Tablelands, Gros Morne

A Sight Inside Gros Morne National Park (A World Heritage Site, Listed Under Its Own Row): An Orange Brown Plateau Of Rock From The Earth'S Mantle Pushed Up 500 Million Years Ago, With Almost No Plants, A Short Trail And A View Of Trout River Pond. A Key Stop In Gros Morne, With Bad Weather And A Stark Landscape · Woody Point, Newfoundland and Labrador

The Tablelands is an orange-brown plateau of bare rock beside Highway 431 near Woody Point on Bonne Bay, inside Gros Morne National Park, a World Heritage Site. The rock is peridotite, material from the Earth mantle that was pushed up onto the continent around 500 million years ago when ancient plates collided, and it is so low in nutrients and high in metals that almost nothing grows on it. The result is a stark, rust-coloured landscape that looks more like a desert on another planet than like Newfoundland, with the green Trout River Pond and valley beneath it. A flat trail of about 4 km return leads into the valley beside the plateau, and short walks and talks explain the geology that helped win the park its listing. Weather is a big part of the visit: wind, fog and cold rain can move in within minutes, and clear days give sweeping views of the bay and the peaks. The site is fragile, so visitors stay on marked paths.

The Tablelands, an exposed bare-rock plateau of mantle rock in Gros Morne National Park beside Highway 431 near Woody Point on Bonne Bay; coordinates approximate, Woody Point, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Tablelands trail and the roadside viewpoints are open at any hour in daylight with no gate, and the plateau can be seen from the highway all year. The Discovery Centre at Woody Point, which gives talks and trail advice, keeps its own seasonal hours, roughly late May or June to early October. Parks Canada guided walks onto the geology run on a summer schedule that changes by year - confirm times and booking. The trail can be icy or snowbound in spring and late autumn and is not maintained in winter. Weather often closes the view, so check the forecast and confirm services before driving out.

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