labrador trip

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Welcome to the Labrador Region

• The Labrador Region
• Natural Attractions
• Cultural Attractions

About the Labrador Region

Popular Places in Labrador

• Torngat Mountains National Park
• Red Bay National Historic Site
• Battle Harbour
• Forteau and L’Anse-Amour

Experience Angling

Explore our natural attractions, labrador region natural attractions.

• Sunday Hill Lookout North West River
• Jersey Trail L'Anse-au-Clair
• Torngat Mountains National Park - Parks Canada Torngat Mountains National Park
• Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club Happy Valley-Goose Bay
• Pinware River Provincial Park Pinware River Provincial Park
• Labrador Pioneer Footpath L'Anse-au-Clair
• Redfir Lake-Kapitagas Channel Ecological Reserve Labrador City
• Lookout Trail - Pinware River Provincial Park Pinware
• Akami-Uapishku-KakKasuak-Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve - Parks Canada Mealy Mountains

Labrador Region Hiking & Walking Tours

• Postville Boardwalk Postville
• Torngat Mountains - Koroc - Palmer River Loop Trail - Parks Canada Torngat Mountains National Park
• The Seashore Boardwalk Rigolet
• Gin Cove Walking Trail Mary's Harbour
• Poets Path Makkovik
• Dr. Moret's Walking Trail Mary's Harbour

Explore our Cultural Attractions

Labrador region cultural attractions.

• White Elephant Museum Inc. Makkovik
• Iron Rock Brewing Co. Labrador City
• Illusuak Cultural Centre Nain
• Battle Harbour National Historic District/Heritage Properties Battle Harbour
• The Lawrence O'Brien Arts Centre Happy Valley-Goose Bay
• Gateway to Labrador L'Anse-au-Clair
• Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site L'Anse-Amour
• Labrador Interpretation Centre North West River
• Labrador Military Museum Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Labrador Region Historical & Cultural Festivals

• Jul - Aug, 2024 Away with the Whalers - Parks Canada Red Bay National Historic Site Red Bay
• Jul 19 - Jul 21, 2024 North West River Beach Festival North West River
• Jun 24 - Sep 14, 2024 Music@thegateway L'Anse-au-Clair

Customizable Itineraries

• 6 Days The Big Land
• 4 Days Labrador Coastal Drive
• 3 Days Torngat Mountains National Park

Videos far, far off the beaten path

The View From Here

• Image Caption 1

Expedition 51°: Travelling the Québec-Labrador Highway

Travel stories.

• Our Favourite Imagery 2023 By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Visiting the Living Museum of Battle Harbour: Step… by Bri Mitchell
• Our Favourite Photos of 2022 By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Expedition 51°: Travelling the Québec-Labrador Highway By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Mealy Mountains — Newfoundland and Labrador's Fourth… By Newfoundland & Labrador
• A Journey Home By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Six Amazing Things You Can Experience Only on a Hike… By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Five Ways to Experience Icebergs in Newfoundland… By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Preparing For a Day Hike in Newfoundland and Labrador By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Four of the best places to visit in The Big Land By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Why can’t it be the destination and the journey? By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Snowshoeing & Cross-Country Skiing in Newfoundland… By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Top 10 Bucket List Items in Newfoundland and Labrador By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Learning to Fish for Cod in Battle Harbour By Newfoundland & Labrador
• Red Bay UNESCO World Heritage Site By Newfoundland & Labrador
• South of Saglek: A Nunatsiavut Adventure Via: UncleGnarley.BlogSpot.ca

Picture Yourself Here #ExploreNL

Labrador region offers.

• Starting at $65 Per Person Jun 1 - Oct 1, 2024 Sunset Cruise Whaler's Quest Ocean Adventures
• 10 Days Starting at $5,295 Per Person Jan 1 - Aug 30, 2024 Southern Labrador Adventure Wildland Tours
• Starting at $75 Per Person Jun 1 - Oct 1, 2024 Whaler's Quest Whaler's Quest Ocean Adventures
• 3 Days Starting at $1,570 Per Couple Jun 10 - Sep 1, 2024 Most Easterly Hike in North America - Cape St. Charles Battle Harbour Historic Properties
• 7 Days Starting at $2,150 Per Person Jun 1 - Sep 14, 2024 A Lighthouse Inn + Whales + Bergs Linkum Tours
• 12 Days Starting at $4,190 Per Person Oct 18, 2023 - Nov 30, 2024 12 Day Comprehensive Newfoundland & Labrador Tour McCarthy's Party
• 2 Days Starting at $865 Per Couple Jun 10 - Sep 2, 2024 Trans Labrador Highway Motorcycle Special - Battle Harbour Battle Harbour Historic Trust
• 8 Days Starting at $3,895 Per Person Jan 1 - Sep 1, 2024 Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites on our Viking Trail Experience Wildland Tours
• 3 Days Starting at $1,570 Per Couple Jul 27 - Sep 2, 2024 Cod Fishing Package - Battle Harbour, Labrador Battle Harbour Historic Properties

See What Other Travellers Have to Say

Start planning your Labrador adventure

Labrador region accommodations.

• Oceanview Resort Motel West St. Modeste
• Packaged vacations starting at $1,370 Battle Harbour Heritage Properties (Cottages) Battle Harbour
• Oceanview Resort Cottages West St. Modeste
• Penney's Suites Port Hope Simpson
• Trail's End Efficiency L'Anse-au-Clair
• Pinware Haven Pinware
• Red Wine Bed and Breakfast North West River
• Amaguk Hotel Hopedale
• Riverside Efficiency Units Ltd. Mary's Harbour

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Getty Images/All Canada Photos

Welcome, to the 'Big Land': an undulating expanse of spruce woods, muskeg, bog and tundra that stretches from St Lawrence to the Arctic Circle and back again. The vast landscape contains military bases, little towns, Inuit and Innu villages, and some of the world's oldest geologic formations, the latter a most fitting addition to this most primeval of landscapes.

Leave the planning to a local expert

Experience the real Labrador. Let a local expert handle the planning for you.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Torngat Mountains National Park

Named from the Inuktitut word torngait (place of spirits), this national park is the ancestral home of Inuit and their predecessors. Its spectacular…

Red Bay National Historic Site

In the mid-16th century, Basque whalers came to the Strait of Belle Isle to hunt large numbers of right and bowhead whales and harvest their oil to light…

Grande Hermine Park

From Wabush, 39km east on Rte 500 is Grande Hermine Park, which has a beach and some fine scenery. The Menihek hiking trail (15km) goes through wooded…

Point Amour Lighthouse

At 109ft, this is the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada, with 127 steps to climb. When you reach the top, you will be rewarded with a spectacular 360…

Labrador Interpretation Centre

Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997, the Labrador Interpretation Centre is the provincial museum, which holds some of Labrador's finest works…

Gateway Labrador

In the same building as the visitor center is Gateway Labrador and its Montague Exhibit Hall, where 3500 years of human history and culture, including the…

L'Anse Amour Burial Mound

A pile of stones, placed here by the Maritime Archaic Indigenous people, is the oldest burial monument in North America. A small roadside plaque marks the…

Hopedale National Historic Site

You'll find a re-creation of a 1782 wooden Moravian mission complex at this national historic site.

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Let a local expert craft your dream trip.

Latest stories from Labrador

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National Parks

Jun 12, 2023 • 15 min read

Torngat Mountains National Park is the ancestral home of Inuit and their predecessors. As elders return to Hebron, we hear some of their stories.

Dec 7, 2018 • 6 min read

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Newfoundland and Labrador Tours & Trips

Find the right tour package for you through Newfoundland and Labrador. We've got 19 trips going to Newfoundland and Labrador, starting from just 4 days in length, and the longest tour is 18 days. The most popular month to go is June, which has the most tour departures.

19 Newfoundland And Labrador tour packages with 958 reviews

Newfoundland Adventure: Eastbound

This trip was a great way to see Newfoundland in a short period of time. We liked the small group size. Our guide, Simon was excellent. He was fun and flexible and very focused on our group. No complaints!

Newfoundland Adventure: Westbound

Mia Dion was the best Tour Guide we could have ever asked for. So very efficient in every way. Helpful, knowledgeable, polite, friendly and organized always.

• In-depth Cultural

Newfoundland & Labrador

The coach tour allowed us to visit many parts of Newfoundland Labrador that we couldn't have done driving ourselves. Our guide kept us entertained for the longer rides on the bus. Most accommodations were excellent a couple of the motel ones were only fair.

• Coach / Bus

Scenic Wonders of Newfoundland and Labrador (14 Days)

Did not see the Wellness Person doing a lot to help -definitely could have done more. Scenery was beautiful and a ordinary tourist would probably not travel all those mkm to see so many historical and special areas. Definitely benefitted from a tour director who was born in Newfoundland and a bus driver who lives there currently and knows all the hot spots. Placing a map up on the screen everyday would give us a better idea of where we were going that day. Even though it was weather related, still feel a little gypped that we couldn't do the Labrador portion of the trip. No icebergs, no moose, no Labrador, no whales.RGreat weather for the most part though

Newfoundland & Labrador with Iceberg Festival

I had wanted to see Newfoundland icebergs since reading about them in the Weekly Reader in grade school. I know it's often luck you see them but we did. It was a bumper year and our guide knew where to look. We also saw Puffins in two locations, Norse ruins, whales, moose, caribou and beautiful forests and geology..

Newfoundland & Labrador West to East

We really enjoyed our coach tour through Newfoundland &Labrador. We were well guided with No real problems that couldn't be looked after. Thank you Gerard for your awesome guidance and Raphael for your exceptional driving!

