We don’t want to boast. Well, not too much. But Pippy Park is a treasure trove of natural and cultural riches.
Shades of nature
Take a walk on our wild side: our northern section, known as Three Pond Barrens, is a vast expanse of mature and immature forests, shrublands, barrens and significant wetlands. Lace up and hike our back country trails. You might cross paths with moose, fox, snowy owl, and even rare plant life such as the Leopard marsh orchid.
Our southern section offers a more rural and urban experience complete with ponds and rivers, woods, open parkland, and marshes that attract migrating waterfowl and the occasional egret and other exotics blown far off course.
In spring, our birch, larch, poplar and spruce dance a tapestry of green; in autumn our chuckley pears and blueberry bushes provide a tasty snack as well as a brush of scarlet. Visit Natural Features and Stewardship to find out more.
Cultural distinctions
The land base of Pippy Park has a long and fascinating cultural history. Much of the Park was once the site of pioneer agricultural enterprises dating back to the early 1800s. Several original homesteads remain within the Park’s boundary. These include Mt. Scio Savory Farm, the O’Brien Farm, and the Kelly Farm.
Today, Pippy Park includes the seat of the Provincial Government, Memorial University of Newfoundland as well as other cultural and educational institutions.
Many monuments and memorials can also be found within Pippy Park including: The Ocean Ranger Memorial, located on a commanding site immediately to the west of Confederation Building East Block; and statues such as those of John Cabot, Sir Wilfred Grenfell and Gaspar Corte Real. A brochure on the Sculptures and Monuments in Pippy Park is available from Park headquarters.
Come discover our nature we’ll throw in a whole lot of culture too.
Did you know?
- A new “variety” of the Leopard marsh orchid, a native of Europe, was discovered in the Park in 1996. How it got there is a mystery. Flowering in late July, specimens of this rare orchid can be seen growing at MUN Botanical Gardens.
- Pippy Park contains the world’s largest Flume Tank (Marine Institute), the world’s largest ice tank (NRC’s Institute of Ocean Technology), and North America’s only Fluvarium!
- The Ocean Ranger Memorial was sculpted by Scottish-born Newfoundland sculptor and painter A. Stewart Montgomerie. The sculpture is part of the Ocean Ranger Memorial garden, located on a commanding site immediately to the west of Confederation Building East Block.
- Burnt Pinch Road, located south of Fogarty’s Wetland, was possibly the site of a military road in the 1700s.
