From spring to fall 2024, Cabox Aspiring Geopark in conjunction with the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland and Labrador (IATNL) developed the first stage of the East Blow-Me-Down Trail off the Forestry Access Road above Benoit’s Cove on Route 450 on the south side of Humber Arm, Bay of Islands.
The trail replaces an excavator track to the town’s second water supply that served as the primary hiking route to the East Blow-Me-Down Mountains. It starts near a new parking lot created about halfway down the water supply road, which branches off the Forestry Access Road approximately 2 kms from Route 450.
Just past the parking lot, the trail branches off the water supply road and winds a short distance to Clarks Brook
where several strategically placed boulders serve as stepping stones across the 4″ to 14″ deep stream.
Once across the brook, the trail follows an ATV trail for approximately 1/2 km
before turning off to the left and climbing 140 m (460 ft) up and around a 370 m (1,214 ft) high forested hill named Lookout Hill.
After a 1 km trek through mostly fir, spruce and birch trees, the trail levels off and transitions to an alpine valley sparsely populated by larch trees (known locally as juniper) and an assortment of low shrubs that favour a generally wetland environment. Here hikers get terrific views of the 610 m (2,000 ft) East Blow-Me-Down Mountains and the upcoming route to the top.
But before tackling the mountains, a footpath branching off to the right provides an opportunity for a short 300 m (984 ft) hike to the top of Lookout Hill where hikers get a spectacular panoramic view of the Blow-Me-Down Mountains and adjacent Bay of Islands, including Guernsey Island (aka Weeball).
Once back on the main trail, it’s just another 300 m trek across the back of the valley and down a gentle slope
to a small crystal-clear stream flowing from the mountain cirque where a Stage 3 footpath will soon wind its way up!