• Hiking & Trekking

Newfoundland & Labrador's Viking Trail from Corner Brook

We had a wonderful trip. Our tour leader was fabulous and our bus driver amazing. Both were very professional yet friendly at the same time. The route was well planned and we visited all the highlights. We especially enjoyed the visit to Labrador where we were fortunate enough to see icebergs. I would do it again if I had the opportunity.

Gros Morne Sampler

It's a fantastische adventure. Rebecca and Ian are experienced guides. I totales recommend it!

Circle Newfoundland & Labrador

• Walking Adventure
• Sightseeing

Gros Morne Adventure

Fantastic hikes, scenery, food, guides/drivers and accommodations. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to explore and learn more about Gros Morne.

Newfoundland & Labrador’s Viking Trail from Halifa

• Ocean Cruise

Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland—Encounters at the Edge

Newfoundland Explorer from Corner Brook

What an excellent tour and an excellent value. The tour director for Atlantic Tours went over and above. They undersold what we would be doing on our itinerary and we did so much more than advertised. However do your research for when to visit because the prime time to visit seems to be between mid June to early July.

Newfoundland Explorer

Newfoundland & Labrador's Viking Trail from Halifax

What people love about newfoundland and labrador tours.

My Husband and I truly enjoyed the small group of 9 . Any more than this wouldn't have felt like a family. Our group gelled well. The van would not be big enough if more persons were in the group. Highly recommend NOT to have a larger group for other tours. Everyone was interested in everything we did and saw. Everyone was at the same level of ability and agility. Our Tour guide Simon was very flexible with options if weather wasn't in our favour. Would recommend Simon for other tours. He was very knowledgable on our Newfoundland tour.

Well organized tour, but a large group of 41 slowed everything down

Newfoundland and Labrador Tours starting in:

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• Small Group (5)
• 7 Day Tours (6)
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• October 2024 (3)
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International Versions

• Deutsch: Neufundland und Labrador Rundreisen
• Français: Circuits en Terre-Neuve et Labrador
• Español: Circuitos por Terranova y Labrador
• Nederlands: Newfoundland en Labrador Rondreizen

Explore Labrador

Plan Your Trip to Labrador: Best of Labrador Tourism

Essential labrador.

Labrador Is Great For

The great outdoors.

• 2 Towns and villages
• 3 Other destinations
• 4 Understand
• 6.1 By plane
• 6.3 By ferry
• 6.4 By train
• 7 Get around
• 16 Stay safe

Labrador is the mostly remote and sparsely settled mainland portion of Newfoundland and Labrador . Named for 15th-century Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador, it's “the big land”: vast wilderness areas with abundant wildlife, whales and icebergs, some of the highest peaks east of the Canadian Rockies, and — almost as an afterthought — some widely scattered pockets of human habitation.

This great outdoors is one of Labrador’s prime attractions. Sport fishing and wildlife viewing are popular activities, along with taking in the starkly beautiful scenery. The towns, villages and outports have merit, too. Not just refuelling stops, many have sites or museums that provide glimpses into the culture and history of the region, and the Inuit, First Nation and European influences that shape it. But when moving on, you’ll be quickly reminded it’s a big land . Away from towns and villages, there are hundreds of kilometres of vast, open space where the large caribou herds and other wildlife can roam free — even along the one “beaten path”, the paved Trans-Labrador Highway .

Regions [ edit ]

Towns and villages [ edit ].

Within Labrador, there are hardly cities in the usual sense. Communities range from small towns to tiny outport fishing villages to remote Innu communities. Here's a list of the important ones:

• Labrador City —Wabush — Mining town and largest population centre in Labrador, with a modest range of dining, accommodation and shopping options. There are a handful of cultural attractions and a variety of summer and winter outdoor activities.
• Churchill Falls — Site of the Churchill Falls hydroelectric station and a small company town. The power station, the third largest in North America by power output, can be toured with advance reservation. There are also sport fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities in the area.
• Happy Valley-Goose Bay — A mostly functional town (pop 7,750) with some dining and accommodation options. It is the departure point for ferries heading north to Nunatsiavut . North West River , 40 km northeast of town, was founded in the 1700s as a French fur trade post and has a small number of attractions, walking trails and outdoor activities.
• Nain, Hopedale and the native villages of Nunatsiavut — The vast and remote Inuit land of northern Labrador with a handful of communities on the coast. Nain is the largest and has a cultural centre. There are a few national historic sites in the small villages and ghost towns.
• Cartwright — Small fishing village with limited tourist amenities. Provides boat access to Eagle River, a destination that has a number of lodges catering to fishing holidays.
• Port Hope Simpson — Small fishing community on the southeastern coast with some outdoor recreation opportunities.
• Forteau (and region) — The southern entry point to Labrador when arriving by ferry from Newfoundland. A number of fishing villages with some cultural attractions, the highest lighthouse in the province and some dining and accommodation options.

Other destinations [ edit ]

• 59.435833 -63.696389 1 Torngat Mountains National Park covers a huge area of wilderness in Nunatsiavut that extends to Québec's Ungava Peninsula. You'll find caribou herds, polar bears, and the highest peaks east of the Rockies — including Mount Caubvick, which stands 1,652 metres (just over a mile) high.
• Battle Harbour , once a bustling fishing station on an island near Mary's Harbour, is now the site of preserved and restored buildings from three centuries.
• Red Bay , the remains of a 16th-century Basque whaling outpost 65 km northeast of Forteau; it's now UNESCO-listed and a National Historic Site of Canada.
• 53.4 -59.3667 2 Mealy Mountains National Park

Understand [ edit ]

Labrador is part of the Canadian mainland while Newfoundland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The Trans-Canada Highway to St. John's on the island is beaten-path while Labrador is remote and isolated, a collection of wide-open spaces, small native communities, abundant wildlife and the occasional incursion of small-town commerce to support remote mining, hydroelectric and resource exploration. In some places, you can travel by road and see nothing but open space, moose, caribou and hundreds of kilometres of highway stretching far beyond the horizon - no villages, no fuel or other services, nothing but wilderness. In others, there is no road at all and the connection to the outside world is a seasonal coastal ferry.

Labrador is a vast and distant land, a place of huge open spaces, towering mountains and rugged Atlantic coastline where wildlife runs free across seemingly-limitless open spaces in harsh, unforgiving sub-Arctic conditions. Central Labrador's largely unpopulated interior lands are considered by some to be the last unspoiled land in North America, while Inuit-governed Nunatsiavut 's five remote native coastal villages are spread across more than 72,000 km² from Rigolet to Nain and from the Arctic to a portion of the Atlantic coast. The southern coastal areas have long been the home of tiny subsistence fishery villages or "outports"; a historic Basque whaling station remains as an archaeological site at Red Bay and other nations (including the Portuguese ) had established a fisheries presence centuries ago.

While Labrador is believed to be the Markland visited by the Norseman Leif Ericson in the 11th century and remains a site of first contact between peoples; getting there is not easy. One can take Quebec Route 389 , hundreds of kilometres of gravel highway (and the occasional one-lane bridge), from the Manic 5 hydroelectric site in the remote Manicouagan region of Quebec , crossing from the tiny mining village of Fermont into Labrador City . You can take a weekly coastal ferry from Sept-Îles and Anticosti ; this stops in every tiny settlement on 450 km of Québec "north coast" with no roads before finally reaching the Québec-Labrador border at Blanc-Sablon . One can travel between settlements by air in a tiny bush plane, or arrive by sea on a coastal ferry. The shortest of these crossings runs from Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula across the Strait of Belle Isle to Blanc-Sablon, from which one picks up the Trans-Labrador Highway through Forteau .

Much of Labrador (from Labrador City to Churchill Falls , Goose Bay , Cartwright and north to Nunatsiavut ) is in the Atlantic time zone (GMT-4, DST: GMT-3), half an hour behind Newfoundland time. Black Tickle (a declining-population fishery outport on the Island of Ponds) and all points southward ( Port Hope Simpson to Forteau) use Newfoundland's time zone.

Talk [ edit ]

While the languages of Native peoples are still widely spoken (as first languages) for much of the Native population, English is the main language of most people and a majority can speak it to some degree.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ]

Flying to Labrador requires a good deal of change and an affinity for small aircraft. Outside Goose Bay and Labrador West, informal is the best way to describe Labrador airports.

You can get to Labrador ( YWK  IATA ) from any Atlantic province or Quebec. Major airports with direct flights to Labrador include Montreal ( YUL  IATA ), Halifax ( YHZ  IATA ) and St. John's ( YYT  IATA ). You will likely be dealing with Air Canada or PAL Airlines from out-of-province or to the Island of Newfoundland. Air Labrador does short-run flights in Labrador, the Quebec North Shore and St. Anthony. These flights are expensive . Unless booked well in advance, a flight is upwards of $700, one way.

For the private aviator, Labrador is home to stunning geography and clear blue sky.

By car [ edit ]

The only overland through road from Quebec to Labrador, Quebec Route 389 , is a very long and difficult highway heading north from Baie-Comeau. Beyond the Manic 5 dam, the road is only partially paved; on a long stretch leading to the border at Fermont/Labrador City, there is only one stop for services. Gagnon, Québec is a ghost town , dismantled in 1985. Winding gravel roads with single-lane bridges are common in this largely unpopulated sector.

