Visitor Safety Information
The forests of Gros Morne National Park are failing, largely as a result
of moose over-browsing. In an effort to restore forest health, a
multi-year moose reduction program was initiated in 2011. Qualified
hunters are once again assisting Parks Canada to reduce the unnaturally
high moose populations in the national park in 2013–14.
Visitors planning to come to Gros Morne this fall and winter are
encouraged to read the following safety information, and call Gros Morne
National Park at (709) 458-2417 prior to your visit if you have any
questions. Maps of the Moose Management Area, as well as of the hiking
trails that are excluded from it, are available on this web site. Please
pay particular attention to signage indicating areas where hunting is
taking place once you arrive.
Know when the hunting season is: Visitors should take
note that an active moose hunt will be underway in Gros Morne National
Park from Sept. 14, 2013 to Feb. 2, 2014. Three zones have been
identified within the larger Moose Management Area, each with a
different start date.
(See trail map,
(PDF, 0.98 MB).) During this time, hunting can take place starting one
half hour before sunrise until one half hour after sunset.
Find out the extent of the hunting area: Gros Morne’s
one single Moose Management Area encompasses 1620 km2, or 90% of
the park. It includes much of the national park’s lowland areas.
(See map
(PDF, 0.98 MB).)
Find out which trails are outside the hunting area: Some
hiking trails in Gros Morne, either in their entirety or sections of them,
are excluded from the Moose Management Area—that is, no hunting may
take place there. Visitors will find the trails listed below will give them
a representative spectrum to suit all levels of interest and ability.
(Numbers correspond with trail
map (PDF, 0.98 MB).)
- The Old Mail Road (Shallow Bay) (1)
- Steve’s Trail (2)
- Western Brook Pond Trail (3)
- Coastal Trail (5)
- Berry Head Pond (6)
- Bakers Brook Falls (7)
- Berry Hill (8)
- Berry Hill Pond (9)
- Gros Morne Mountain (10)
- Tablelands (17)
- Green Gardens (Short hike) (19)
Be visible: It’s important to be easily seen in the
woods. Therefore, avoid wearing blacks, browns, earth-toned greens and
animal-coloured clothing. It is recommended that hunters and hikers alike
wear a blaze-orange hat and jacket. Inexpensive orange vinyl vests are easy
to come by in outdoors shops or department stores.