Parking
Use the Tablelands Trail lot on Route 431, 4 km west of the Woody Point Discovery Centre. A trailhead map shows the Serpentine Loop branch from the main path.
Overview
About Serpentine Loop
Why go
- A short, easy way to see Tablelands plants and exposed mantle rock.
Heads up
- Small rock fragments make the narrow side path less even underfoot than the main track.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Gros Morne map
Full mapElevation155–167 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Gros Morne alerts
- ClosureGreen Gardens and Wallace Brook trail sections closedDo not enter the closed sections of the Green Gardens and Wallace Brook trails.Official details
- CautionStuckless Pond Trail bridge outDo not use the Stuckless Pond Trail at the stream crossing. - The bridge is out, and Parks Canada says trail use is not recommended at this time because of high water levels at the stream crossing.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Gros Morne Tour Guide
Your drive to Serpentine Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Gros Morne National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
The Tablelands and Winter House Brook Canyon0:00 / 0:27
“You're approaching the Tablelands trailhead. I'd take the easy four-kilometre return walk to Winter House Brook Canyon; the view into its steep walls isn't at the parking lot.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Gros Morne Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Why the Tablelands Stay Bare
- Why the Tablelands Look Rusty
- Gros Morne Discovery Centre
- The Fire Written into Woody Point
- 87 audio storiesacross Gros Morne’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Moose, Caribou, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 25 trails, 58 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Serpentine Loop
A short Tablelands walkSerpentine Loop is a roughly 0.
Serpentine Loop is a roughly 0.42-mile loop from the Route 431 parking area, with a brief shared approach and a return on the Tablelands Trail. It winds through low vegetation and over small fragments of the orange-brown rock that makes the Tablelands unusual. Choose it for a quick look at this exposed mantle landscape without walking the full 4 km return to Winter House Brook Canyon.
Follow the winding side pathFrom the old trackway, the narrow loop meanders through low plants and scattered rock, then…
From the old trackway, the narrow loop meanders through low plants and scattered rock, then rejoins the main trail. The Tablelands expose mantle rock pushed up during ancient continental collisions, with characteristic plants growing in this unusual landscape. The short circuit stays close to the parking area; it does not reach the canyon at the end of the full Tablelands walk. Allow about 30 minutes. The rock fragments make this stretch less even underfoot than the main track.
Find the turnStart at the Tablelands Trail lot on Route 431, 4 km west of the Woody Point Discovery Centre.
Start at the Tablelands Trail lot on Route 431, 4 km west of the Woody Point Discovery Centre. Use the map at the lot to find the short branch from the main path. Keep to the tread to avoid trampling tiny, rare plants. Dogs are allowed on leash. For a longer outing, stay on the main Tablelands Trail to Winter House Brook Canyon.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Gros Morne
252 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
120 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
61 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsCommon Minke WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
70 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Gros Morne. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
