Hiking the North Head Trail in Newfoundland
It’s a place that felt uniquely Canadian, but at the same time felt uniquely something completely on its own. The houses are turquoise, purple and pink, whales swim by the harbor, mist covers the city, and there is a level of friendliness that exceeds some of the friendliest Canadian cities. This place even boasts one of the best nightlife scenes in the world. This place is called Newfoundland.I traveled to St. John’s a few summers ago in July. The weather in Toronto was around 25 degrees celsius, so I felt strange packing a rain jacket, sweaters and jeans, but I was told that Newfoundland, even during its best summers, can be cold.The plane’s landing was one of the most turbulent and wild landing I’ve ever experienced. The landing strip is located right beside the ocean, so the strong gusts from the ever swirling Atlantic rocked, shook and pushed the plane as it descended. Passengers gripped the seats, pressed their hands against the walls, and panted. Others (presumably the locals) laughed, as the plane landed on the runway.As I took a cab from the airport and entered the downtown core of St. John’s, I immediately felt like I was somewhere other than Canada. The downtown is set on a series of hills, the harbor looms at the base of the city, cargo ships rest along the waterfront, and large cliffs guard St. John’s from the rest of the Atlantic Ocean. The cab pulled up to the Cabot House, which was the bed and breakfast I stayed at (Whenever I travel, I look at the bed and breakfasts first. They are usually a little bit more money than a hostel, but less than a hotel. They are also usually located in, or near, the downtown core). Everyone back home was right; the temperature for July was around 6 degrees celsius. Mist also fluttered in the Newfoundland air.Over the next five days, I ate, drank and socialized in downtown St. John’s, hiked around the cliff trails, searched for whales, and explored the surrounding landscapes with one of the many tour companies in the area. The one activity that stood out, though, was hiking the North Head Trail, which starts just outside the downtown core of St. John’s and winds all the way along a cliff above the Atlantic Ocean and up towards Signal Hill. The trail head is so close to the downtown core that, after I ate lunch and drank a beer on Water Street, I walked down the road and started the hike.
The official trail actually starts on someone’s front porch. This would have felt weird if it weren’t for the trail head sign that adorns the homeowner’s house. Apparently the owner of the house refused to move their porch when the City of St. John’s decided they were going start the trail there, so the City placed the sign anyways.The trail takes about 45 minutes to an hour to reach Signal Hill. Once up at Signal Hill, you can either take the trail back down to St. John’s (depending on how much energy you have left), walk down the sidewalk of the road that leads to Signal Hill, or have a coffee in the Signal Hill café and wait for your cab to pick you up.The trail itself boasts a few great thrills that, for a trail that is so close to a downtown core, I wasn’t expecting.
Cliff Walk
Once you get past the small fishing huts and the trail head, the trail cuts along the side of a cliff a couple of hundred feet above the ocean. The ocean swirls in the rocks below. Wind howls along the cliff wall. At one point, the trail shrinks to about six inches in width. A large chain hangs from the wall. To cross to the next part of the trail, you need to cling onto the chain, tip toe along the narrow trail and shimmy above the ocean. The narrow portion of the trail lasts for only about ten to fifteen feet, but clinging onto a chain above the Atlantic Ocean with only a few inches of solid ground underneath your feet is a thrill that will stay with you for a long time.
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the angrier oceans I’ve ever seen. All along the cliffs of Newfoundland, the water not only breaks along the rocks, but also swirls. This creates constant white typhoon-like swirls in the water almost endlessly along the cliff walls. Try not to look down until you reach a wider portion of the trail!
Wildlife
The first animal I saw running along the boulder on the (northern) portion of the trail was a black fox. Since I’m from Ontario, I’m used to seeing red foxes, so a black fox seemed somewhat exotic. They are about the same size as a red fox, but they can be hard to see because their fur blends into the rocks.The second animal I saw from the trail was humpback whales. I was only able to see the whale from the trail because I learned at the whale watching tour I went on the day before that, when water spurts up into the air, a whale is releasing the water from it blow hole. If you rest at the portion of the trail that overlooks the Atlantic, you may be able to see water shooting into the sky, which may signal a passing whale.
Views
All along the trail, but especially at the top of Signal Hill, you can get spectacular views of St. John’s, the St. John the Baptist church, and the Rooms museum overlooking the city. On a clearer day, you can also look down the coast line and see Cape Spear, which is the eastern most point of North America. The cliff the trail runs along also acts as part of the entrance to the St. John’s harbour, so views of cargo ships filing into the City also appear throughout each day.
Signal Hill
Signal Hill is a historic site from the Battle of Signal Hill, which took place in 1762. Because the hill is positioned right on the edge of the coasts, it was used as essentially a signal point between the land and the sea. Today, the historic castle-like structure that rests on top of the hill can be toured. As mentioned above, Signal Hill, because of its location on the edge of both St. John’s and the Atlantic Ocean, offers one of the best views of both Newfoundland’s landscape and its position beside the ocean.Newfoundland is filled with lots of small fishing towns, cliffs, provincial parks and cultural Canadian heritage, but if all you have time for is St. John’s, there is a lot of adventures there that will give you a substantial Newfoundland experience. Hiking the North Head Trail, because of its proximity to the city, is a great opportunity to experience what the hiking and landscape across Newfoundland is like. If you’re in St. John’s for a short vacation, to visit family, or for work, take the 45 minutes to walk the trail. You’ll be thankful you did.For more content like this, follow me