Biscan Cove Path

edit_6268The Biscan Cove trail is the newest completed trail on the East Coast Trail: opened in 2012, it connects Pouch Cove and the lighthouse at Cape St. Francis. Hikers park at the softball field about 500 m from the trailhead, which can be found at a turnaround near the end of the community. The trail heads into the cover of trees and quickly comes out alongside the rocky coast. Following the coast for a few hundred metres, the trail heads up over rock, and continues uphill where it meets with another community trail and heads off to a viewpoint. A steep climb to the top of Little Bald Head is where we went wrong: from the Pouch Cove trailhead, the trail certainly looks like it continues straight once it crosses rock, and a hiker with his or her head down could miss the marker off to the right as we did!

The correct trail descends through trees on the other side of Little Bald Head, eventually reaching the viewpoint at Horrid Gulch. There is a spectacular story of a rescue conducted over these cliffs: head down to the trailhead and read the sign, it’s worth the time. Especially when you see the cliffs and realize that some brave soul lowered himself over them to save drowning men below. From the clearing atop Horrid Gulch, we could see a bald eagle perched on the side of Big Bald Head opposite us.

At Freshwater River there is a spectacular viewpoint that I highly recommend. A beautiful waterfall, rocky coastline, and based on our experience, a fairly good chance of spotting a bald eagle. We’ve seen eagles on multiple hikes at this spot: the first, a pair, one of which flew within 50 metres of us, clutching a fish. Incredible. As if that wasn’t enough, check out the video below:

This is one spectacular trail when the seas are rough!

Crossing Freshwater River and the couple of rivers that follow it can be a bit of a chore if it’s wet or has been raining, so exercise caution and bring good boots. Past these and through some cliffside woods the trail reaches White Point, the reason for its name is apparent with the waves crashing into it. The trail heads up around Polly Butts Gulch, traversing a steep slope, and heads out to Anvil Head to overlook Anvil Rock. Up over the hill, the trail crosses the hilltops until it reaches Biscan Cove, descending slowly to the edge of the cove and around it. The trailhead is slightly inland from the cove, crossing a concrete ledge at the former site of a United church. We made our way back along the road, a straight walk of approximately 4 km.

For the scenery, this is perhaps my favorite of the East Coast Trail hikes. Check out the pics of this spectacular trail below! Click to enlarge!

One thought on “Biscan Cove Path”

  1. Thank you so much for your web site. The information you have provided is so helpful for trip planning. We hope to do two or three day hikes along the East Coast Trail while on vacation in Newfoundland. I am so happy that I stumbled onto your blog. It is a wonderful resource.

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Gerry and Friends Slowly but Surely Hike the East Coast Trail (and occasionally elsewhere)

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