(click here to find Old Mail Road Trail on the map)
Old Mail Road Trail follows the path taken by the postmen before the road was put in on the northern peninsula. The men who set the trail would have been looking for the easiest way to get from one community to another during the winter months in particular. These trails were also used by the nurses who provided care in these isolated areas.
To reach the trail head follow Main Street in Cow Head to the north, it becomes Parks Road. Follow this paved road to the end of the pavement. At the Y in the road, turn left towards the Shallow Bay Beach and Picnic Area. The road to the right takes you to the Shallow Bay Campground. At the end of this road you'll find a large parking lot. From here you can go straight out to the beach. If you stand in the parking lot facing the beach you will see the trail head to your right. The trail leads into the trees.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
"This trail once ran the length of the Great Northern Peninsula. It was the only land connection between communities. With dog teams or horses, winter mail couriers travelled this route from 1882 to 1952. They waded through freezing water, crossed thin ice, and battled storms, taking shelter in homes along the way. Starting in 1906, Tom Knott, and later his son Jim, carried the mail from Woody Point to Parsons Pond. The building of the highway in the 1950s ended this heroic area."
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
The first part of the trail takes you to the Shallow Bay Campground. It is government run and a lovely campground. At this point you have 2 options. The first is to continue going north and the trail comes out to meet Park Road. The second choice is to turn west and head to the beach. Signs on the boardwalk provide information on the flora and fauna of this unique area. This area is one of the very few sand beaches in Newfoundland.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
"Sand beaches and dunes are rare in Newfoundland. This sand was ground from the Long Range Mountains by glaciers. Marram grass holds the dunes together as a living community of plants and animals. The leaves and stems slow the wind so that sand grains drop rather than blowing inland. As sand accumulates, the grass grows, trapping more sand. Marram grass can survive heat, cold, salt, and sand-blasting, but dies if trampled. Please do not walk on the dunes."
If you head south along the beach you will eventually come to another boardwalk which leads back to the parking lot.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
Hikes of Western Newfoundland by Katie Broadhurst and Alexandra Fortin is an excellent guide if you like to do trails. The book covers Western and Central Newfoundland as far east as Twillingate. They don't cover every trail, that's almost impossible. You'll find information on a good range of trails that you should consider.
You start with the area map where they show the trails that are covered by the book. The pages about each trail include GPS co-ordinates of the trailhead and a good map of the trail. They also tell you the level of difficulty and distances.
We bought a copy ahead of our June 2015 trip to scout out the trails we wanted to do ahead of time. The book is available on Amazon and you can purchase it through this link.
