The Coast of Bays in Central Newfoundland is an “off the beaten path” experience, it’s as far south on Route 360 as you can go. This area of the island was a place I was eager to explore, to check out the hiking opportunities and to spend time in the wild nature of rural Newfoundland.
With my mom visiting from Ontario for 8 days, we had lots of time to explore the Coast of Bays. We left Corner Brook (on the West Coast) early Sunday morning, aiming for King’s Point, a halfway point enroute to the Coast of Bays. We hiked the Alexander Murray Trail which is always a treat, but especially now as the landscape is shifting into its fall attire; red maples, yellow larch and purple rhodora’s.
Be sure to take all your essentials in your day pack! Check list here.
Mushrooms are everywhere, in all colours and sizes, and moose tracks and scat had us hopeful for a sighting. The 8km trail took us 3.5 hours, with many stops for photos along the way. Click here to read more about the Alexander Murray Trail in King's Point.
With our first hike of eight complete, we enjoyed a hot meal at By the Sea Inn & Cafe, along with a hot bath and comfy bed in one of their suites.
We woke early the next day to hit the road, now making our way down the Bay d’Espoir Highway a.k.a. Route 360. This road heads due south, into a remote and rugged landscape of expansive barrens, dotted with stands of stunted balsam fir and larch. With rolling hills turning purple and red as far as the eye can see, we thoroughly enjoyed the two hundred kilometres of highway. Along the way we watched for moose, caribou and eagles, nothing yet…
By early afternoon, we had arrived into Harbour Breton. With three trails, this the best place to start our Coast of Bays hiking adventure! We decided to hike Gun Hill first, asking locals for directions to the trailhead. Up, up and up we climbed using blueberry picking as an excuse to catch our breath!
Gun Hill is a 1.5km trail with stairs to a summit lookout at 159m. It’s well worth the hard work, as it rewards you with a 360 degree view of Harbour Breton, Fortune Bay, and in the distance, the Burin Peninsula and many islands such as Brunette, and the French island of Miquelon. “Coast of Bays” is a literal description of the area - huge fjords jut inland for miles while massive granite cliffs drop into the sea. Hiking up to lookouts where you can appreciate the enormity of these fjords is worth every step.
We relaxed at the summit platform, enjoying a snack and watching the gulls playing in the wind as the fisherman brought their boats into the harbour.
Then we headed across town to hike Mile Pond Boardwalk & Deadman’s Cove Beach Trail. Combining these trails results in a 7.7km walk along the coastline, where you can enjoy the bog and fen around Mile Pond, as well as the shoreline and islands of Deadman’s Cove. We watched sandpipers scuttling along the shore with islands in the distance and large cliffs to the west. I can imagine this trail being great for bird watching in the summer, when all the migratory birds flock to the coastline to nest. Returning to Harbour Breton, we checked into the Southern Port Hotel. After a hot meal and another hot bath, we both slept great.
The next day was drizzly, so we drove over to Conne River to walk the Miawpukek Walking Trail. The trail network here is less than 2km and through lush forest where we enjoyed seeing all the different mushrooms growing on the forest floor. We then explored the community, driving over to the Powwow Grounds to see the birch bark teepee and the beach by the river. Each summer, the Miawpukek First Nation hosts their annual Powwow here and from what I have heard, it is an event not to be missed! I’ll have to add it to my #nlbucketlist! Mom and I then headed into town to see if the Arts and Crafts Centre was open and try to catch up with a woman mom had met at a nursing conference in Ottawa a couple years back. Neither mission was successful, but we enjoyed seeing the town of Conne River and the views out to the bay are wonderful!
We spent the evening exploring the community of St. Alban’s, visiting the Captain Cook’s Landing site and learning about the aquaculture in the area by talking to locals. We were surprised to learn that the area has seen residents returning from away to work, young folks, older folks, all finally able to move home and earn a decent living wage in their home town. It really pulled my heartstrings hearing them describe this experience and what it means for the community. Then we got a tip that we could tour the hatchery and the power plant - pays to ask the locals! We were able to squeeze in a tour of the Bay d’Espoir Hydro Power plant, where we got to see how 65% of Newfoundland’s power is made. Very cool and totally free! You have to book the hatchery tour in advance, due to biosecurity measures, so we didn’t get to see this facility this time.
Our next trail adventure takes us to Belloram and St. Jacques on Route 363. Arriving around 10am we geared up for our biggest hike of the trip - Iron Skull Mountain Trail. The 8km trail is intended to take you to the summit of the mountain at 1,129ft where you can enjoy views of Fortune Bay. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the top. Most of the trail was overgrown (better for blackberry picking than hiking!), we got a little lost, and then walked right into an active hunt. We knew this was a possibility because September to December is moose season, so we were brightly dressed and were able to backtrack to stay out of the hunters way. Click here to read my tips for staying safe while hiking during hunting season. We later chatted with the three hunters on the way down and they told us the town was working on making the trail nice again, so hopefully next time we can get to the top!
We then drove over to St.Jacques to walk the Blue Pinion Walking Trail, which was a lovely 2km stroll after our bushwalking adventure of the morning. This trail takes you through some lovely forest and down to a beach with pink granite rocks. We searched for some geocaches along this trail, adding to the adventure. Having time, we decided to drive Route 363 all the way to the end, enjoying the scenic coastline and tiny villages huddled in the coves. We really enjoyed the drive back to St. Albans as the sun got low, we got to see rainbows over the heath and ponds - just stunning!
On our last day, the weather rolled in and we decided to head home a bit early. The drive out the Bay d’Espoir highway this time had a treat waiting for us! We got to see a bald eagle perched right beside the road. We stopped and took lots of pictures, then sat and admired him for a time. It’s always so special when you get to be in the presence of a bird of prey, you can feel their confidence and strength plus they're so beautiful! We pulled into the Daily Grind Cafe in Grand Falls - Windsor for lunch and it was such a treat to have a latte and homemade chilli on this wet fall day.
Mom and I both had such a lovely time exploring the many trails along the Coast of Bays in Central Newfoundland and the weather couldn’t have been better! The fall is the best time of the year to hike, so why not check out this “off the beaten path” area on your next adventure in the heart of Newfoundland!
What's your favourite trail in the Coast of Bays?
Share any tip's or thoughts in the comments below!