Where To Go?
Deadman's Bay, May 2004.
Where to go on Newfoundland? Which are the absolute must-sees? Which places can't be missed?
These are just some of the questions people ask me oftenly. Giving an unambigous answer to these questions is impossible. It all depends on how long you are going to stay on Newfoundland. Unless you like to sit and drive in your car all day, do not try to go and see the Avalon Peninsula and the Northern Peninsula and Port-aux-Basques in one trip, if you don't have one week or more to spend. This is because of the long distances and driving times.
My advice is: take your time. A fortnight will allow you to visit a good many parts of Newfoundland, but three weeks or more would even be better.
Absolute must-sees, that should not be missed, are:
- the national parks of Gros Morne and Terra Nova
- the breeding colony of Northern Gannets at Cape St. Mary's
- the Red Indian Lake
And - but it's hard to miss that - there is of course the scenic coast of Newfoundland with its sheltered coves and picturesque outports.
Below is a more comprehensive list of places on Newfoundland worth seeing.
Avalon Peninsula
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Cape Spear
Cape Spear is the most easterly point of land in North America. The name is a corruption of the French Cap d'Espoir.
The 1836 Cape Spear lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland. It has been restored to its 1839 appearance and shows how a lightkeeper and his family might have lived in the mid-19th century.
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La Manche
The deserted village of La Manche was a small fishing community situated in a small inlet surrounded by high mountains. The first permanent settlers arrived there circa 1840. La Manche remained tiny throughout its history probably because of the isolation and the rocky terrain, which hindered building homes and fish flakes (used for drying fish).
In the mid-1960's the community was under pressure by the government to resettle into larger, nearby towns.
January 1966 a severe winter storm hit the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula. An enormous tide washed away all the flakes, boats, anchors and stores of La Manche as well as the suspension bridge which connected both sides of the harbour.
Most of the houses were demolished, miraculously there were no deaths attributed to the storm. The entire economy of the village was destroyed so the residents of La Manche agreed to be resettled by the provincial government.
Today you can visit what remains of the village by hiking a part of the East Coast Trail that takes you to the former harbor. A beautiful newly constructed bridge spans the bay connecting north and south sections of the East Coast Trail.
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Ferryland
Ferryland is one of Newfoundland's earliest fishing villages and one of the earliest European colonies in North America. The colony was founded by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore, in 1621. The site is now being excavated. A well, smithy, stables, vegetable garden, cobblestone street, and what is believed to be Calvert's mansion have all been uncovered thus far. The colony's history is depicted in exhibits at the Colony of Avalon Interpretation Centre.
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Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve
Cape St. Mary's is a seabird sanctuary with the largest nesting colony of gannets in Newfoundland and the third largest in North America. Also, there are Black-legged Kittiwakes, Atlantic Murres, and Northern Razorbills. The vantage point overlooks magnificent sea stacks and offers an opportunity to photograph the seabirds.
A 13½ km road off Route 100 leads to the parking lot and Interpretation Centre of Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. The sanctuary may be visited year-round. In the summer the Interpretation Centre is open.
From the Interpretation Centre it is a 20 to 30 minutes walk to the vantage point which overlooks Bird Rock. Rising from the sea, this rock of granite is the breeding-place for many thousands of gannets. Bird Rock is also a nusery for thousands of murres, razorbills and kittiwakes.
Sitting on the vantage point, it's very imposing to observe the gannets from only 15 metres away. It's impressive as well to see these beautiful golden-headed birds with the two-metre wing span gliding by at eye-level.
Eastern Newfoundland
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Terra Nova National Park
Terra Nova National Park protects remnants of the ancient Appalachian Mountains. The landscape of the park varies from the rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs and ponds of the inland.
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Keels
Keels is a very nice and small fishing community on the west side of the Bonavista Peninsula. One of the local traditions has it that Cabot left a keel-mark here while stopping for water. Others have speculated it might be Kialarness mentioned in the Viking sagas. There are families here with the surname Keel, but the community pre-dates their arrival. It was a fishing station in 1675 and appeared on maps almost a century before that.
Central Newfoundland
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Red Indian LakeRed Indian Lake
This huge lake along the road to Millertown and Buchans (Route 370) is completely surrounded by forests. At the time Beothuk indians (also known as Red Indians) inhabited several campsites on the lakeshore.
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Baie Verte Peninsula
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La Scie
La Scie is located at the end of route 414 at the head of the Baie Verte Peninsula, between White Bay and Notre Dame Bay on the northeast coast of Newfoundland.
