To get the blood flowing, we headed out. That 350 meters was probably measured as the crow flies and the sign conveniently forgot to mention the steep climb involved. We persevered and were rewarded with great views of the East Arm (like a bay).

We bypassed the Gros Morne trail - 16 km - mostly uphill on scrabbly ground. Saw lots of cars at the entrance to the trail. Have at it.....

It took in total over an hour of twisting, turning, and going up and down to get from Rocky Harbour to Woody Point where the western Visitors’ Centre is located. The start of the Tablelands trail was just another ~5 minutes. Doug had had enough of that kind of driving for the day. There is a ferry that goes from near Rocky Harbour to Woody Point, but it only carries passengers, so we knew we would have to retrace our route at the end of the day.

The Tablelands did not disappoint. The mountains are reddish-orange, and the only vegetation is scrubby bushes with occasional tiny flowers poking up. The Tablelands are, as we expected, totally, different from the green, heavily forested landscape of the park and the province. There are very small brooks and waterfalls which must be torrents during the spring run off. We hiked to a small waterfall, took a break, and headed back. The skies had cleared and the temperature had risen – it was perfect weather and conditions for exploring Gros Morne.

We found a picnic table near another set of Parks Canada red chairs – our 6th set – and had lunch while enjoying our last view of the Tablelands.

In 2011, Gros Morne National Park came up with the idea to place sets of Adirondack chairs in lesser-known, stunning locations around the park, inviting visitors to enjoy and share on social media. Today, the iconic red chairs can be found in over 100 locations administered by Parks Canada. Have you found any in your travels? We found our first two years ago in Sault St Marie.

Parks Canada has placed over 200 red Adirondack chairs in peaceful and scenic locations throughout many of the country’s most unique and treasured places, including the 16 sets found here at Gros Morne National Park.Read more