Snug Harbour to Northern Rim

Hike the unmarked route to Snug Harbour and camp at picturesque Snug Harbour. Then day hike to a viewpoint on the cliffs of the North Rim looking down on Western Brook Pond gorge.

Route Information

Follow the Western Brook Pond trail and take the side loop to Western Brook and the start of the Snug Harbour route. To access the route, you will need to ford or wade across Western Brook. Hikers are advised to head up stream and ford the brook just above the outflow from the pond where the water is at its shallowest and the current at its weakest.

Caution: The water in the brook can be very deep after a rainfall. During periods of high water, hikers can expect water depths of up to 1 metre. Do not attempt to cross when water is high, currents are strong, or water is cold.

From Western Brook to Snug Harbour, the route is unmarked and requires wilderness navigation skills.  The route follows a combination of shoreline and an unmaintained and unmarked trail. The trail is in poor condition and in places is very muddy and overgrown with vegetation.

From Snug Harbour, take the primitive North Rim access trail to the Long Range plateau and then find your own route to the cliff tops of the North Rim and a viewpoint overlooking the gorge of Western Brook Pond.

Return by the same route.

Terrain: Unmarked route; Strenuous

Elevation Gain: 800 m

Distance: 24 km

Duration: 2 days

(Hiking times are estimates. Actual times will vary due to weather and ability of hikers.)

Access and Exit Points:

Start: Western Brook Pond Trail head

Finish: Western Brook Pond Trail head

Operating Season: June 26 - Sept 30

Reservations

Reserve the Snug Harbour primitive campsite.

• All campers require a Primitive Camping Permit plus a National Park Entry Permit which must be valid for the entire duration of their stay.
• Important: Permits must be picked up at 2:30 p.m. the day before your start date at the Visitor Centre on Route 430 just before Rocky Harbour.
• Campsite equipped with a bear pole and pit toilet.
• Campfires are not permitted. Carry a stove. Do not rely on fires for cooking, staying warm or drying out.

Trip Planning Information

Hiking in the Long Range Mountains should only be attempted by persons who are physically fit, have good wilderness navigation skills and are experienced in backcountry travel and backpacking. There are no trails on the Long Range. In places you will encounter beaten pathways from previous hikers but they are often indistinguishable from game paths. Route finding can be further complicated when low cloud and other weather conditions reduce visibility. Hikers need to be experienced at navigating unmarked routes.

If nobody in your group has the necessary navigation skills you need to learn and practice them before you arrive or have other hikers with the needed navigation skills join your group.

For more information on what to expect please review the Hiker Preparation Guide to the Long Range Mountains (PDF, 2.2 MB).

Topographic Map:

• 12H/12 Gros Morne
• 12H/13 St Pauls