Carmanville Wetlands

Musgrave Harbour turned out to be a nice surprise despite its early name—Muddy Hole. Not only did I stay in a cute two-bedroom cabin where I had a washing machine, but there was a great beach with lots to explore and a good restaurant right against the sea. My eye was on Carmanville Wetlands however, almost thirty kilometres ahead.

The region had first been inhabited by the Beothuk who must have taken advantage of the salmon, trout, and nesting birds available in abundance as well as seals that arrived on pack ice. Europeans settled in the mid 1840s and farmed, fished, and raised cattle. Logging was the regions mainstay until the Bonavista North Fire of 1961. Started by smokers, the fire was Newfoundland’s largest that took three months to extinguish due to dry weather conditions.

Carmanville Pond, Carmanville Wetlands

At Carmanville Wetlands I managed to attract the attention of two friendly dogs. After the previous day’s scare, I was glad to have them follow me along the trails where the sounds of birds filled the airways. The trails were easy walking with the Marshland Trail the best. The haunting twang of frogs resonated from the pond, a snow hare raced into the thicket ahead of me, and loads of insects flitted about. The trail was deserted except for the friendly black and white dogs that followed me back to the car park after the four-kilometre hike.

At the information centre, they were familiar with the dogs but not impressed, as this was a nature reserve.