The Tablelands

The Tablelands look almost wrong for Newfoundland: orange-brown, bare, and harsh beside the surrounding green hills. The rock is peridotite from Earth's mantle, shoved upward during a continental collision.

The main trail is easy and rewarding, with Parks Canada interpreters often explaining the geology in summer. Stay on durable surfaces where asked; the thin plant life here has a hard enough time already.

things to do geology hiking
A story
The Tablelands helped prove plate tectonics. Here, mantle rock that usually sits far below the ocean floor is exposed where anyone can walk to it.