Searching For Moose in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
It was a cold winter day in Newfoundland and we were being driven up and down winding roads through the mountains, watching the icy mountainous landscape roll past us.
Our amazing Couchsurfing hosts in Corner Brook insisted on taking us up to visit Gros Morne National Park during our stay. We are grateful that they did, because after a few hours of hiking in this rugged wilderness we will remember it as one of the most beautiful places we visited on our trip across Canada.
Lee was glued to the window of the SUV, peering out at the snowy brush by the side of the road hoping to catch a glimpse of some huge antlers or hairy hoofed legs.
The only moose he had seen on his trip to Canada was through the window of the train as it stood on the opposite shore of a lake in Northern Ontario. He hoped to see another moose up close as it would be a quintessentially Canadian experience on our cross country trip.
Since Newfoundland has the highest concentration of moose than any other province in Canada, (there are even moose crossing warning lights on the highways) we thought Gros Morne National Park would be a good spot to see one of these majestic beasts.
The Wild Beauty of Newfoundland
Gros Morne National Park is located on the west coast of Newfoundland and it is the second largest national park on the Atlantic side of Canada at 1,805 square kilometres. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its gorgeous scenery and geological history.
When you walk through Gros Morne National Park you can see physical reminders of the shifting of the tectonic plates throughout the last few million years. From valleys carved by glaciers to sheer cliffs to crystal clear waterfalls, the park overflows with stunning scenery.
We spent the entire day hiking through the rocky trails and evergreen forests, past shimmering creeks and finally arriving at a stunning frozen lake framed by a backdrop of icy-blue mountains.
Lee didn’t see his moose that day; the solitary and reclusive creatures must have been hiding in the dense forests. However, we did see a herd of Caribou grazing on a plateau, completely at home in this chilly winter wonderland.
How to Get to Gros Morne National Park
Deer Lake Airport is only 35 kilometres away from the southern boundary of Gros Morne National Park. Parks Canada has some helpful information about how to get to this stunningly beautiful and remote part of the world.
If you are visiting Newfoundland and you have the chance to visit this area of outstanding natural beauty, make sure you take it. Oh, and keep a lookout for moose!
The best kept secret in the National Park system in my humble opinion!
I would have to agree!
It must have been disappointing not to see a moose during your stay. However, with scenery like this, it would difficult to be disappointed for very long. It looks beautiful and cold!
Nice post. Always thought Gros Morne would be a cool place to visit. I’ve traveled to Quebec and New Brunswick a bunch of times, but still haven’t made it out to Newfoundland. The Canadian moose also remained elusive to me. I think maybe there are more moose crossing signs than moose 🙂
I’d love to visit Gros Morne – but I’m not sure that I’m up to a winter visit! We got lucky when we were in Newfoundland last August and saw a moose on the side of the highway while driving from St. John’s to Witless Bay on the second day of our trip. On our boat tour we spoke to someone who couldn’t believe that we had seen a moose – he had been living in Newfoundland for almost two years and was still waiting for a sighting!
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It seems that we missed a lot while we were in canada for 2 years! Great post and greta to know that you saw Caribou, that must be so special!