Highway 500 and Highway 510 make up the Trans-Labrador Highway . Highway 500, the road from Labrador City-Wabush to Goose Bay was completely paved by mid-2015. The highway continues as Route 510, which initially follows the coast southward. The segment between Goose Bay and Cartwright Junction (no services, no populated place) is over 300 km, plus another 100 km to the next fuel station in either Cartwright or Port Hope Simpson. (That's a 410-km gap between fuel stations.) The road continues through Red Bay and Forteau to Blanc-Sablon , where ferries cross to Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula . Beyond Blanc-Sablon, the road soon reaches an impasse (or dead end) at Vieux-Fort.

The last of the 1,100-km Trans-Labrador Highway mainline was paved by 2022; the Cartwright Access Road remains gravel, as does much of Quebec Route 389 between Manic 5 and Fermont .

It is not possible to continue overland to Sept-Îles as there is no road simply from Vieux-Fort to Kegashka (450 km westward). The few villages in that section are supplied by outport ferry or small aircraft.

By ferry [ edit ]

From the south travel to Labrador is by ferry from St. Barbe , Newfoundland to Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. It is then approx 5 km east to the Labrador border. The winter ferry service takes a longer path, weather permitting, Blanc-Sablon to Corner Brook , instead of landing in St. Barbe on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula .

By train [ edit ]

An old American folk song (first recorded 1929) tells of a fictional "Wabash Cannonball"; as countless musicians followed the same refrain, this train's tale got taller with every retelling. "From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific Shore, From sunny California to icebound Labrador..." began one version, which has the train call at a long list of cities from New York and Chicago to the California shore, "travelling through the jungle" and as far as Mexico .

The line ends at a seaport in Sept-Îles with no connection to the rest of the North American rail network. (Onward freight is carried more than 200 km by railcar ferry to Matane on the St. Lawrence south shore; the closest mainline passenger station is in Rimouski .) Service is limited. The passenger train no longer stops in Labrador City , although freight trains still carry iron ore from Wabush. Instead, they flag stop at a place they call Emeril Junction which is in the middle of nowhere: on the Trans-Labrador Highway , but a 45-minute drive from the city. There is no cell phone signal, no populated place at this location and no services. Unless someone is waiting for you, it is completely useless.

The native train still runs because, quite simply, there is no other way in or out of Schefferville overland. There is no road.

Get around [ edit ]

Options are limited. The only major road for anything other than local traffic is the Trans-Labrador Highway through Labrador City (food, fuel and repairs, lodging, shopping mall, airport) and Churchill Falls (company town with food, fuel, lodging, no repairs) to Goose Bay (food, fuel and repairs, lodging, air and sea ports); the road then continues south to Port Hope Simpson (fuel and repairs, lodging) with a 90-km branch leading to Cartwright (food, fuel, campground, no bank, no roadside assistance). The main road follows the coast through Red Bay (national historic site, small inn with restaurant, no fuel or grocer) to Forteau (food, fuel, lodging) and Blanc-Sablon (ferry to Newfoundland island).

The other options are ships (coastal ferries) and small bush planes. Many coastal communities, including all of Nunatsiavut , have no road. Their supplies arrive by a seasonal coastal ferry from Goose Bay or Lewisporte , the Nunatsiavut Marine "Northern Ranger", to be stockpiled for the long, bitterly-cold sub-Arctic Labrador winter.

Harbours are often blocked by ice until late spring or even the first few days of summer, leaving very tiny, very loud Twin Otters as the only year-round way into many isolated Labrador communities. Provincial Airlines or Air Labrador operate scheduled services up and down the coast, which are not inexpensive and often just as costly as the initial flight into the province from some distant region.

Local taxis and airport hire cars are only likely to be available in the largest towns, Labrador City -Wabush and Happy Valley-Goose Bay . Within the smallest villages (such as Cartwright or Port Hope Simpson ) it is possible to reach most locations on foot.

On the open road? Expect hundreds of kilometres of uninhabited territory, wilderness and open space along the Trans-Labrador Highway with no towns and no services. Keep a full tank of fuel, a full-size spare tire and tools and enough supplies to survive for several hours or more if stranded in sub-Arctic conditions. It's often hundreds of kilometres to the next town and the only way to call for roadside assistance may well be by satellite telephone.

See [ edit ]

Labrador City -Wabush is a mining community and tours may be reserved in advance; in Churchill Falls , visitors may see one of the largest hydroelectric dams in Canada.

Muskrat Falls was an impressive sight west of Happy Valley-Goose Bay , but development of a major hydroelectric plant has taken over the area; work crews (and the occasional group of protesters) are an obstacle to any visitors expecting access by the normal route off the Trans-Labrador Highway .

Goose Bay (5 Wing, RCAF) used to be a busy USAF and NATO fighter training facility; much of that infrastructure still stands and a hundred troops remain on-post. North West River, commonly referred to as 'Striver, and the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation are 35 km (on paved road!) north of Goose Bay.

Battle Harbour National Historic District, on an island opposite Mary's Harbour , is a historic ghost town but not easy to get to and impractical to visit as a same-day trip.

A former Basque whaling camp at Red Bay is an archaeological site , museum and UNESCO heritage site . Old villages, shipwrecks and lighthouses may be seen in some coastal locations in southern Labrador, along with one of North America's oldest burial sites.

Do [ edit ]

See the aurora borealis or "northern lights", fish for trout and Atlantic salmon on pristine and undisturbed rivers (fly fishing in summer, ice fishing in winter). See native crafts being made. Join a sightseeing tour by boat or even by aircraft to watch birds, icebergs, whales and wildlife.

Visit national parks, including the Mealy Mountains (near Cartwright ) and Torngat Mountains National Park (in the northern wilderness of native Nunatsiavut ). Gather wild berries. Take to the trails on skis, snowmobile and snowshoes in the winter; hike and swim in the summer. Engage in wildlife watching and nature photography . Try your hand at canoeing or kayaking... or even try outrunning the local blackflies before you are eaten alive.

Buy [ edit ]

Most mass-produced items are manufactured elsewhere and imported great distances, making them more expensive in Labrador than in destinations on the beaten path. In larger centres like Labrador City , there are malls and national chains just like any other town of comparable size. A small village is likely to only have one or a small handful of merchants.

There are a few locally-produced items which may be worth bringing home:

• Jams, syrups and preserves from local berries (bakeapple, partridgeberry and blueberry).
• Seafood can be shipped in frozen cargo to a few points relatively close to the region, such as Natashquan, Sept-Îles or Rimouski.
• Native and local crafts are popular. Native artisans create stone and caribou antler carvings, handmade slippers, seal skins, woven baskets and bowls. Artistic items such as jewellery, carvings, pottery, quilts and patches, paintings, postcards and photos make good souvenirs.
• Clothing, traditional cotton duck cossacks and outerwear are likely to be warm enough and sturdy enough to stand up to Labrador's sub-Arctic winters.

Eat [ edit ]

Labrador City , as the largest community in Labrador, has a mix of well-known regional and international chains, as well as a few independent or family-operated restaurants. There's a McDonald's, there's a shopping mall, much like other communities closer to the beaten path.

Churchill Falls is a company town with most services concentrated in the one main community centre building. The Midway Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as fast-food fare. There's also a well-stocked market.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay: KFC, Burger King, A&W, Mary Brown's, Pizza Delight, and standard bar/grill fare at the bar/grills. There is a co-op market as well as a second supermarket offering surprisingly fresh produce, great cuts of meat, and standard pre-prepared food. Compared to the rest of the country, they are both small and expensive but you will find most of what you are looking for.

Towns other than these have limited options, usually either a small grocer or general store, a modest restaurant attached to some other business (such as cabins or a country inn), a small takeaway or a tiny liquor store operated as a sideline in some other local business. Forteau has a grocer and bakery.

There are some local foods which are specific to the province or region; these may include wild game (such as caribou), local seafood, berries (such as "bakeapples" or cloudberries) and desserts or baked goods prepared with local ingredients. Native peoples will have their own traditions for local foodstuffs.

There is little or no agriculture in Labrador due to rocky soil and an impractically short growing season; this leaves many foodstuffs and supplies to be imported great distances from other regions, often leading to limited selection and inflated prices, a problem that only worsens as one heads further northward beyond the end of the road network and toward the Arctic.

Drink [ edit ]

In the few major towns, roadhouses with hard liquors, Molson or Labatt beer and plenty of country music are common. In smaller coastal outports, a free-standing bar or pub is rare; the bar usually operates as a sideline to a travel-oriented business such as a hotel or eatery.

Beer and spirits for takeaway are usually available, as the province will designate an existing local merchant as an "agency" to sell bottled spirits as a sideline (alongside other merchandise, from groceries to snowmobiles) where a village is too small to support a free-standing provincial liquor store.

As Nunatsiavut is a series of native communities, each village imposes its own restrictions. Nain has one bar (a hotel lounge). Beer (but not hard liquor) can be purchased for takeaway in Nain or Hopedale. Natuashish has voted to ban alcohol from the village entirely to curb substance abuse.

Sleep [ edit ]

There are hotels in Labrador City, Churchill Falls, Goose Bay, Port Hope Simpson and Forteau; most of these are small, local independents with no substantial presence from the major international chains. Each of the five active Nunatsiavut villages has a small inn, lodge or accommodation of some form, although space tends to be limited. A few small villages on the highway may have camping or RV/caravan facilities; these are highly seasonal in Labrador's harsh climate. The peak season runs from mid-June to the end of August.

One lone innkeeper with some token accommodation (such as five or six rooms) may often be the only option in the smallest villages, if there's anything. Be sure to have your lodging already planned and reserved before you leave, as it may be a long drive to the next town if the lodge is not open, or is full.