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Tilt Cove
Settled around 1813 or earlier, Tilt Cove was a tiny fishing settlement with a population of about 25. In 1857 Smith McKay discovered rich deposits of copper ore and in 1864, in conjunction with C.F. Bennett, began mining operations. In 1916, the population peaked to 1500. In 1892, the "Newfoundland Colonist", a newspaper, described Tilt Cove as "the leading town in Notre Dame Bay, with the sides, top and bottom of the mines being one solid mass of copper". In 1920 the mines closed and the population dropped to around 100 and remained that way until the mines reopened in 1957 and Tilt Cove experienced a re-birth. In 1967 the mines closed down never to re-open and today around 8 families live in Tilt Cove.
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Round Harbour
Round Harbour is a small community located on the Baie Verte Peninsula 11 km off route 414, settled in the mid 1800's. It was always a fishing settlement with a population from about 50 - 150, but as a result of the shutdown of the fishery today only 6 people are still living in Round Harbour.
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Twillingate
Twillingate lies, together with the communities Durrell and Crow Head, scattered on a couple of islands in the Notre Dame Bay.
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Kittiwake Coast - Road to the Shore
This drive runs from Gander Bay through Northern Bonavista Bay to Gambo. Along this route you will find wilderness full with trees, blue ponds and crystal-clear brooks, and white sandy beaches that stretch on forever. The Road to the Shore will also bring you to the historic fishing communities of Greenspond and Newtown.
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Deadman's BayDeadman's Bay
Miles of sandy beaches and rock which have endured the pounding of the North Atlantic. A great place for iceberg spotting.
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Lumsden
LumsdenOriginally Cat Harbour, it was renamed for the Rev. James Lumsden, the Methodist minister in the area in 1885. Near Lumsden you will find beautiful white sandy beaches.
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Newtown
Newtown is a remarkable community just off Route 330 that is built on several tiny islands joined by bridges. Here you will find the architectural gem of the Road to the Shore: a Queen Anne-style house built for Alphaeus Barbour in 1904. It's part of the Barbour Living Heritage Village.
Newtown
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Greenspond
Greenspond is one of the oldest continuously inhabited outports in Newfoundland. It was first settled over three centuries ago in the late 1690s, by people from the West Country of England. It quickly became a major center for the inshore cod-fishing grounds, also salmon and even some herring and lobster.
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Western Newfoundland
L'Anse aux Meadows
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The Northern Peninsula:
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L'Anse aux Meadows
At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, the remains of an 11th-century Viking settlement are evidence of the first European presence in North America.
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Quirpon Island
Quirpon Lighthouse Inn: a unique island experience in a 1922 lightkeeper's home on the shores of "Iceberg Alley".
(See also: Where To Stay?) -
Conche
Conche is a small community with a population of about 300 on the Northern Peninsula. It is a community with strong ties to its history, religion, the fishery, and the beauty of nature.
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Gros Morne National Park
Bonne Bay, Gros Morne National ParkGros Morne National Park is an area of great natural beauty with a rich variety of scenery, widlife, and recreational activities. Towering cliffs, fjords, waterfalls, marine inlets, sea stacks, sandy beaches, and colourful nearby fishing villages. Hike through wild, uninhabited mountains and camp by the sea.
The South Coast
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Coast of Bays
Here on the most isolated of Newfoundland's populated regions, many of the communities are accessible only by local ferry.
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Hermitage-Sandyville
HermitageHermitage-Sandyville consists of the communities of Hermitage and Sandyville. The community spans the peninsula that separates Hermitage and Connaigre Bays: Hermitage is located on the Hermitage Bay side of the peninsula while Sandyville is on the Connaigre Bay side.
Read more about Sandyville in the story Sandyville in former days.
Gaultois -
Gaultois
Located across the bay from Hermitage on Long Island, Gaultois is one of the isolated communities accessible only by passenger ferry. The 20 minute ride provides you with an opportunity to take a first hand glimpse of the coastline. The harbour is protected from the sometime rough seas by a narrow entrance and high cliffs.
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McCallum
The isolated community of McCallum is probably most reminiscent of the typical Newfoundland outport that would have existed prior to the 1900's. Access to McCallum is by air or boat only. The community is approximately a 90 minute ferry ride from Hermitage and the ferry runs once a day. The community is situated in a relatively enclosed harbour situated between two hills sheltering it from the rough Atlantic Seas. Travel around the community is primarily by foot, and one is able to canvas the entire community on a series of boardwalks and paths. Like days gone by, vegetable gardens can be spotted throughout the community.
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