By far my favorite hike in the Humber Valley / Bay of Islands area. This part of Newfoundland has views to please everyone’s eye. Located on the breathtaking West coast, Copper Mine to Cape trail can be found in between the communities of Frenchman’s Cove and Lark Harbour where you will see a parking lot with a big sign (IATNL/ OBIEC). This 3.8km linear trail could be considered difficult to strenuous as it leads one to Blow Me Down peak at 650 meters.
As one ascends the first half of the trail, take some breaks along the way while enjoying many viewpoints. Furthermore all of those have benches and interesting names such as; Seals nest, Harbour View, Mountain view, Birchy garden, etc. A rewarding “Halfway” marker greets the hiker with a stunning view of Blow Me Down peak. It quickly opens up to a more barren landscape with majestic views. Keep hiking past the trail fork that leads towards the Blow Me Down mountain traverse. It consist of a backcountry route that multi-day hikers would take to reach the back of the mountains and eventually reaching Serpentine Lake and the Lewis Hills. To find out more about that hike read my story here.
September is a great month to hike Copper Mine to Cape trail since blueberries are abundant as you approach Blow Me Down peak. Then a giant cairn welcomes hikers to the summit along with a breathtaking view. Furthermore the Bay of Islands was a great hideout for captain James Cook back some 250 years ago. Also in the distance can be seen the North Arm Hills, another ophiolite (peridotite rocks).
Although the scenery makes one’s mind wander be cautious of approaching the cliff’s edge. When I last hiked the trail there was ferocious wind gusts who blew me around forcing me to kneel down to stabilize myself before taking pictures.
Afterwards the hike down took no time as I hurried away from the wind which had my hands frozen. That’s what you get while trying to pick blueberries near the peak.
Blow Me Down Little extras to check out
Back at the parking lot you should visit the waterfall not far away. Additionally on the parking lot can be found the old Copper Mine entrance that was founded in 1893 which has now been blocked off.
For more details about the Copper Mine to Cape trail check out my hiking book.
Alex
Live Wildly Intrepid!
Carpe Diem
