Klondike Trail is a short, 6.3 km trail near Elliston that brings hikers to the geological marvel that is Spillars Cove and The Chimney, a unique, igneous sea stack. Along the way you may see local wildflowers, like rhodora, along with various trees, shrubs, and mosses. You may also spot puffins near The Chimney lookout.
Klondike Trail Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 6.3 km round trip
- Elevation: 166 metres
- Trail type: Out-and-back
- Time: 1.5-2 hours
- Trailhead: Klondike Trailhead — Other Trailhead
To reach the Klondike Trailhead, take Highway 238 from Bonavista towards Elliston. Just before you reach Elliston Cove, there will be a fork in the road. Take a left turn down Main Street and continue to the end. You should see a trailhead sign and you’ll know you’re in the right place. Google Maps should lead you to the correct spot.
Detailed Trail Description
The Klondike Trail is maintained by volunteers, and they do a great job of keeping the trail in nice condition. The hike is mostly flat, with a large trail throughout most of the route so you can walk side-by-side. There is a section of large, flat rock about 10 minutes into the hike. Continue straight across the rock in the same direction and you’ll connect with the regular stretch of trail again.
The beginning of the hike takes you through a section of forest, before breaking into a wide open landscape.
The wind is fierce out here, straight from the Atlantic, so not as many trees grow. This is how you know you’re getting close to the coastline. Soon, views of the cliffs across Spillars Cove come into view, as the path snakes up and around the edge.
When we completed the trail, it was very rainy. The rain got worse as we approached the ocean and the wind picked up. Inside the safety of the trees, you could get away with just a rain jacket, but we were very happy to have our rain pants on as well.
Before we reached the end of the trail with the viewpoint of The Chimney, we passed a small puffin colony. We stopped to watch the puffins for a little while as they flew between their borrows on the high, rocky island and the cliff where we stood. They also dove towards the sea to go fishing. This was our second puffin colony of the day, having spent the morning at Cape Bonavista.
Our final stop was views of The Chimney, a unique rock formation that juts out from the rocky cliffs of Spillars Cove. Not only is it visual stunning, it also marks the boundary between two geological halves of the peninsula, as is a recognized site within the Discovery UNSECO Global Geopark.
Hiking Back
The trail back took us about half as long as our leisurely walk in, totalling 1.5 hours on the trail. It was absolutely a worthwhile hike, even in the pouring rain, and I recommend you add it to your Bonavista itinerary.
