Have you ever wanted to spend the night at an abandoned townsite? Well, you can in Gros More National Park!
Nestled in the East Arm of Bonne Bay, accessible via highway 431 (left turn at Wiltondale) is Parks Canada’s Lomond Campground. The campground has 33 sites and is right on your way to Woody Point, the Tablelands, Trout River, and the Parks Canada Discovery Centre. At the campground, you can find the trailheads for the Stanleyville and Lomond River hikes. Amenities include shower and washroom facilities, a shared outdoor kitchen, serviced and un-serviced sites, firepits, and a boat launch.
Activities that can be enjoyed at this campground include hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, paddle-boarding, picnics, sports and much more.
Lomond was a community built on forestry and lumber industries that died in the early 1970s after the creation of Gros Morne National Park and due to a changing economy. Stanleyville is a second abandoned forestry town only 2 kilometres away, accessible by foot from the Lomond site. Both tiny towns were founded in the early 1900s and would have been quite isolated from other communities at the time. There aren’t any buildings left from the original townsites, but there are concrete foundations and remnants of old machinery that serve as reminders that people had built lives in that cove.
I remember camping in Lomond as one of the most peaceful nights of my life. The campground sits on grassy fields above a rocky beach in a quiet, sheltered cove. Writing this from Alberta truly makes my heart ache. The night we spent there had a perfect, slow sunset and there wasn’t a draft of wind. Spend your evening with a campfire, strolling the beach collecting sea glass, and soaking in the striking view of Killdevil Mountain.
There are six tent sites located right on the water, try to snag one of those if you can. If you’re booking online, the site numbers are 28-33 (you’re welcome!)
I cannot wait to stay at Lomond Campground again. I wish I recognized at the time how truly unique and historical the place is. Have you ever camped here? What did you think? What’s your favourite campground in Newfoundland? Check out these other awesome Gros Morne adventures:
Let us know what you think!