Lookout Trail

The Lookout Trail starts from the Discover Centre parking lot in the south side of Gros Morne National Park. From Deer Lake and the TCH, take Route 430 (The Viking Trail) to Wiltondale. Turn left onto Route 431 which takes you into the south side of the park. When you are almost to Woody Point, you turn left to stay on Route 431 to Trout River. You drive up a big hill and you’ll see the yellow visitor’s centre on your right.

We stopped in the visitor centre and talked with a park guide before we headed up the trail. She gave us some great advice for what we could expect. You can buy bottled water at the centre, I would not head up the trail without a couple of bottles of water and a jacket. Even if it’s warm in the parking area, it can be considerably cooler and windier on top of the mountain.

It’s a difficult trail that takes you from an elevation of 70 metres (230 ft) in the parking lot to 405 metres (1,330 ft). The sign says 5 km (3 miles) return and 1-2 hours. I’d plan on 3-4 hours. We went on September 20 after some rainy weather. There was quite a bit of water flowing down the trail. The bottom section is the most difficult. As you get towards the top there is quite a bit of boardwalk and some steep stairs to the final lookout.

As you climb there are several spots with pretty views of The Tablelands. You also get amazing views of the South Arm of Bonne Bay. You’ll be able to see Woody Point, Norris Point and Shoal Brook.

When you get towards the top of the mountain, the trees start thinning out. There is a long boardwalk that crosses an area that rises a lot more gradually in elevation. You’ll also be able to see the lookout. The top of the trail is a 1 km return loop. When you get to the trail sign where the trail splits, stay to the right and climb the stairs to the lookout.

You may be tempted to return down the mountain the same way. We’d highly recommend the return loop. It runs through a highland area with no trees. We were told that you could often see moose or caribou in this area. We didn’t, but the views and the colours were spectacular.