Katie Broadhurst - Hikes of Newfoundland

HIKES

of Newfoundland

KATIE BROADHURST

ANNE ALEXANDRIA FORTIN

MARY SMYTH

FRED HOLLINGSHURST

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Hikes of Newfoundland / Katie Broadhurst, Anne Alexandra Fortin, Fred Hollingshurst, Mary Smyth.

Names: Broadhurst, Katie, author. | Fortin, Anne Alexandra, author. | Hollingshurst, Fred, 1942- author. | Smyth, Mary, 1953- author.

Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: Canadiana 20200197010 | ISBN 9781989417096 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: HikingNewfoundland and LabradorGuidebooks. | LCSH: TrailsNewfoundland and LabradorGuidebooks. | LCSH: Newfoundland and LabradorGuidebooks. | LCGFT: Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.44.C22 N48 2020 | DDC 917.1804/5dc23

Print: 978-1-989417-09-6

ePUB: 978-1-989417-18-8

Mobi: 978-1-989417-17-1

PDF: 978-1-989417-16-4

Published by Boulder Books

Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Newfoundland and Labrador

www.boulderbooks.ca

2020 Katie Broadhurst, Anne Alexandra Fortin, Fred Hollingshurst, Mary Smyth

Editor: Stephanie Porter

Copy editor: Iona Bulgin

Design and layout: Todd Manning and John Andrews

Cover photos (clockwise from left): Paul Wylezol, Henrik Thorbun, Mary Smyth, Katie Broadhurst, Mary Smyth.

Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced under licence from Access Copyright, or with the express written permission of Boulder Books Ltd., or as permitted by law. All rights are otherwise reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording, or otherwise, except as specifically authorized.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.

Table of Contents

This book would not have been possible without the help and support from the Boulder team, our families, friends, and the always helpful people of this great island. We send a big thank you to: IATNL chair Paul Wylezol; our parents, Brenda and Lindsay Broadhurst and Lisette Fortin and Daniel Trudel; our partners, Will Bennett and Cory Bertrand; the instructors of the Adventure Tourism programs in Gasp, Qubec, and Pembroke, Ontario; our friends Caroline Swan and Jamie Harnum. We also have to give a big shoutout to the many Newfoundlanders that helped us along the way by directing us to trailheads, teaching us more about their area, and showing us profound hospitality and kindness. All of this assistance provided us with incredible experiences in unique places that we are proud to share with you.

Alex and Katie,
authors of the western trails, hikes #1#71

This book includes some of the best hikes you will encounter in the world. It is a collection of trails from all parts of the island of Newfoundland, and we are proud to be a part of it. We wish to express our appreciation to all those individuals and groups who have built and maintained hiking trails across this province. They have created a wonderful asset for us all to enjoy now and for years to come. For helping us in our discovery of new trails for this book and our previous Hikes of Eastern Newfoundland, we thank: Neil Hardy, Sharon Collett, Charlie Elton, Fraser Carpenter, Fred Bridger, Joe and Val Earles, Ed Delaney, Randy Murphy, and David Smyth. Also thanks to David Peddle and Freeman Rumbolt, who were enthusiastic guides on the spectacular new Coastal Ridge Trail. Thanks to Rebecca Smyth and Piers Evans for braving the elements for a photo of the new Silver Mine Head bridge. A special thank you to all those who have joined us in the many hikes over the years and shared a Thermos of tea and a sandwich along these wonderful trails. As always, to our editor, Stephanie Porter, and publisher, Gavin Will, thank you for all the support.

Fred and Mary,
authors of the eastern trails, hikes #72#157

Is there anything that is better
than to be out, walking, in the clean air?

Thomas A. Clarke, Glennock, Scotland

Convincing seasoned hikers of the benefits of a walk on a breathtaking coastal trail is preaching to the converted. But for those just discovering hiking, we hope the joy of the activity and appreciation of the natural environment of the island of Newfoundland will make converts of you, too.

With its rugged beauty and dramatic landscapes, Newfoundland has captured our hearts. Hiking has always offered the best way to access many of the more remote and untouched parts of the island, including cliffs, beaches, wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife.

We could not include every hike or community trail on the islandotherwise, we would have written something the size of an encyclopedia. Many more trails can be found in almost every region, and we encourage hikers to refer to other tourism resources to find out more (to start, see ). Visitors will no doubt find additional trails worth exploring, and new ones are being developed all the time.

This book is organized by region, loosely from west to east, following the islands vehicle transportation routes. The first trails are in the southernmost region of Newfoundland, nearest to the ferry docks at Port aux Basques. Many visitors to the island begin there, and the southwest coast is a spectacular place to start a hiking adventure. The last section explores the spectacular East Coast Trail on the eastern coast of the Avalon Peninsula.

We hope that our fellow hikers find this a useful resource. There is no better way to enjoy the beauty of the natural world than on foot. We look forward to seeing you on the trails.

Our intent is to give you the information and tools you need to successfully get to the start and end of each hike. The hike descriptions have been organized to be user-friendly, instructive, and, we hope, inspiring. Each hike is described over 14 pages.

Page Layout

Trail ratings

The trails in this book have been rated as Easy, Moderate, Difficult, Strenuous, or Wilderness. The first four categories are based loosely on the ratings used by the East Coast Trail Association (www.eastcoasttrail.ca), with some changes to account for the terrain of Newfoundlands west coast and the specific hikes described in this book.

Please read the ratings descriptions below carefully; when we rated hikes, we considered ease of access, duration, distance, elevation changes, trail conditions, and signage.

Easy: Beginner-friendly trails accessible for most fitness and experience levels. Trails are easy to access and, in general, well signed, range from less than 1 kilometre to 7 kilometres return, and have elevation changes up to 50 metres. Trail surfaces are generally gravel walkways, boardwalks, or footpaths, and trails are in good condition.