Northern Traverse

The Northern Traverse is a 33 km, one-way backcountry route from the boat landing at the east end of Western Brook Pond to the Western Brook Pond trailhead and parking lot. Allow three or four days; the detailed route usually takes three nights. You need backcountry experience, physical fitness, wilderness navigation skills, and patience moving slowly across bog, rock and dense low forest. The line shown here includes the foot exit from the pond outflow to the parking lot. Published distances differ: a shorter 27 km figure appears in overview material, while detailed walking directions total 33 km to the lot. This description follows the full overland route.

A boat carries hikers from the Western Brook Pond trailhead to the dock at the far end of the pond. From there, the first four kilometres climb more than 600 metres up the rugged gorge. The ground is rough and overgrown; the route keeps close to a brook, which may need crossing several times. Heavy rain can flood a small pond and obscure the way, while rockfall can alter the familiar traces. Near the large waterfall, work around its right side on a steep wooded slope, then return to the brook and cross the exposed rock slab above it.

Beyond the slab, a small valley and saddle lead past several ponds to Gilley Pond. The campsite sits on its northeast shore and has a bear box but no tent pads. A short optional detour north of the saddle reaches a Western Brook Pond overlook; the cliffs there are steep, so keep well back from the edge.

The next stretch to Triangle Pond crosses rocky ridges, linear bands of bog and wind-shaped tuckamore, the dense stunted spruce and fir that can be almost impassable. Landmarks are sparse and there are few suitable campsites between Gilley and Triangle, so route-finding and timing matter. From Triangle Pond, the hardest navigation continues toward the North Rim access: natural openings and game paths wind through thick tuckamore, and it is easy to lose the intended line or have to backtrack. Water is scarce on this section until Snug Harbour.

In clear conditions, a two-kilometre out-and-back from the North Rim plateau reaches a viewpoint over the Western Brook Pond gorge, with a sheer drop below. For a photograph, keep the opposite cliff wall and some water in the frame; that gives the view scale better than filling the phone with rock alone.

The descent to Snug Harbour drops about 570 metres in four kilometres on a rough, unmaintained path that can be muddy and slippery. From the shore, another 4.5 kilometres follow a mix of shoreline and poor, overgrown trail to the pond outflow. You must ford the brook there; the route directions place the crossing just above the outflow, where the water is shallower and the current weaker. The last three kilometres to the parking lot are an easy walk on the Western Brook Pond trail. Snug Harbour is a designated campsite.

Access is seasonal, generally from late June through September, and daily boat departures are limited. Arrange the boat ride in advance, then attend the required safety briefing and obtain the backcountry permit at the Visitor Centre the day before departure. Low cloud can make route-finding unsafe, and there is no marked trail across the plateau.