Walking and Hiking Trails in the Northern Avalon brought to you by Northern Avalon Members: The Killick Coast, The Admirals' Coast, and The Baccalieu Trail. The list of hiking trails is being developed. Please inform us of any Hiking / Walking Trails that need to be added to the list and/or provide us with additional information about those already listed.
email: bc@baccalieu.com

With Northern Avalon, there are two types of walking trails: walking trails that link groups of communities and walking trails within individual communities.

• Linked Walking Trails
• Community Walking Trails

There are three main linked walking trails on the Avalon Peninsula. Parts of all three of these trails pass though the North Eastern part of the Northern Avalon.

East Coast Trail - starts in TOPSAIL BEACH ROTERY PARK Conception Bay South and runs to Cape St. Francis. From Cape St. Francis the Trail continues as far as Middle Cove-Logy Bay-Outer Cove. The East Coast Trail is a 520 km coastal and wilderness hiking trail runs all the way to the Southern Avalon in Cape Race. The areas of the trail that are east of St. John's are better detailed on the East Coast Trail website; however, there is some description of specific guided walks with contact information. Brock Head Path leads from Portugal Cove to Brock Head and there is a Botanical Interpretive Hike from St Phillips to Beachy Cove. Beachy Cove’s calm and relatively warm waters provide the ideal location for visitors to take a quick swim in the Atlantic Ocean. The Father Troy Walking Trail which is suitable for novice to experienced hikers leads to the edge of the cliffs along the coast all the way from Torbay to Flatrock. For more information check the website: East Coast Trails - Scheduled Hikes

Grand Concourse Walk - PARADISE The Grand Concourse Walk is a very large, interconnected walkway, that runs among the three large urban centres in the North Eastern Avalon: St. John's, Mount Pearl, and Paradise. (Only Paradise is part of the Northern Avalon Region) There are three interconnected walks through Paradise. The first part is the Paradise Walk which is part of the Newfoundland T'Railway Provincial Park. The other two sections are the Neil's Pond Walk, and the Octagon Pond Walk. Further information and detailed maps of the walks can be found at the Grand Concourse Website The Grand Concourse Walk has an accompanying Walker's Handbook which has won national awards. Each Concourse Walk is presented in detail. The guide also contains a Guide to Shrubs and Wildflowers and a Bird Watcher's Guide.

Newfoundland T'Railway Provincial Park - PARADISE TO FOXTRAP IN CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH (best developed part of the park) and FOXTRAP to HOLYROOD. The T'Railway Provincial Park stretches almost 900 kilometres from St. John's to Port aux Basques along the main line of the old abandoned Canadian National railbed. It links rural and wilderness areas, allowing travellers to experience of the province's varied flora and fauna. (The T’Railway Park forms the Newfoundland section of the Trans Canada Trail.) Web Site: 'T'Railway Provincial Park

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BAY ROBERTS - Bay Roberts East Shoreline Heritage Walk
Located at the tip of the Bay Roberts peninsula, the trail winds through the deserted, earliest settled area of of Bay Roberts (Juggler's Cove and French's Cove). Spectacular lookouts over the sea including Madrocks and Three Sisters. Remains of rock walls, foundations, root cellars and grave sites. The trail has picnic areas, seasonal whale watching, and toilet facilities. For further information drop by the Bay Roberts Visitors' Pavilion on Route 75, or check the website for detailed information: Bay Roberts East Shoreline Walk with printable map >>
Geo Questing - Lat 47.60536758 Long -53.23020380

CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH - Manuels River Trails
"The Manuels River trail meanders for over 5 kilometers along one of the oldest and stunningly picturesque river valleys in eastern Newfoundland. The main entrance is located adjacent to the visitor's chalet on Route 60, just west of Manuels River bridge. The visitor's chalet is open during the summer months and offers a variety of trail maps, brochures and wildlife pamphlets relating to the Linear Park and its environment." Guided tours, a weekly family campfire program, and/or a riverside picnic are available in-season. For further information, drop by the Manuels River Chalet or check the website for detailed information: Manuel's River Trail Guide

