Coastal Ridge Trail
Ages ago, before a road was put through to join the communities of Salvage, Broom Close and Barrow Harbour to the rest of the Eastport peninsula, people would walk across the barrens and rock when they couldn’t use their boats.
These old paths have recently been upgraded and are now a fine, but challenging, hiking trail of approximately 15 km long that follows the coastline from Sandy Cove to Salvage with beautiful views along the way.
The Coastal Ridge Trail is quite rugged, going over barren rock and through woods and moss. There are several wooden bridges to avoid having to walk through bog and water and, at one point, a rustic wooden ladder secured to a vertical rock to help hikers get up. There are multiple opportunities to see whales, eagles, seabirds and other wildlife. Unfortunately, we didn’t come across much fauna on our hike but we did see some lovely flora.
The best thing to do when planning this trip is to have two vehicles or a designated driver that will drop you in one town and pick you up in the other. This trail is difficult and the quickest anyone has done it (that I’ve heard) is three hours by a guy who is super-fit and who didn’t stop to have a snack or to enjoy the views, which you definitely want to do! I mean, what’s the point of exercising if it’s not to eat? I’m an average hiker and it took me and my group six hours. By the time we were finished, my legs were like rubber. I’d recommend a lunch (or two) and at least a litre of water per person. There are multiple places to stop, take a break and enjoy the scenery, including a secluded beach in Smokey Hole and the rocks around Lind’s Pond.
I’d also recommend carrying some bug spray, sunscreen and a small first aid kit, in the off chance that you need it. Some of the caribou moss is quite slippery and it would only take a slight misstep to scratch or beat yourself up.
If you only have a limited amount of time, and can’t do the whole thing, I’d recommend starting at the Salvage end and walking in about 1.5 km to Edythe’s Lookout. The view from here is well worth the hike in. There is also another lookout from the Sandy Cove end that is just 2 km roundtrip but it is steep and I wouldn’t recommend it if the ground is wet! The views over Sandy Cove, Eastport and as far away as Terra Nova National Park are pretty spectacular, though.