Outfitters or tour operators may bundle accommodations with various multi-day activities; a half-dozen outfitters camps offer fishing trips to off-the-grid locations on the Eagle River, west of Cartwright. These are usually fly-in (by float plane) or reachable by small watercraft .

Connect [ edit ]

As of January 2017, Labrador has Rogers coverage (and therefore GSM) only in Happy Valley Goose Bay and Labrador City. There is also a one remote Lynx Mobility site in Natuashish . Bell covers just a small local area within Goose Bay, Churchill Falls and Labrador City with 3G UMTS (WCDMA, HSPA). Anywhere else, including hundreds of kilometres of open road, there is nothing... not even mobile 1-1-2 or 9-1-1.

The provincial government does lend satellite phones with limited capability (enough to summon police if stranded on the Trans-Labrador Highway ); out-of-province travellers will need a credit card as a deposit to borrow these.

Wi-Fi does occasionally turn up in lodging establishments in some very out-of-the-way places (such as tiny motels or even fishing outfitters' camps which are off the grid and miles from the nearest road). In the most isolated locations, these networks are fed from satellite-based connections.

Respect [ edit ]

Labrador is host to a diverse population of Euro-Canadians and native people (Inuit, Innu, Métis); in isolated or remote areas such as Nunatsiavut (under native self-government since 2005) the traditional native ways remain strong. As in any other place, it's best to respect the local culture.

Stay safe [ edit ]

Be sure to leave each village with a full tank of fuel (or even a spare can, as it is possible that distances may be too great for lower kmpl/mpg cars). Distances between filling stations can be as much as 410 km and the Trans-Labrador Highway in a sub-Arctic winter at -30⁰C is not a nice place to be stranded for several hours. Bring a first aid kit as the only hospital may be hundreds of kilometres away (Labrador City and Goose Bay have small hospitals; a few other villages have a clinic with a nurse or nurse practitioner). Bring tools, spare parts and duct tape for emergency repairs where no assistance is available. Marine epoxy can be essential to patch punctures in gas tanks and fuel lines from rocks, especially in lower riding cars. A full-size spare tire, jack and tools are a necessity as rough gravel roads routinely damage tires and vehicles. Roadside assistance and repairs might not be available outside Labrador City, Goose Bay, Port Hope Simpson and a few points in or around Forteau.

Route 500 (Labrador City to Goose Bay) is entirely paved, as of mid-2015; the same is not true of Route 510 through Cartwright Junction or Quebec Route 389 from the Manic 5 hydroelectric dam to Fermont/Labrador City. While some roads are newly-paved and highway speeds are possible, others are washboarded rocky roads that can shake a car apart or send it into a ditch. Always drive at a safe speed, even if the locals do not. As elsewhere in the province, collisions with moose can be deadly; hitting other fauna (from caribou to porcupines) can disable cars in varying ways. The 9-1-1 emergency number is available in major centres (such as Labrador City); in smaller communities, individual seven-digit local numbers are needed to reach individual emergency services.

Lastly, keep your distance from dangerous animals such as black bears; any cornered animals readily react in an unpredictable or hostile manner.

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14 Day Canada Tour from St. John's to Deer Lake

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Wild beauty, hospitality, and centuries of maritime traditions await you on this Canadian tour. Each day brings a new adventure: meeting local fisherman, watching for whales and puffins, touring a nineteenth-century lighthouse, visiting a scallop farm and tasting your way around an Auk Island winery.

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Sightseeing highlights.

Explore St. John's and Gander

Discover Corner Brook and Twillingate

Visit Cape Bonavista, Terra Nova National Park, Gros Morne National Park, and UNESCO World Heritage sites of Red Bay in Labrador and Viking settlement L'Anse aux Meadows, and Port aux Choix National Historic Site 

Scenic Cruise along iconic Witless Bay and Gros Morne National Park

Scenic Drive along the rugged coastline of Western Newfoundland with a stop at the Arches Provincial Park

Quidi Vidi Brewery Visit and Tasting

Visit Quidi Vidi Brewery for a flavor profile demonstration and tasting of several house brews including their Iceberg Beer, made with 20,000 year old iceberg water harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland.

The Rooms Modern Cultural Center

Embark on an educational experience at The Rooms Cultural Center where you can enjoy the collection of exhibits and frequent events being held. 

See a Lighthouse in Cape Bonavista

Visit the Lighthouse on Cape Bonavista and see if you can spot whales, icebergs and puffins (in season).

Auk Island Winery

You'll love this tour and tasting experience at Auk Island Winery, savoring the flavors of Newfoundland berries and fruits.

Gander Beyond Words & 9/11 History

Join a local specialist for a tour around Gander, which served as inspiration for the international Broadway musical "Come from Away," Learn about the significant role this small Newfoundland community played during the 9/11 disaster.

Guided Walk at Gros Morne National Park

Join a local specialist on a guided walk of UNESCO- listed Gros Morne National Park. Enjoy a rare opportunity to walk upon the exposed Earth's mantle along the Tableland's Trail.

Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse

Visit the scenic Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse and breathe in the sea air.

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

Continue to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site for a tour of the UNESCO-listed 11th century Viking settlement with a Local Specialist.

Point Armor Lighthouse

The must sees continue at Point Amour Lighthouse. You’ll stand in awe as you look up to the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada on the limestone cliffs on the south coast of Labrador. You’ll unlock its history learning how it was built in 1857 by Canada to guide transatlantic steamship traffic down the Strait of Belle Isle. The lighthouse has figured prominently in the lives of the people of Southern Labrador for nearly 150 years. Today, guests can climb the 132 steps for panoramic views of the Strait of Belle Isle. 

Port aux Choix National Historical Site

Encounter a millennia of human history at the crossroads of four ancient cultures in Port aux Choix National Historic Site.

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Newfoundland and Labrador TRAVEL GUIDE

Fodor's Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada: With New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island & Newfoundland Whether you want to visit Cape Breton Island, eat fresh lobster and mussels, or learn...

Magnificent mountains, sweeping vistas, colorful wooden houses perched on rocky sea cliffs, hidden fjords, and the deep blue sea define Newfoundland. "The Rock" as the island is sometimes affectionately called, lures visitors with the promise of dramatic landscapes, incredible hiking and outdoor experiences, and the warmth of the people. Canada starts here, from the east, on the island of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. Labrador, to the northwest, is on the mainland bordering Québec. Along the province’s nearly 17,699 km (11,000 miles) of coastline, humpback whales feed near shore, millions of seabirds nest, and 10,000-year-old icebergs drift by fishing villages.

Off the east coast of Canada, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, as it is officially called, is a bit of a contradiction in terms: it's the youngest province—it joined the Confederation in 1949—but its European timeline stretches back to AD 1000, when Vikings made first landfall on the Great Northern Peninsula. They assembled a sod-hut village at what is now L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, calling their new home Vinland. They stayed less than 10 years and then disappeared into the mists of history. Preceding the Vikings were the Maritime Archaic people who lived in the region as long ago as 6,000 years. L'Anse Amour, a 7,500-year-old burial ground in southern Labrador, is the oldest-known cemetery in North America.

When explorer John Cabot arrived at Bonavista from England in 1497, he reported an ocean so full of fish they could be caught in a basket lowered over the side of a boat. Within a decade, St. John's had become a crowded harbor. Soon, fishing boats from France, England, Spain, and Portugal vied for a chance to catch Newfoundland's lucrative cod, which would shape the province's history.

At one time, 700 outports dotted Newfoundland's coast, devoted to the world's most plentiful fish. Today, only about 400 of these settlements survive. By 1992, cod had become scarce from overfishing and the federal government called a moratorium, throwing thousands of citizens out of work. The moratorium is still in place, forcing generations of people to retrain for other industries or leave, and the fishing industry has since diversified into other species, mainly shrimp and crab. The development of one of the world's richest and largest nickel deposits at Voisey's Bay in northern Labrador, near Nain, holds hope for new prosperity, as does tourism and the growing offshore oil and gas industry.

Despite Newfoundland and Labrador's more than 50 years as a Canadian province, its people remain resolutely independent and maintain a unique language and lifestyle. E. Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Shipping News (1993) brought the province to the world's attention, and Newfoundland writers such as Wayne Johnston ( The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, The Navigator of New York ), Michael Crummey ( River Thieves and Galore ), and Lisa Moore ( February and Caught ) continue to introduce international audiences to the province.

Visitors to Newfoundland find themselves straddling the centuries. Old Irish, French, and English accents and customs still exist in small towns and outports despite television and the Internet, but the cities of St. John's in the east and Corner Brook to the west are very much part of the 21st century. Wherever you travel in the province, you're sure to meet some of the warmest, wittiest people in North America. No matter how remote the spot, no one is ever bored in Newfoundland.

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St. John's

Old meets new in the province's capital (metro-area population a little more than 200,000), with modern office buildings surrounded by heritage shops and colorful row...

Western Newfoundland

The Great Northern Peninsula is the northernmost visible extension of the Appalachian Mountains. Its eastern side is rugged and sparsely populated. The Viking Trail—Route 430...

Eastern Newfoundland

Eastern Newfoundland packs in plenty of history and fabulous natural landscapes. The Bonavista Peninsula has archaeological artifacts; the Burin Peninsula is more about stark landscapes...

Central Newfoundland and Notre Dame Bay

Though called "Central," the most visited destinations in this area lie to the north between the Trans-Canada Highway and the shoreline. The true center of...