CUPIDS - Cupids Walking Trails - Cupids Spectacle Head Trail Hiking Trail to Spectacle Head and the abandoned communities of "Rip Raps." Rock cairn at the top has been there hundreds of years and is known as " the American Man". Cupids Walking Trail takes you to the abandoned community in Burnt Head of "Deep Gulch" and "Greenland". Provides spectacular views of Conception Bay, Bell Island, whale watching and beach sites, plus picnic tables. 3 kms in length. For more information check at the Cupids Museum or check the website for information: Hiking and Touring Cupids>>
Geo Questing - Lat 47.56399166 Long -53.19861844

GRATES COVE - Grates Cove Walking Trails - Grates Cove, located at the top of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, provides a number of walking trails. A trail and boardwalk combination lead to a cookhouse and the replica of a fishing stage. There is a lookout that has picnic area and steps leading to rocks known as the "Gulch Rocks," where the visitor can observe sea life, including fish. Continuing past the community center, following the dirt road, the visitor can view the old homes and rugged landscape and walk towards the headland called "The Motion." From "The Motion," the Baccalieu Island Bird Sanctuary can be seen. Wiggys Beach Trail (1.5 km hike) Located at the end of the road which is called "Lands End," the trail leads to "Flat Rocks" where North Atlantic Ocean is at the hiker's feet, giving an overwhelming feeling of being at one with nature! FMI: Vicky Taylor-Hood's well written blog about the Grates Cove Trails (with photographs.)
Geo Questing - Lat 48.16975096 Long -52.93842355

HOLYROOD - George Cove Mountain Hiking Trail. A 20 minute hike
leads to the Cross and offers a panoramic view of the bay and the town. FMI: George Cove Mountain Hiking Trail.

HOLYROOD - Butterpot Provincial Park, just 11 kms from Holyrood, has an extensive trail system. The trails begin near campsite number 58. The hike to Butter Pot Hill takes roughly 2.5 hours for the return trip and the distance in total is approximately 6.6 kilometres. The summit of Butter Pot Hill offers fantastic views. The trail to Pegwood Pond goes through the forest, past Peter's Pond to the playground. The total distance is approximately 3.2 kilometres (one way) and will take about 1.5 hours. Activities include: guided hikes, amphitheatre programs (films and slide shows), campfire sing-a-longs, games and crafts. Please check the notice board for times and locations, or ask at the checkpoint. For more information visit the park checkpoint or Butterpot Park Description, Map, and Campsite Booking >>

JOB'S COVE - Boardwalk - A 2 kilometre boardwalk is located behind the Flambro Head Museum in Job’s Cove. The trail is a loop configuration that meanders to a pond where trouting is popular. The pitcher plant and other types of native plants can be seen along the way. Several rest stops and look-outs are constructed along the boardwalk. On a clear day from a hilltop look-out you can see Carbonear Island in one direction and Baccalieu Island in the opposite direction. Bird watching and berry picking are several other past-times to enjoy. Wheelchair accessible, ample nearby parking is available. For further information, check with the Flambro Head Museum.
Community of Job's Cove with photos of Boardwalk >>
Geo Questing - Lat 47.98554020 Long -53.00784775

MAKINSONS TO HOPEALL - Crout's Way Trail - The Crout's Way Trail begins from Drogheda and ends in Hopeall, Trinity Bay. The Trail is a challenging adventure that will take at least one overnight stop to complete. The Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation developed the trail in 1998. The Journals of John Guy and Henry Crout were used as references and those working on the trail looked for landmarks and scenes described in the journals. The wilderness trail retraces the path of John Guy’s colonists when they cut a path from Cupids to Trinity Bay in 1612 as part of an attempt to make contact with the Beothuk Indians to establish trade. Crout's Way Trail >>
Geo Questing - Lat 47.50753300 Long -53.30649077

