At Gros Morne Outdoor Company we have lots of experience hiking in the Long Range Mountains of Newfoundland’s West Coast, including Gros Morne National Park, and skiing mostly in the Gros Morne region. Below is a collection of hiking reports, detailing off-trail routes, and multi-day trips. The ski touring is mostly day trips. For hiking and skiing, you should be highly experienced before venturing into the backcountry and have knowledge of navigation and safety. If anything, these routes are simply a starting point in terms of gathering ideas, getting a sense of locations, and what you could experience in the backcountry of western Newfoundland, and Gros Morne.
South Rim of Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park. 44km 11.5 hours. I had completed the North Rim a few times, and had went to the North Rim View Point a few years back. The North Rim Back-country route, a 3-4 day hike
The Annual Gros Morne Trail Running Race It all started in 2016. I had been running the East Coast Trail Ultra since its inception 2014 (2015 was the first official year) and had been knocking around a few ideas with the organizers for an event
22 km unmarked route This route I had spoken with a few people around Gros Morne about… and a few people had completed it in the winter, having accessed the pleateau I wanted to travel along, via 10 mile pond (obvisouly 10 mile pond is
The plan: Catch a boat from Cox’s Cove to the base of North Arm Hills, and head north to Trout River Pond, swim the narrows and continue over the Tablelands finishing in the Tablelands Parking lot. Approximately 50 km and would take me most of
The Lewis Hills Trek The route across the Lewis Hills is a series of hills and deep valleys with a mix of low shrubs (tuckamore), bog, rock outcrops, streams and lakes. Only a small portion of the “route” is marked (IATNL), there is no trail
31km – Marked/ Unmarked This unmarked route connects two marked trails, the Starlite Trail in Codroy Valley (5km), on the northern most end, and a rough road/trail Tableland Mountain (4km) near Port Aux Basque. http://www.iatnl.com/index.php/Trails-2/Grand-Codroy-Way-2/ The Starlite trail, named after the former Starlite bar which
Over the year’s I’ve done quite a bit of running around in and around the Lewis Hills, Blow-Me-Downs and Serpentine Valley. To me its on the same level of Gros Morne National Park in terms of beauty, and when you add in the inaccessibility, lack
The ski information contained within our Blog is for informational purposes only and may be subject to inaccuracies or errors. It is the responsibility of the user to make sound decisions as to conditions, snowpack stability, altering route plan, etc. Gros Morne Outdoor Company holds no liability regarding the use of the information contained on its blog.
Conditions in the backcountry are extremely variable in both space and time. What was an amazing quality one day could be vastly different another. This also applies to avalanche hazards and one should always be cautious of letting familiarity lead to complacency. Just because a slope was stable yesterday does not mean that it is stable today. It is highly recommended that users gain knowledge through courses (AST1, for example), and spending time in the mountains with experienced and knowledgeable people.
For those new to skiing in Gros Morne, there are a few great spots to start where you don’t have to worry about ice thickness of rivers or ponds, are accessible and relative close, and have consistent good snow; Birchy Hill, Bad Weather Pond Glades, and South West Gulch.
For more information on ski touring in Western Newfoundland, please check out Bud Stokes Ski Guide for Western NL – https://skitournl.wixsite.com/home
Birchy Hill Birch Hill – Landslide “Birchy Hill” located in Gros Morne National Park on the north side of “South East Hills” is a great area of tree skiing in the park. Accessed off of Route 430 (See below) just after crossing the Southeast Brook
“National Post – The answer to ‘why hike’ is in the journey” The answer Sydney Loney, writer for the National Post, found was through her recent 4 day hike on the Long Range Traverse. This past summer, through a partnership with Tour Gros Morne and
In Vogue – A Guide to Newfoundland: A Rugged, Remote Foodie Haven Who would have ever thought Gros Morne Outdoor Company would be in Vogue? Well this past summer, through a partnership with Tour Gros Morne and Great Canadian Trails (World Expeditions) GMOC had the
Travels With Nina on the Long Range Traverse During this past Summer we were joined for a trip on the Long Range Traverse by travel writer Nina (from Australia) – Travels with Nina who documented her experience – have a read, and a watch.