This expansive landscape is the second-largest national park in Newfoundland and Labrador, measuring 700 square miles. The French name "Gros Morne" is taken from a mountain located in the park, and it translates into English as "big lone mountain."

Gros Morne boasts UNESCO World Heritage Site status, with both the natural beauty of the park and its geological significance cited as reasons for the distinction.

Here are our five favorite parts of Gros Morne National Park.

Tablelands

The Tablelands are one of few places anywhere where you can walk on the earth's mantle. The mantle is usually below the earth's crust, which is generally around 6 to 44 miles thick. Due to tectonic plate movement when North America and Africa were in close proximity hundreds of millions of years ago, the mantle was forced through the crust to the surface. This makes it unique, an area where rocks that are usually buried beneath 31 miles of crust are instead exposed to the surface. Interestingly, life has still managed to find a way to exist in the area, with some plants turning carnivorous to survive.

Bonne Bay and Western Brook Pond

Tectonic plate movements are not the only natural phenomena to have given Gros Morne its natural beauty. The park is home to a number of beautiful fjords that were created by glaciers 10,000–25,000 years ago. Compared to the Tablelands, these fjords are relatively recent additions to the park, but with cliffs surpassing 1,115 feet at Bonne Bay, for example, they’re no less spectacular.

The park provides the opportunity to witness these magnificent cliffs from the water by means of a kayak, or an 11-mile hike to the top of the cliffs for a view across the water.

Gros Morne Mountain

This 2,644-foot-high mountain gives visitors the chance to view the national park from an impressive vantage point. A four-mile trail named after former UK prime minister James Callaghan starts at Rocky Harbor and leads to the summit. From here, you’ll be able to see Bonne Bay from a different angle as well as the Long Range Mountains.

Witness wildlife on the Viking Trail

Gros Morne National Park is full of wildlife. It’s estimated that there are more than ten moose for every square mile of the park. You may also be able to see Arctic hare, red foxes, and maybe even some black bears. There are various bird species, too, with some of the best spots to see them located along the Viking Trail.

Visitor Centers at Rocky Falls and Woody Point

There’s always a chance your visit could fall victim to the weather, but with excellent visitor centers located at Rocky Falls and Woody Point, you'll still have plenty to do. Even if you’re in luck and the weather is perfect, these centers are valuable hubs of information to learn about the park.

In addition to our favorite things to do in Gros Morne National Park, there are plenty of beaches, waterfalls, and community events providing worthy reasons to visit in their own right. The park is one of Newfoundland and Labrador's top attractions, and it’s probably the best excuse to visit the province.