Avalon Peninsula

On the southern half of the Avalon Peninsula, small Irish hamlets are separated by large tracts of wilderness. You can travel part of the peninsula's...

• Gros Morne National Park

Because of its geological uniqueness and immense splendor, this park has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Camping and hiking are popular activities, and...

• Port aux Basques

In the 1500s and early 1600s, there were seven Basque ports along Newfoundland's west coast and in southern Labrador; Port aux Basques was one of...

• Fogo and Change Islands

Tales of the famous Fogo Island Inn have revived interest in this area for travelers from around the world. While Fogo Island has begun to...

Trinity is one of the jewels of Newfoundland. The village's ocean views, winding lanes, and snug houses are the main attractions, and several homes have...

• Greater St. John's

A number of must-see attractions can be found a short drive from the downtown core of St. John's. When you stand with your back to...

• Clarenville

Pleasant little Clarenville has a marina, a small bird sanctuary, and a monument commemorating the landing of the first transatlantic telephone cable. The town makes...

No one knows exactly where explorer John Cabot landed when he came to Atlantic Canada in 1497, but many believe, based on his descriptions of...

• Corner Brook

Newfoundland's fourth-largest city, Corner Brook is the hub of the island's west coast. Hills fringe three sides of the city, which has dramatic views of...

• Twillingate

The inhabitants of this scenic old fishing village make their living from the sea and have been doing so for nearly two centuries. Colorful houses...

• Harbour Grace

Harbour Grace, once the headquarters of 17th-century pirate Peter Easton, was a major commercial town in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beginning in 1919, the...

• L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

Around the year 1000, Vikings from Greenland and Iceland founded the first European settlement in North America, near the northern tip of Newfoundland. They arrived...

• St. Anthony

The northern part of the Great Northern Peninsula served as the setting for The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx's 1993 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel. St. Anthony...

Gander, a busy town of 11,000 people, is notable for its aviation history. During World War II, the airport here, now called Gander International, was...

• St-Pierre and Miquelon

The islands of St-Pierre and Miquelon, France's only territory in North America, are but a ferry ride away from Newfoundland. Shopping and dining on French...

The main road into Ferryland hugs the coastline, where tiny bay houses dot the steep hills. Ferryland is one of the oldest European settlements in...

Deer Lake was once just another small town on the Trans-Canada Highway, but the opening of Gros Morne National Park in the early 1970s and...

• Witless Bay Ecological Reserve

Four small islands and the water surrounding them make up the reserve, the summer home of millions of seabirds—puffins, murres, kittiwakes, razorbills, and guillemots. The...

• Grand Falls–Windsor

This central Newfoundland town is an amalgamation of two towns that were joined in 1991. The papermaking town of Grand Falls was the quintessential company...

• Terra Nova National Park

Newfoundland's first national park, established in 1957, offers natural beauty, dramatic Bonavista Bay coastline, rugged woods, and many outdoor activities. Moose, black bear, and other...

One of the loveliest communities in Newfoundland, Grand Bank has a fascinating history as an important fishing center. Because of trading patterns, the architecture here...

This compact historic village on Conception Bay is wonderfully walkable, with a public garden, winding lanes, and a teahouse. Brigus is best known as the...

Placentia was first settled by 16th-century Basque fishermen and was Newfoundland's French capital in the 1600s. The remains of an old fort built on a...

• Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve

The third-largest nesting colony of gannets in North America resides here, at the most accessible seabird colony on the continent. A paved road takes you...

• Stephenville

The former Harmon Air Force Base is in Stephenville, a town best known for its summer theater festival. To the west of town is the...

• Salmonier Nature Park
• Boyd's Cove

Between 1650 and 1720, the Beothuk (an indigenous culture know as the "Red Indians" to settlers due to the use of red ocher body paint)...

Cupids is the oldest English colony in Canada, founded in 1610 by John Guy, to whom the town erected a monument in 1910. Nearby is...

• Brigus and Cupids

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Newfoundland and Labrador Travel Guide

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The province of Newfoundland and Labrador only joined Canada in 1949, a controversial move supported by just 52.3 percent of the population at the time. Even now, parts of Newfoundland seem like an entirely different country. The island’s remarkable family of dialects, in essence an eclectic mix of old Irish and English, developed because the outports – ancient fishing settlements that were home to the first Europeans – could only be reached by boat. Today almost all are connected to the skein of side roads that plugs into the Trans-Canada Highway, but most of the interior remains an untouched wonderland of snow-capped mountains, fish-filled rivers and mesmerizing fjords.

Moose danger

Newfoundland time zones.

Newfoundland’s natural and historic charms are considerable, yet, astonishingly, the island rarely seems busy or crowded. Most visitors fly straight to St John’s , which provides the best introduction to island life, not least for its museums, enticing restaurants, bars and flourishing folk music scene. The city is also within easy striking distance of the whale-watching at Bay Bulls , the lighthouses of Cape Spear and the East Coast Trail , providing opportunities for everything from a short ramble to a full-scale expedition.

Newfoundland’s attractions don’t end on the Avalon Peninsula though. Tiny Trinity , on the Bonavista Peninsula, is perhaps the most beguiling of all the old outports, though Twillingate comes a close second and Fogo Island remains one of the most traditional. Gros Morne National Park , 700km west of St John’s, features wondrous mountains and glacier-gouged lakes, while another 350km north of the park, at L’Anse aux Meadows , lie the scant but evocative remains of an eleventh-century Norse colony, as well as a remarkable hotel in the old lighthouse on Quirpon island. The southern coast of Newfoundland chips in with the wild and windswept Burin Peninsula, which is a quick ferry ride from French-speaking St-Pierre et Miquelon , a tiny archipelago that is – as an imperial oddity – a département of France.

Labrador , though part of mainland Canada, has been tied to the island of Newfoundland since the 1760s, yet here too you’ll find a strong sense of identity, one that blends recent arrivals with ancient Inuit and Innu traditions. Iron ore mines and hydroelectric schemes drive the economy, but these industrial blemishes are mere pinpricks in the barely explored wilderness that defines this part of the province. Unimaginably vast, Labrador boasts some of Canada’s highest mountains, a jaw-dropping national park, a spectacular shoreline and a forested hinterland teeming with wildlife. A trip here is a true adventure.

A word about the moose : Newfoundland has thousands of them and they present a real danger to the motorist at dawn and dusk and to a lesser extent at night – so much so that many locals prefer not to drive at these times. The problem is that this large and powerful animal is drawn to vehicle headlights as if hypnotized and the results of a collision can be devastating for beast and human alike: on impact, cars typically knock the moose’s legs away, leaving the animal’s body to come barrelling through the windscreen.

All of Newfoundland, as well as the Labrador coastal communities south of Cartwright (from L’Anse au Claire, on the Québec border, to Norman Bay), is on Newfoundland Standard Time (3hr 30min behind GMT, and 1hr 30min ahead of Eastern Standard Time). Most of Labrador (Cartwright, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Labrador West), as well as the Maritime Provinces, is on Atlantic Time , half-an-hour behind Newfoundland time. St-Pierre et Miquelon also has its own time zone – half-an-hour ahead of Newfoundland Time.

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• The Bonavista Peninsula
• Central Newfoundland
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• The Humber Valley
• The Northern Peninsula
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Newfoundland and Labrador can be reached via popular national and international connections.

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Travellers can reach Newfoundland and Labrador via Marine Atlantic ferries which operate between North Sydney, Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland. These super ferries carry hundreds of vehicles and passengers to two entry points – Port aux Basques and Argentia

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How to Plan a Newfoundland Road Trip Itinerary in 2023

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Planning a Newfoundland road trip? I grew up in Newfoundland and have driven across the province more times than I can even count! In this guide, I’m sharing everything you need to know about planning a road trip to Newfoundland.

If chasing icebergs, hiking coastal trails, and watching whales breach sounds up your alley, then you will love visiting Newfoundland.

Located on the easternmost tip of North America, Newfoundland isn’t the most accessible destination to reach in Canada, but it’s certainly one of the most rewarding.

While planning your Newfoundland itinerary, it’s important to remember that Newfoundland and Labrador is a BIG province.

Even though I grew up here and spent the better part of summer 2020 exploring the island, there are still places I haven’t seen. Not to mention Labrador!

Although we are one province, Newfoundland and Labrador are quite different. Going to Labrador is a whole adventure on its own (which I hope to write about someday).

If you want to travel around Newfoundland properly, it will take you at least three weeks. Unfortunately, most people don’t have that much time, so you’ll have to pick and choose where to go.

This travel guide highlights all the best places to visit in Newfoundland so that you can plan a fantastic road trip itinerary.

Book your car rental in Newfoundland ahead

If you aren’t taking your own vehicle for the road trip, make sure to rent a car in advance, as car rentals can get booked up early in the summertime (especially in Newfoundland).

BEST CANADA CAR RENTAL COMPANY: DISCOVER CARS

When booking your Canada car rental online, I recommend and use Discover Cars. They search both international and local Canadian companies, so you get the best price.

All the airports have car rental agencies inside them, so this is the easiest option if you’re flying into one of the provinces from the mainland or abroad.

To find the best prices on car rentals, search Discover Cars. They will search all the main car rental agencies (Enterprise, Hertz, etc). so you can easily compare rental prices.

Bucket List Newfoundland Experiences

Go whale-watching! This is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Newfoundland.

Over 22 species of whales live in the ocean surrounding the island, including an abundance of humpbacks that migrate here every summer. It’s one of the best places to go whale-watching in the world!

The best time to see them is during July and August when the Capelin are rolling onto shore.

