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Newfoundland and Labrador · Canada
The western coast national park of Newfoundland, a World Heritage Site: freshwater fjords between cliffs, the Tablelands of mantle rock and fishing villages on Bonne Bay.
In the photo: Bonne Bay and the mountains of Gros Morne National Park.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Gros Morne National Park occupies the western coast of Newfoundland, between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Long Range Mountains. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its geology: in few places on Earth is the movement of the continents so clearly visible.
At the Tablelands, near Woody Point, rock from the Earth’s mantle emerges at the surface, pushed up by plate collisions hundreds of millions of years ago. It is an orange, almost vegetation‑free plateau, contrasting with the surrounding forest. Farther north, Western Brook Pond fills a former fjord carved by glaciers and now cut off from the sea, sitting between cliffs hundreds of meters high with waterfalls.
Mount Gros Morne, at 806 meters, gives the park its name and has a trail to the summit. On the coast, villages such as Rocky Harbour, Norris Point and Woody Point rely on fishing and tourism, along Bonne Bay, a fjord‑like inlet that reaches into the mountains.
The park is visited by car along Route 430, the Viking Trail, which continues north to L'Anse aux Meadows.
This destination brings together 2 cities: Rocky Harbour, Woody Point.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence) / geoBoundaries. Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF), in Deer Lake · 70 km to Rocky Harbour
Deer Lake Airport (YDF) is about 70 km from Rocky Harbour via Route 430. By car, Marine Atlantic ferries arrive at Port aux Basques, roughly 330 km to the south.
Suggested arrival point: Rocky Harbour
Fishing village in the center of Gros Morne National Park, on a bay opening to the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance to Bonne Bay. It is the park’s most complete base, a few kilometers from Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, the Mount Gros Morne trail and the Western Brook Pond boat.
Historic village on the south shore of Bonne Bay, with 19th-century wooden houses and a waterside pier. It is the base for the Tablelands a few kilometers away and for the park’s Discovery Centre, which explains Gros Morne’s geology.
The local experience
Orange rock plateau of the Earth’s mantle, almost without vegetation, near Woody Point, with a flat trail of about 4 km round trip through a valley.
A 16 km freshwater lake in a former glacier‑carved fjord, between cliffs hundreds of meters high with waterfalls, visited by boat from a dock 3 km from the road.
Parks Canada interpretation centre near Woody Point, with exhibits on the park’s geology, wildlife and plants and views of the Tablelands and Bonne Bay.
White and red lighthouse from 1897 at the entrance to Bonne Bay, beside Rocky Harbour, with an exhibit about coastal life and a short headland trail.
806-meter mountain that gives the park its name, with a roughly 16 km round-trip trail to the summit, offering views of the fjords and the Long Range plateau.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
From June to September, with boats, trails and services open. The Western Brook Pond boat usually runs from mid‑May through the end of September. October offers fall colors and fewer visitors. Winter is long and snowy, suitable for skiing and snowshoeing.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Three days: one for Western Brook Pond, one for the Tablelands and Woody Point, and one for Mount Gros Morne or other hikes.
Rocky Harbour is the village with the most lodging and services, in the park’s center. Norris Point overlooks Bonne Bay. Woody Point, on the opposite side of the bay, is the base for the Tablelands and Trout River.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
Three days for Western Brook Pond, the Tablelands and a longer trail; more time if you plan multi‑day hikes.
Yes. Villages, trails and boat departures are spread across the park, and there is no regular public transport.
A plateau of mantle rock, orange and almost bare of vegetation, exposed by the collision of tectonic plates.
For its geology, which illustrates continental drift and mantle rocks, and for the glacier‑carved fjord landscape. It was inscribed in 1987.
Newfoundland Time: UTC−3:30, and UTC−2:30 from March to November.
