Green Gardens Trail

The Green Gardens trail is one of the most famous and popular hikes in Gros Morne National Park, leading through dry and rocky terrain, dark forests, and green pastures to ultimately reach a beautiful rocky beach with enormous and impressive seastacks. The hike, around 6.2 miles round trip, is popular for its impressive views and relatively easy terrain.

The hike begins at a small parking lot off Rt. 431 in Newfoundland. The beginning of the trail is rocky and open with expansive views back towards the Tablelands. The trail gradually transitions into a forested area, which can get very muddy in the rain. There are a few staircases on this section, which is somewhat steep in some spots.

At about 2.6 miles the trail reaches the end of the cliff, and turns right (northeast) and continues near the cliff edge. The forest suddenly opens up into a beautiful view of the "green gardens" - grassy pastures covering the top of the cliffs above the ocean. Sometimes sheep can be seen grazing on the grass here!

The trail continues along the cliffs for another 0.5 miles, with beautiful vistas in both directions along the coast most of the way. Shortly after reaching the pastures, there are a few ways to get down to the rocky beach below. However, these are NOT official trails and they are not recommended, as they are very steep and extremely slippery when muddy.

Normally, the Green Gardens trail forms a loop via the Wallace Brook trail. However, since 2017 most of the Wallace Brook trail is closed due to erosion. Therefore, the hike is done as an out-and-back via the same trail until the trail is repaired and reopened. However, the park has not announced any plans to reopen the trail in the future. Hikers should not venture onto the closed trail.

The Green Gardens trail, although popular and often crowded, is well worth the walk. For those wishing to extend their trip, there is a small campsite with a few tent platforms near the ocean at Green Gardens. If you want to stay overnight, you must go to the visitor center in advance to reserve a tentsite.