Look out for puffins. Newfoundland is home to thousands of puffins that nest on the cliffs every summer. It’s one of the best places for puffin spotting in North America !

Elliston on the Bonavista Peninsula is one of the best places to see puffins.

Chase icebergs . Every spring, hundreds of icebergs make their way from Greenland, often getting stuck in the bays around Newfoundland.

Visit Iceberg Finder to see where they are this year. Trinity, Twillingate , and St. Anthony are popular spots for iceberg spotting.

The best time to see icebergs is in the spring from April-June (although sometimes they can last until July). Boat tours can take you up close, although icebergs can also be enjoyed from shore.

Go hiking along the coast . With over 29,000 km of coastlines to explore, Newfoundland is a paradise for hiking trails.

You can find trails throughout the province, but some of my favorites are the East Coast Trail in St. John’s, the Discovery Trail in Bonavista, and the hiking trails in Gros Morne , one of two national parks in Newfoundland.

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Newfoundland and Labrador is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites (pretty impressive, considering there are only 20 in Canada ).

These include Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve on the Irish Loop , L’anse Aux Meadows on the Northern Peninsula , Gros Morne National Park , and Red Bay in Labrador. They are all spectacular and deserve a spot on your Newfoundland vacation itinerary!

Enjoy the fantastic seafood . Maybe I’m biased, but I truly believe we have the best seafood in the world

Enjoy freshly caught cod, lobster, shrimp, and so much more. We also have some pretty talented chefs and notable restaurants here. In fact, three of Canada’s top 100 restaurants are in Newfoundland!

How to Get to Newfoundland

Planning a road trip to Newfoundland isn’t as easy as the rest of Canada because it’s an island only accessible by ferry or airplane. Most people don’t realize just how far away it is from the mainland!

Travel to Newfoundland by Ferry

The ferry from Sydney (in Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia) takes about seven hours to reach Port Aux Basque on Newfoundland’s west coast.

There is also a longer ferry (16 hours+), which goes to Argentia on the East Coast. You can tour Newfoundland by car via these ferries or go on as a walk-on passenger.

Travel to Newfoundland by Plane

Newfoundland doesn’t have the best international connections. If you’re coming internationally, you’ll likely have to connect via Toronto or Montreal. From Toronto, it’s a 3-4 hour plane ride depending on the wind.

The fact that Newfoundland is out of the way often deters people from coming here, which is a shame. It’s a unique province unlike anywhere else in the country. There’s a reason everyone who comes here falls in love!

The best way to enjoy Newfoundland is by car. It makes an excellent addition to an East Coast Canada road trip if you want to see some of the other maritime provinces like Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

If you’re short on time, the best option is to fly into St. John’s (east coast) or Deer Lake (west coast) and hire a rental car from there.

If you aren’t taking your vehicle for the road trip, there are multiple car rental agencies in Newfoundland to rent from. If you’re flying in, you can pick up a rental car at the St. John’s International Airport or the Deer Lake Lake airport.

Getting Around Newfoundland

Back in the day, there was a train that went across Newfoundland that went along the coast. It’s such a shame that it doesn’t exist anymore.

Now the train across Canada only goes from Vancouver to Halifax , and from there, you can drive/take a ferry to Newfoundland.

Having a car is pretty essential for traveling around Newfoundland. There is a DRL bus that goes across the island, but it doesn’t go down the peninsulas where all the best places are.

Best Places to Road Trip Newfoundland

The magic of Newfoundland lies in the peninsulas.

There’s one highway that goes across the province (TCH 1), and driving across Newfoundland without detouring off the highway might not leave you with the best impression.

Sure, there are some scenic parts of the drive, but the best places to go in Newfoundland are by the ocean off the highway.

While planning your Newfoundland vacation, here are some suggestions for the best places to visit on your trip across the island. Note that this is by no means an inclusive list!

Newfoundland is full of unique small towns to see, and you could spend years exploring them all.

Eastern Newfoundland

Newfoundland road trip map

Avalon Peninsula

The Avalon Peninsula is where over half of the population lives, and it’s jam-packed with fun activities.

St. John’s and surrounding area

St. John’s is the capital city of Newfoundland and where I grew up. It’s a charming city with lots to see and do.

If you’re flying into Newfoundland, you’ll most likely be landing here. It makes a great place to start or end your Newfoundland travel itinerary.

Spend a couple of days wandering around the colorful streets of downtown, enjoying the nightlife and dining at Canada’s best restaurants.

RECOMMENDED ST. JOHN’S HOTEL

One of the most beautiful places to stay in downtown St. John’s is Blue on Water. This 4-star accommodation features beautiful interior designs and is steps away from top attractions.

If you’re a come from away (aka not from Newfoundland), do a screech-in ceremony downtown on George Street to become an honorary Newfoundlander. It’s a fun time!

Even though it’s a city, it’s not hard to find nature while in St. John’s. The entire city is surrounded by a network of trails known as the East Coast Trail , a beautiful coastal 326 hiking trail broken into 26 paths that stretch across the Avalon Peninsula’s shores.

There are also many other hiking trails in and around St. John’s . Definitely check out Signal Hill National Historic Sites for the city’s best views.

From there is a trail you can take that goes through the Battery all the way to Quidi Vidi, a charming fishing village. Afterward, take a drive to Cape Spear lighthouse, the most easterly point in all of North America!

There are many smaller communities surrounding St. John’s, which make great day trips. If you’re a diver, one fun thing to do is join a dive with Ocean Quest Adventures around Bell Island, where you can dive with shipwrecks.

Discover more things to do in St Johns Newfoundland

The Irish Loop is a beautiful section of the Avalon Peninsula that you can drive as a day trip from St. John’s, or spend a couple of nights exploring.

It’s home to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, one of Newfoundland’s best places to see puffins and whales.

RECOMMENDED WHALE-WATCHING TOUR

Departing from Bay Bulls, this whale and puffin cruise will take you to marvel at marine wildlife through the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

The reserve is home to over 2.5 million seabirds and one of the largest populations of whales in the North Atlantic!

It’s also home to the UNESCO world heritage site Mistaken Point , where you can see 650 million-year-old fossils.

Argentia/Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve

Following along the Trans Canada Highway 1, there are two more peninsulas you can explore on the Avalon Peninsula.

One is the turn-off for Argentia, where the ferry departs for Nova Scotia (this is the longer ferry). At the tip of the peninsula is Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve , a paradise for bird watchers.

Bay de Verde Peninsula

On the other side of the Avalon Peninsula is the Bay de Verde peninsula, home to Newfoundland’s most famous town: Dildo. Yes, you read that right!

Made famous by Jimmy Kimmel, Dildo is quite a cute place to stay with some great restaurants and even a brewery. It’s a great addition to your Newfoundland driving itinerary.

RECOMMENDED DILDO HOTEL

Why not stay overnight in Dildo? The Dildo boathouse inn is a great choice, with stunning sea views from the rooms to soak in the spectacular sunsets.

Continue down this peninsula, and you’ll come across more charming small towns. At the tip is Grate’s Cove – I haven’t had a chance to explore it, yet but have heard great things.

Brigus and Cupids are two other small towns along this peninsula worth visiting. If you’re visiting in August, don’t miss the Brigus blueberry festival – it’s always a good time.

Burin Peninsula

I haven’t had a chance to explore this peninsula yet, but I really want to because at the bottom you can take a ferry that goes to France! Yes, you can even visit Europe while road-tripping through Newfoundland.

St. Pierre et Miquelon is a small island owned by France, which you can visit by heading down the Burin Peninsula and catching a ferry. This has been on my bucket list for so long!

Bonavista Peninsula

The Bonavista Peninsula is one of the most beautiful parts of Newfoundland. Full of adorable small towns, gorgeous hiking trails , epic whale watching, puffin spotting, and iceberg-chasing opportunities.

The two best towns to stay here are Trinity and Bonavista, about 40 minutes apart.

RECOMMENDED TRINITY HOTEL

The Eriksen Premises is one of Trinity’s historic homes and a great place to spend the night. Antique wood décor is featured in all individually decorated rooms, and it’s next to restaurants and shops.

Be sure to stop in Port Rexton in between the two towns and hike the Skerwink Trail, one of the most famous hiking trails here. Afterward, enjoy a cold brew at the Port Rexton Brewery.

Discover more things to do in Trinity

Central Newfoundland

I never knew how amazing Central Newfoundland was until I visited for a week during the summer of 2020.

For a long time, I just thought of it as a place to stop along the highway on your way across the province. But Central Newfoundland has so much to offer than that. Don’t miss this part of the province on your Newfoundland trip!

Terra Nova National Park

Terra Nova National Park is one of two national parks in Newfoundland! You’ll drive right through it on your road trip in Newfoundland if you’re taking the TCH-1 across the province, but it’s worth detouring here if you love the outdoors. Terra Nova is an excellent place for camping as well as hiking.

Eastport Peninsula

The Eastport Peninsula , also known as the road to the beaches (route 310), is a great side trip while on a road trip through Newfoundland.

It takes you down to one of the cutest communities and picturesque beaches in Newfoundland. Yes, we have white-sand beaches here! There’s also a great hiking trail network here called the Damnable trail.

Hare Bay – Route 320/330

On the other side of Bonavista Bay is Hare Bay, one of the best places to go whale watching in Newfoundland.

We did a four-hour excursion with Hare Bay Adventures , and it was incredible to see so much marine life. The whales were jumping everywhere, and there were thousands of birds overhead.