NEW PERLICAN - New Perlican Walking Trails - New Perlican walking trails offer both coastline and inland options. All trails wind through scenic and quiet landscapes with breathtaking beauty. Coastal Walking Trail is a coastline trail from New Perlican to Heart's Content. New Road Trail is an inland trail from New Perlican to Heart's Content. In the past, before cars were common, it was used as a short route to Heart's Content. Backside Trail provides the walker with an easy path between Bloody Point and Cove Beach as well as a breath taking view of Trinity Bay and the town of New Perlican. Long Hills leads into the country to many ponds that are good for fishing. Off one of the paths is the Tote, a breathtaking lookout from inside the coastline looking out over the community, harbour and Trinity Bay.
New Perlican Walking Trails >>
Geo Questing - Lat 47.91068327 Long -53.37128179

SALMON COVE - Trail of the Eagles Walking Trail - The Trail of the Eagles is a three-kilometre hike, through the countryside and across cliffs that rise to two hundred feet above the Atlantic Ocean.The Trail runs around "Flat Head" and offers visitors an opportunity to observe bald eagles. During July and August whales frequent the shoreline in abundance as they feed on caplin and squid. Icebergs are not uncommon from March to July. Birds, such as ruffled grouse and spruce grouse, and small animals such as red squirrels and rabbits inhabit the area. Observation posts, look-outs, picnic area and other facilities are available.The Trail is accessible through Salmon Cove Sands Park, which is a beautiful day use park with 0.5 km of soft gray sand bordered by towering cliffs.
Geo Questing - Lat 47.78203765 Long -53.15785917

TORBAY - Torbay Walking Trails. Memorial University collaborated with the Torbay Environment and Trails Committee, a volunteer group dedicated to preserving the town’s natural areas, to document with maps traditional trailways and footpaths in the community. The maps show most of the town’s hiking trails, highlighting their degree of difficulty and their various locations in the town. Maps of Six Hiking Trails (Including Father Troy Trail)

VICTORIA - Victoria Walking Trails The town has sereral walking trails. Old Track / Old Salmon Cove Road This trail is 7 km long and is easily accessible from many areas of the town. The route starts at the Victoria Recreation Centre; makes a loop following the abandoned railway bed intersecting Old Salmon Cove Road, King's Road and back to the abandoned railway bed. This route crosses a reconstructed rail trestle and gives an excellent view of the Victoria Valley.
Ash's Road to Big Rattles. Big Rattles is the site of a water falls that has been a popular swimming hole for the past 100 years. A large rock at this location has the maps of residents etched into its surface. The return route is along the Salmon River through Hiscock's Grove and back to the starting point.
Power House / Blue Hill Dam. Start at the Power House Museum and take the wide foot path that travels on the right of the river gorge. At the top of the steep hill continue on the right side of Blue Hill pond. Path will take you across a marsh, a bog and through wooded areas. The path returns to cross the brook at the top of Blue Hill pond. Turn left at the intersection of the cart path and return back to the power house.
Harry Dean's Hill / Murphy's Rd. This loop has a very steep hill. It starts at the Power House Museum, takes the dirt road on left up a steep hill to Blue Hill Pond. A foot path turns left up to Harry Dean's Hill look out. The route then descends Murphy's Road to the intersection with the Burnt Wood's Road path. At the intersection of Burnt Wood's Road and Route 70, turn left to return to the Museum. This route gives an excellent view of the town. From the lookout one can see the large amount of agricultural land that has been developed in Victoria since settlers first came in the 1840's.
Beaver Pond. This trail was developed in 1995-96. It is a foot path running along side a pond in the centre of the community. Small bridges over the few wet areas have been constructed. This trail, covers a wide variety of natural environments such as a forest cut over area, marsh, stream flood plain, over mature forest to abandoned growth on farm land. To enter the trail take the path at the intersection of Old Salmon Cove Road and Kings Road. If you follow the path all the way through you will end up at the centre of Town 3 Km away.
Swamp Hill / Rattles Road. This Trail, which begins at the Town Hall, has one steep hill and a section of marsh. It continues along Rattle's Road to the site of the present experimental farm. Follow the trail under the pole line and it will take you to the Swamp Hill lookout. From here large number of ponds and brooks used by residents for trouting are visible. Also visible from Swamp Hill is the "Yellow Marsh," a Newfoundland bog, where the Picture Plant and other native plants grow.
Geo Questing - Lat 47.76780417 Long -53.24159120

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