[simpleviewer gallery_id=”74″]Photos by Kiva Bottero
Vacay.ca Contributor
WOODY POINT, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR — Gros Morne National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its spectacular scenery and fascinating geological features that illustrate the concept of plate tectonics.
Gros Morne is a French term that has been translated as “large mountain standing alone” because of the park’s mountain of the same name, which is als Newfoundland’s second-highest at 806 metres. Hike up the mountain for an impressive view of the park from above or take a boat ride to gaze up at towering fjords from below. Either way, you’re sure to see geology and wildlife at its finest in Gros Morne.
The park encompasses 1,805 square kilometres of gorgeous territory on Canada’s eastern-most province. A national park since 2005, Gros Morne is home to plenty of enjoyable human activity as well as natural wonders. Besides some of the best hiking and camping opportunities in eastern Canada, you will also find theatre festivals, concerts, boat tours and other forms of entertainment in the park or nearby it. Perhaps the biggest highlight is the annual Writers at Woody Point festival, which takes place this year from August 21-26.
For dining, Java Jack’s, one of the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada, is located just outside of the park in the town of Rocky Harbour.
To reach Gros Morne, visitors from Toronto and Montreal can fly via Air Canada or Westjet into Deer Lake Airport, which is 35 kilometres from the park. The park is 637 kilometres from St. John’s and you can drive there on the Trans-Canada Highway. A ferry from Cape Breton to Gros Morne crosses 340 kilometres across the Cabot Straight.
View from a valley in Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. (Kiva Bottero/Vacay.ca)