Nearby is the town of Dover, where you can see the Dover Fault site. This is where the North American and European continents collided 150 million years ago! They have an interpretation site set up, and there’s also a small plane wreck you can see.

Keep driving on route 320/330, and you’ll reach Lumsden, which I’ve been told also has wonderful beaches.

Gander isn’t the most naturally appealing place in Newfoundland, but it does have some interesting places to visit for those interested in history.

Gander played an important role in WWII, as well as on September 11th. Made famous by the play Come From Away! There’s also an international airport here.

Twillingate and Fogo Island

Twillingate and Fogo Islands are quickly becoming two of the most popular places to visit in Newfoundland.

Twillingate is a magical town known for its epic iceberg-watching opportunities, hiking trails, and gorgeous coastline.

RECOMMENDED TWILLINGATE HOTEL

With its seaside charm, Twillingate is the perfect place to spend a night or two on your road trip. I recommend the Salt Box Co. , so you can experience what it’s like to stay in a traditional saltbox house.

Fogo Island has seen a boom in tourism thanks to the Fogo Island Inn, attracting celebrities and artists worldwide.

Be sure to hike Brimstone head to visit one of the four corners of the flat earth, and join Al’s walking tour here to take you around the historic town of Tilting. Afterward, Stop in Bang Belly for lunch for a delicious lunch.

RECOMMENDED FOGO HOTEL

We all wish we could stay at the Fogo Inn, but it’s not in most people’s budget. Instead, stay at one of The Old Salt Box Co. locations and enjoy sunsets over the ocean from your room.

There are also the Change Islands , where the boat will stop on the way to Fogo Island. Although not nearly as popular, I’ve heard great things about these islands. There’s a Newfoundland Pony sanctuary there!

Grand-Falls Windsor

Grand Falls is another place right off the highway that most people use as a place to sleep, as it’s about halfway across the province. However, it does have some fun activities to offer. For example, it’s home to the Exploits River, where you can go river-rafting!

Fortune Harbour & Bay of Exploits

This is one of my favorite places in Central Newfoundland. The Bay of Exploits is hands down the best place for sea kayaking in Newfoundland .

Fortune Harbour is just a small community nearby but makes an excellent base to stay in if you are joining a day kayaking tour with Adventures Newfoundland.

Kings Point

Another great stop in Central Newfoundland right off the highway is King’s Point, near Springdale.

It’s not only a great place to go whale watching but also for hiking. It’s home to the Alexander Murray Hiking Trail, a gorgeous three-hour hike that brings you to one of the best viewpoints in Central.

Western Newfoundland

Western Newfoundland is incredible. It’s got a completely different landscape than the rest of the province, with gorgeous mountain ranges.

Following the TCH-1 from King’s Point, it’s about an hour and a half until you reach the town of Deer Lake.

There are hotels here if you need a place to spend the night, but it’s also the turn-off for Highway 430, which takes you to Gros Morne National Park and the Viking Trail. There’s also an airport in Deer Lake, so you can fly here from St. John’s if you’re short on time.

Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne National Park is a must while road-tripping around Newfoundland. Just driving in Newfoundland through the national park is an activity in itself; the landscapes are stunning.

RECOMMENDED GROS MORNE HOTEL

Rocky Harbour is the most convenient place to stay in the park if you aren’t camping. I recommend Bambury’s Hillside Chalets, cute saltbox homes with a 9.5+ rating.

Be sure to check out the tablelands trails, where you can see what the inside of the earth’s mantle looks like. Gros Morne National Park was named a UNESCO world heritage site for its outstanding geological significance.

Gros Morne is full of stunning hiking trails , but one of the best to go on is Gros Morne Mountain.

This 800m ascent is no easy feat but takes you to one of the best views in the park overlooking the long-range mountains and surrounding ponds.

Another must-do activity in Gros Morne is a boat ride down Western Brook Pond through the fjords. I felt like I had been transported to Norway; it was breathtaking.

Great Northern Peninsula – Viking Trail

Route 430, known as the Viking trail , is one of the best road trips in Newfoundland.

It starts after turning off for Gros Morne from Deer Lake, taking you right through the park. However, it’s worth it to keep driving around Newfoundland to St. Anthony on the Northern tip.

There you can find L’anse Aux Meadows . This UNESCO world heritage site is one of the only Viking settlements outside Greenland.

At L’anse aux Medows, you can see a reconstructed Viking village and learn about this fascinating part of history in the Parks Canada interpretation center.

Most people stay in St. Anthony for a night or two here since it takes about four hours to drive from Deer Lake. St. Anthony is also one of the best places to see icebergs and whales in Newfoundland!

RECOMMENDED ST. ANTHONY HOTEL

Grenfell Heritage Hotel & Suites is a historic hotel in St. Anthony, centrally located in town. It offers fully equipped kitchens in the apartment rooms – we stayed here for a week and loved it!

Corner Brook and Humber Valley

Corner Brook is the second-largest city in Newfoundland, although only about 30,000 people live here. Nevertheless, it’s a great base to stay in if you’re exploring the west coast with many hotels to choose from.

RECOMMENDED CORNER BROOK HOTEL

If you’re staying overnight in Corner Brook, stay at the Hew & Draw hotel. This family-owned and operated, pet-friendly boutique hotel is thoughtfully curated with Newfoundland-inspired custom furnishings. Plus, they have a hot tub on the rooftop! It’s one of the best hotels in Newfoundland.

Corner Brook is home to Marble Mountain, one of the best places for winter sports in Newfoundland. In the summer, it’s got gorgeous hiking trails, especially around the Humber Valley area.

Codroy Valley

Codroy Valley is a hidden gem in Newfoundland . You’ll see the mountains in the distance driving towards Port Aux Basques, but it’s worth spending some time here. Sheltered by the long-range mountains, the weather is lovely here – and so is the hiking.

Port Aux Basques

Port Aux Basque is where you take the ferry to Nova Scotia. I haven’t spent much time here outside of that, but there are some places to stay overnight .

Another place that’s high on my Newfoundland list to check out is Burgeo, on the other side of the west part of the island. I’ve heard fantastic things about this area, although it’s more off-the-beaten-path.

Newfoundland Road Trip Itineraries

You could spend an entire summer exploring the best Newfoundland road trips and still not see it all (trust me, I’ve tried); I realize most people have limited vacation time.

If you only have a few days, I recommend sticking to one side of the island (East, Central, or West). Otherwise, you will spend all your time traveling. It takes about 12 hours to drive the province from East to West!

3 Week Newfoundland Itinerary

With three weeks, you could go on a fantastic road trip around Newfoundland, hitting many of the best places in Newfoundland:

• Day 1-3: Explore St. John’s, optional day trip around Irish Loop
• Day 3: Drive to Trinity (3 hours), optional stop in Dildo on way
• Day 4: Explore Bonavista Peninsula
• Day 5: Drive to Terra Nova National Park (1 hour), spend the night
• Day 6: Drive to Eastport Peninsula (1 hour), spend the night
• Day 7: Drive to Hare Bay (1 hour), spend the night
• Day 8: Drive to Twillingate (2 hours), optional stop in Gander
• Day 9: Explore Twillingate, take the ferry to Fogo Island that day
• Day 10: Explore Fogo Island
• Day 11: Take the ferry back from Fogo, drive to Fortune Harbour (3 1/2 hours)
• Day 12: Explore the Bay of Exploits
• Day 13: Drive to King’s Point (2 hours), optional stop in Grand-Falls Windsor
• Day 14: Drive to Gros Morne National Park (2 hours)
• Day 15-16: Explore Gros Morne National Park
• Day 17: Drive to St. Anthony (3-4 hours)
• Day 18: Explore St. Anthony/L’anse Aux Meadows
• Day 19: Drive back to Deer Lake or Corner Brook (4-5 hours)
• Day 20: Explore Corner Brook
• Day 21: Fly or take ferry back home

As you can see, even with three weeks, it’s tight to hit all the places I’ve mentioned in this post. Depending on how much time you have, you really need to pick and choose which areas you want to see the most here!

If you’re short on time, you can also fly between some cities in Newfoundland, such as St. John’s and Deer Lake. Although I do think touring Newfoundland by car is the best way to see the province.

2 week Newfoundland Itinerary (14 days)

With two weeks in Newfoundland, you can still see a lot of the province. I would still stick to two regions (east, central, or west) and make the most of your time there, spending a week in each.

Just combine two of the one week itineraries I’ve suggested above to make a 14 day Newfoundland itinerary.

Newfoundland itinerary 7 days (one week in Newfoundland)

With 7 days in Newfoundland, it’s best to dive deep into one region of the province otherwise, you’ll spend most of your time driving. Some people fly into St. John’s, spend a few days exploring the city , then head over to Gros Morne National Park for their remaining few days.

A week in St. John’s would give you plenty of time to explore the surrounding towns as day trips, as well as visit the Bonavista Peninsula.

Alternatively, you could spend the week exploring Central Newfoundlan d. We covered Eastport, Hare Bay, Twillingate, Fogo Island, Grand Falls, and the Bay of Exploits in one week. It was magical.

If you want to explore the Viking Trail , it’s best to fly into Deer Lake and stick to the island’s west coast. Spend the week in Corner Brook and drive along the Viking Trail towards St. Anthony, stopping in Gros Morne National Park along the way.

Best Time to Visit Newfoundland

The best time to Visit Newfoundland is during the summer months (July an August), as this is when you’ll get the nicest weather for hiking, and the whales are most plentiful.

However, if you want to see icebergs, springtime from May to June is the best time to visit, although sometimes they can last until July.

