Sea Kayaking Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National Park

Early morning is my favourite time to sea kayak on Bonne Bay. With each paddle stroke you effortlessly skim along the water’s surface. Peering through the water you can see fish scooting along the seafloor, brightly coloured sea stars grazing on blue mussels, and kelp swaying in the gentle ocean swell. If there is a minke whale around you’ll likely see it as you will hear its exhaling WHOOSH sound as it surfaces, giving away its location.

Main Arm Bonne Bay


Bonne Bay is a fjord comprised of three arms or inlets that extend well into the interior of Gros Morne National Park. The Main Arm is the large inlet from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This arm splits into the East Arm and the South Arm near the communities of Norris Point and Woody Point. This protected fjord is over 20km in length, is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, and has relatively warm water with the surface temperature often reaching 20°C by mid-summer. The shoreline is punctuated by numerous beaches and coves, perfectly suited to picnicking and camping.

The Tickle

The typical wind pattern on Bonne Bay is light winds in the morning and a westerly or south-westerly breeze sweeping in the bay through the afternoon. With this predictable scenario we often run our morning tours out into the Main Arm of Bonne Bay and in the afternoon explore the more sheltered East Arm.

Bald Eagle

The Main Arm gives you a real sense of being on the ocean as you often experience a gentle ocean swell and it is where we seem to have most luck spotting Minke whales. The fir trees along the shoreline provide favourite morning perches for bald eagles, so if we don’t catch a glimpse of the whales our guests are very satisfied with their close up views of these beautiful birds. The East Arm of Bonne Bay includes the sheltered coves of Gadd’s Harbour and Norris Cove and between them, an incredible rock outcrop of layered limestone called Shag Cliff. On the far shore you can enjoy great views of three very distinctive mountains Killdevil, Bill Hill and Gros Morne.

 


Gadd's Harbour

If you choose to extend your outing for a full day or an overnight, we often suggest paddling all the way down the East Arm to Stanleyville. A sawmill was located here at one time and now all that is evident of this human history is a grassy meadow. Parks Canada has established a primitive campsite in this location and a lovely 3km hiking trail links this cove to the Lomond campground.



Morning Paddling


Thinking of sea kayaking on Bonne Bay this summer? Find out more information on our guided tours here http://www.grosmorneadventures.com/kayaking_adventures.html.  

If you an experienced paddler and wish to explore on your own, go here for information on our sea kayaking rental program http://www.grosmorneadventures.com/kayaking_rentals.html. 

Gros Morne Adventures Base, Norris Point Waterfront



The Big Lookout Hike, Gros Morne National Park

The Big Lookout Hike is one of my favourite hikes in Gros Morne National Park. It is an off trail trek to a spectacular viewpoint overlooking Bonne Bay, the Tablelands and the Long Range Mountains. If you are staying on the north side of the park, you can access this route via the water taxi. It departs from the Catstop wharf on the Norris Point Waterfront at 9am and crosses Bonne Bay to the village of Woody Point.

Route map: http://www.grosmorneadventures.com/adventures/dayhike3.html

Bonne Bay



Bontours Water Taxi

This 15 minute ride across Bonne Bay is stunning, the scenery is spectacular and it is common to see bald eagles and whales along the way. You can find taxi information here http://www.bontours.ca/shuttle/index.htm.


By the way, if you need a packed lunch, drop by our Kayak Café on the Norris Point waterfront just down the road from the water taxi and Christine can put together a hearty hiker’s lunch for you. On the topic of things to take, be sure you have rain gear, sweater, map, compass, and hat and gloves. I highly recommend wearing quick drying shorts or pants and shirt and a sturdy pair of hiking boots. There is some low shrub and boggy areas enroute so I usually wear gaiters.


Once you arrive at the Woody Point waterfront, take the road to the right of the Lighthouse Restaurant and head toward the water tower. From the water tower, follow the brook upstream and cross it by the old dam. Look for a faint path on your left. This will take you up a forested hillside to the Lookout Hills plateau. As I mentioned earlier, this is an off trail trek, the route is not well defined and map and compass skills are essential. Once you reach the plateau you are above treeline and rewarded with great views of Bonne Bay and your ultimate destination, Centennial Peak (1967 feet high). Watch for moose as they are plentiful on the plateau. It takes about 45 minutes to walk across the plateau to the base of Centennial Peak. The last 45 minutes is a short scramble up a scree section and then a steady ascent to the summit.



Scramble to the peak



At the Summit



Overlooking Rocky Harbour and the Gulf of St. Lawrence


I often take a different route back across the Lookout plateau in the direction of the Tablelands and intersect the Parks Canada Lookout Trail at Partridgeberry Hill. It takes about an hour to cross the plateau to this vantage point which offers a great view of the south arm of Bonne Bay. You will know you are on this trail as it is well defined and you should arrive at the boardwalked section. The well maintained trail descends to the trailhead at the Discovery Centre. From the Discovery Centre two walking trails lead back to Woody Point.



Crossing the Plateau



Partridgeberry Hill

I usually arrive back in Woody Point between 4:30 and 5pm, in time to enjoy a refreshing beverage and snack at the Lighthouse Restaurant which is located right across the street from the water taxi dock.

Seaside Souvenirs and Restuarant
http://www.seasidesuites.ca/restaurant.html

Gros Morne Adventures guides the Big Lookout Day hike on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer. For more information select: http://www.grosmorneadventures.com/dayhikes.html.

Gros Morne Adventures also offers a weeklong Gros More Explorer Hiking Vacation package four times throughout the summer. If you are interested in more information on our hiking holiday package, select: http://www.grosmorneadventures.com/grosmorne.html.