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WESTERN BROOK POND FJORD, GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK • NL TOURISM
Tracing the shoreline for 683 km (424 mi.) from
Western Port aux Basques to St. Anthony, this quiet edge of
the island isn’t only known for little outports and
Newfoundland: big-hearted people. It also boasts a rich history,
unforgettable outdoor adventures plus unsurpassed
Four Ways scenery. That’s a combination which makes Western
Newfoundland a natural choice for many kinds of
vacationers (www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/
top-destinations/western-region).
BY SUSAN MACCALLUM-WHITCOMB
LANDSCAPE LOVERS age—is equally compelling. Most people trail.org). Remains of three ancient
Although the province as a whole is are content to view its glacier-carved Indigenous cultures, for instance, can be
famously photogenic, the one-of-a-kind granite walls and dramatic 610-m (2,000-ft.) seen at the Port au Choix National Historic
vistas in gorgeous Gros Morne National waterfalls from the deck of a tour boat. Site (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/portauchoix),
Park, situated roughly halfway up the coast, More intrepid types, however, can explore while evidence of the fi rst Europeans to
are beyond compare (www.parkscanada. park waterways on Zodiac tours organized arrive in North America lies further north
gc.ca/grosmorne). More than a year-round by Wild Gros Morne. The company, based in at L’Anse aux Meadows (www.parkscanada.
playground for nature lovers, this ruggedly Woody Point, also runs guided walks, hikes, gc.ca/meadows).
beautiful 1,805-sq.-km (697-sq.-mi.) locale traditional culinary experiences and assorted Contrary to what Columbus fans
is a natural wonder almost 500 million winter outings that are cool in more ways profess, it was Leif Eriksson who “discov-
years in the making. The Tablelands, which than one (www.wildgrosmorne.com ). ered” North America in 1000 AD, and the
helped earn Gros Morne a UNESCO Viking settlement he erected here has itself
designation in 1987, are a case in point. HISTORY HOUNDS been recognized by UNESCO. Open from
Created eons ago by a massive tectonic Western Newfoundland’s fascinating late May through early October, the site
upheaval, the mountainous, red-hued human history comes into focus as you includes a complex of evocative sod huts
landscape is one of the few places where drive along the Viking Trail, a route which and a visitor’s centre showcasing artefacts
you can actually walk on the earth’s mantle. starts just below Gros Morne and extends used a millennium ago. For an entertaining
Stunning Western Brook Pond—a the length of the Great Northern Peninsula variation on the theme, continue on to
freshwater fj ord formed during the last ice before crossing into Labrador (www.viking nearby Norstead, a meticulously recreated
