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Gros Morne Trail Closes To Protect Rock Ptarmigan

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By NPT Staff - May 2nd, 2022
Gros Morne protects newborn rock ptarmigan.

Gros Morne protects newborn rock ptarmigan. This photo was taken with a telephoto lens to avoid harassing or disturbing the birds/Parks Canada photo by Darroch Whitaker

The summit of Gros Morne Mountain, which includes the 8-kilometre (5-mile) Summit Trail, is closed May 1 to June 23 to protect rock ptarmigan, caribou and arctric hare in Newfoundland's Gros Morne National Park during critical weeks of reproduction and growth.

The wildlife “need privacy and a disturbance-free environment as they have their young and care for them in their first days of life,” according to a Parks Canada statement. It says rock ptarmigan chicks are extremely vulnerable in their first week after hatching and must be warmed every few minutes. If a mother is distracted from her brood for too long, it can put the chicks at high risk of hypothermia and death. Being separated from their mother in cold, wet weather for just a few minutes can put chicks in danger.

As well, caribou are having their calves on the mountain at this time, and the park says “the newborns need peace and quiet while they find their legs and build their strength to keep up with their mothers.”

A map of the temporary trail closure.

A map of the temporary trail closure/Parks Canada

The closure also helps protect the fragile mountain terrain since soils that are wet and frost heaved are easily eroded.

While the mountain portion of the Gros Morne Mountain Trail is closed, the 4.5-kilometre (2.8-mile) Approach Trail from the trailhead to the Ferry Gulch Brook bridge at the base of the mountain remains open.

The Summit Trail will reopen to the public on June 24. Visitors can check out Gros Morne’s website, email [email protected] or call 709-458-2417 for information on trails and current trail conditions.

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