Western Brook Pond

It is surrounded by steep rock walls 600 m (2,000 ft) high,^[2] having been carved from the surrounding plateau by glaciers. After the glaciers melted, the land rebounded and the fjord was cut off from the sea. Salty water was eventually flushed from the fjord leaving it fresh. The catchment area is composed of igneous rock with relatively thin soil, so the waters feeding Western Brook Pond are low in nutrients and the lake is classified as ultraoligotrophic.^[2] It is fed by Stag Brook at the extreme eastern end of the lake and by numerous waterfalls cascading from the plateau above. One of these, Pissing Mare Falls at 350 m (1,150 ft), is one of the highest in eastern North America.

The lake is accessible by a moderate-easy 3 km (1.9 mi) hiking trail over coastal bogs and low limestone ridges.^[3] Two tour boats, one with a capacity of 70 passengers and the other 90 passengers, cruise the lake from June to mid-October.^[4] The lake waters are pristine, having had very little impact from human activities. The tour boat operators had to undergo special certification to ensure that their operations would have minimal impact on the environment.^[5]

In the early part of the 20th century, a part of the surrounding cliff broke off and fell into the lake, causing a 30 m (98 ft) tsunami.^[6]

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It's an easy three kilometre walk to the dock for the two hour tour of Western Brook Pond, or five kilometres if you take the circuitous route through the forest. I did the latter and it was quite muddy in places although I did get some fine photos of a Ruffed Grouse.

It was blustery and cool on the boat until we got into the shadow of the surrounding mountain range. The pond is deep, over three hundred feet, even at the edge of the shore and very cold so forget about a dip to cool off.

The bird life on the walk in is an interesting mix of Lincoln's Sparrow, Wilson's Warbler and Northern Waterthrush.

Western Brook Pond

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.......................continued on Western Brook Pond(part two)