There they lie, lined up like bowling pins on the north side of Rt 430 (The Viking Trail), southeast of Rocky Harbour. Travelling from the north they are Big Hill, Killdevil Mountain, and an unnamed mountain I call Dicks Peak that rises up to the east of Dicks Brook. They aren’t really isolated peaks so much as prominences that are starkly visible from the road where the highland plateau to the north drops sharply down to the East Arm of Bonne Bay. Each of these peaks has a barren top with spectacular 360° views, and all are less than two kilometers from the main highway. They are centrally located in Gros Morne National Park, one of the most prestigious destinations in Canada. To my astonishment there isn’t a trail up any of them.
Big Hill on the west end is the most unassuming of the three, and you have to crane your neck a little to spot it. The easiest way up is on the west side following a pronounced ridge that rises from the highway to the summit.
Sections of its summit barren are smooth as a billiard table affording a pleasant ease of stride.
The east side drops steeply into Mill Brook, and the route I took up there would be described as challenging.
Killdevil Mountain is the most pompous of the three, starting with its name. No devil’s going to get the better of this flamboyant hillside. Its showy descending talus slopes can’t be missed from below. These rocky slopes with interesting formations make for a strenuous but thankfully brush free ascent.
The summit ridge has an annoying habit of receding before your eyes during the climb, repeatedly making the top a mirage. This barren ridge is over two kilometers long with striking views of Bonne Bay to the south, and the large watershed of Rocky Barachois Brook to the north.
I have also summited by following a brook that skirts its west and north side flowing through numerous secluded ponds.
Dicks Peak seems to be the most covert. Sadly, until now it has even missed the recognition of being named. I have reached its summit following Dicks Brook valley on the west side, and a smaller ledge-lined brook to the east.
Its summit terrain is sprawling with numerous barren sections. It offers views of Killdevil Mountain framed against Bonne Bay looking west, and Southeast Pond basin looking east.
The view north has me thinking this intriguing terrain needs some more exploration!
Coming from the northeastern US, where there is at least one trail to most every barren peak, I find the stellar hiking terrain in Newfoundland so underutilized. As a start, linking these three peaks with a Triple Crown trail would be such a splendid addition to the Gros Morne trail system.
Lew Coty, December 2024