Fall is also a beautiful time in Newfoundland, and pleasant weather can last well until October. However, many tour operators will start shutting down in September, so this is something to consider.

If you love winter, Newfoundland can also be lovely for skiing and winter hiking . However, the weather is very unpredictable; so you’ll have to factor in travel delays to your plans.

Renting a car in Newfoundland

Car rentals are somewhat limited in Newfoundland, so I recommend booking ahead of your trip , as they often sell out in the busy summer season when most people are Newfoundland touring.

To find the best prices on car rentals, search Discover Cars.  They will search all the main car rental agencies (Enterprise, Hertz, etc.). so you can easily compare rental prices and find the best deal!

My favorite rental agency in Newfoundland is Enterprise, as they were fantastic to deal with when I had a car accident. The manager even came after working hours to help me sort everything out!

Don’t forget travel insurance!

Before heading out on any road trip, it’s essential to protect yourself with travel and medical insurance. You never know what can happen while you’re out on an adventure, and the last thing you want is expensive medical bills ruining your trip (because no, healthcare in Canada is not free for everyone).

As a digital nomad, I use SafetyWing travel insurance. For shorter trips, I recommend HeyMondo.

RECOMMENDED TRAVEL INSURANCE

Don’t forget to protect your trip with HeyMondo travel insurance. Get peace of mind with:

• 24/7 worldwide assistance (including covid)
• Extended Stays
• Cover for non-refundable expenses
• Heymondo assistance app

Newfoundland Tours | Trips to Newfoundland

A Newfoundland self-drive tour is the best way to explore Newfoundland. Unfortunately, there aren’t many guided trip options that tour the entire province, but here are some individual tours you can book while on a Newfoundland driving tour.

There are some bus tours that will take you around Newfoundland, but these are pretty expensive and generally geared toward an older crowd.

Lastly, there are some cruise ships that come to Newfoundland and small ship expeditions.

FAQ: Newfoundland road trip

How long does it take to drive around newfoundland.

It takes 12 hours to drive from St. John’s on the east coast to Port Aux Basques on the west coast. However, this is all along the main highway. If you’re detouring off the peninsulas (which you should), it’s going to take you much longer to drive around Newfoundland. This post has all the info you need.

How much time to visit Newfoundland?

Newfoundland is a big province and you could spend months exploring all the quaint towns and scenic drives in Newfoundland. To make the most of your time, you’ll want at least a week.

How big is Newfoundland?

Newfoundland covers an area of over 400,000 km², so it’s a big province and takes a long time to drive through. Here’s everything you need to know about planning a Newfoundland roadtrip itinerary.

Can you drive to Newfoundland?

Yes, but you have to put your car on a ferry from Nova Scotia, as Newfoundland is an island with no bridge there.

Have any questions about visiting Newfoundland or planning a road trip here? I know this was a lot of information, but there are just so many beautiful places to visit in Newfoundland.

Even if you only see one part of the province, you’ll still have an amazing time. Between the outdoor adventures and kind hospitality, Newfoundland is easily one of Canada’s most unique places to visit!

Visiting other parts of Canada? Don’t miss these posts!

• Where to Stay in Halifax
• Where to stay on the Cabot Trail
• The best things to do in Ontario in winter
• Top Toronto fall activities

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Lora is a full-time digital nomad on a quest to visit every country in the world and pet as many dogs as she can along the way. Over the last 15 years, she has traveled to 70+ countries and six continents solo. She currently calls Puerto Vallarta, Mexico home and enjoys ending each day with sunset and tacos on the beach.

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Lora—–my wife and i looking to spend 2-3 weeks in september and had a couple of questions 1. are the best fishing eating restaurant’s still open till sept.30th? 2. we are going to rent a vehicle, should we start at St. John’s or Deer Lake does it make any difference 3. our primary purpose is to sightsee and fish meals, as we have seen whales. Icebergs in our past. —plus any tips weather/car rental or must see’s much appreciated and Thanks—dave

hi Lora, it was nice reading your post. Planning a trip this August (as things are opening up now) I like to ask you which ones I should avoid if I do not want to hike (the strenuous and inclined ones) as I am not fit. I am taking this trip to do some photography (landscape, seascape, fishing villages and Puffins). Can you give me a hand in understanding your itinerary so that I can eliminate the ones that are not in my interest or fitness. Thanks.

Hi Reuben. While hiking is available in all of these places there are none that you really need to avoid as they also offer opportunities for photography and more leisure activities. Bonavista is a great place to take photos of puffins!

Newfoundland & Labrador Cruises

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• Silversea Cruises   - feature an inspiring voyage from Reykjavik to New York, visiting Corner Brook, gateway to some of the wildest wonders of Newfoundland's West Coast.  Silver Whisper  offers charms of a stylish boutique hotel with amenities of a grand resort, including four restaurants and many suite options, pampering, fine dining, and spaciousness throughout.  
• Adventure Canada   - offers a spectacular circumnavigation of Newfoundland that includes visits to picturesque villages, Viking archaeology, Basque whaling history, and hiking in Gros Morne National Park. The spacious, ice-strengthened  Ocean Endeavour  features twenty Zodiacs, advanced navigation equipment, and stabilizers.
• Lindblad Expeditions    - embark on a satisfying circumnavigation of Newfoundland aboard  National Geographic Explorer   and sail into Eastern Canada's breathtaking natural beauty.

Newfoundland & Labrador Travel FAQs

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Driving the Entire Trans-Labrador Highway

The Trans-Labrador Highway is now fully paved. It is a remote road with rare cellular service. Now tourists can enjoy a smoother ride along the way. With this in mind, we decided to take advantage of this and travel through Labrador. Therefore, we made our way from town to town for this bewildering Labrador road trip driving the Trans-Labrador Highway in its entirety.

Don’t have time to read? Pin it for later.

Where is Labrador

Labrador is on the east coast of Canada. This region, commonly known as The Big Land, is part of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its shores follow the Strait of Belle Isle, the Labrador sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Why Visit Labrador

Coastal Labrador will charm its visitors with stunning rugged coastlines, abundant wildlife and fishermen communities. Furthermore, the interior lands are full of untamed nature. Still, the scattered towns are rich in history and culture and eager to share their story.

How long is the Trans-Labrador Highway?

The Trans-Labrador Highway is 1100 kilometres long, starting or ending at either end, near the Labrador-Québec border near L’Anse au Clair in Coastal Labrador or near Labrador City in northern Labrador.

The Trans-Labrador Highway consists of two highways; the 500 and the 510. Highway 510 goes from L’Anse au Clair to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, where kilometre markers go up for the next 600 kilometres.

From Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the Trans-Labrador Highway continues on the 500 to Labrador City for 500 kilometres, with the markers going down. Hence, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is roughly the middle of the trip.

A bit of History

A popular choice for a souvenir is any jewellery made with labradorite. The stone is found in Labrador and some parts of Newfoundland.

The legend tells the story of the auroras trapped inside the gemstone, giving it its colourful, glittering look. Then, a courageous warrior freed the auroras by stabbing the stones with his spear. Finally, the auroras are back where they should be, in the northern skies.

Driving the Trans-Labrador Highway

Our trip started in Blanc Sablon Québec, just 6 kilometres outside the border of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since we had just finished our road trip across Newfoundland , getting off the ferry in Blanc Sablon, we kept driving east towards Labrador.

It is only a few minutes’ drive across the border from Blanc Sablon into Labrador, the Big Land, at kilometre 0 of the Trans-Labrador Highway. 

Time zones on the Trans-Labrador Highway 

You will go through two time zones as you drive the Trans-Labrador Highway. You will be on Newfoundland Standard Time from L’Anse au Claire to Black Trickle. Watch for the sign on the highway that will let you know when it is time to set your watch back. The rest of Labrador is on Atlantic Standard Time.

Road Trip Through Labrador

Each stop on the Trans-Labrador Highway has its charms. You will find the attractions for each town in the next section of this article. So whether you want to visit, hike or shop, you can use this to plan your epic adventure in the Big Land. 

L’Anse au Clair 

The first town you will come through as you cross the border into Labrador is L’Anse au Clair. 

Visit the Gateway to Labrador Visitor Center. An old restored church turned into an interpretive center. Discover the history of Labrador going back 9000 years. 

Hike part of the Labrador Pioneer Footpath, an old system of trails used by the first settlers to get around from town to town. The footpath comprises several paths, each section ranging from 6 kilometres to 15 kilometres, mainly easy to moderate hiking. In addition, keep an eye out for whales and icebergs on the trails. The footpath goes through a few communities along the coast.

Shop at The Northern Light Inn Gift Shop. 

L’Anse-Amour

Visit the Maritime Archaic Burial Mound National Historic Site of Canada, where a child was buried over 7500 years ago. It is the oldest known burial site in the New World. Some artifacts uncovered on this site are displayed in the Labrador Straits Museum at L’Anse au Loup. 

The Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site is the main attraction at L’Anse-Amour. It was built in the mid-1800s. You can climb the 132 stairs to the top of the lighthouse for panoramic views. 

Hike along the coastal trail at Point Amour while keeping an eye out for whales, icebergs and shipwrecks. The Raleigh Trail is an easy 2-kilometre hike that will take you to the wreck site of two British warships. 

Visit Parks Canada’s Red Bay National Historic Site on an old Basque whaling station that produced oil for lamps.

The Saddle Island Interpretive Center depicts the history of the last 500 hundred years of whale hunters and whale oil production.

The Right Whale Exhibit Museum has everything and anything about whales and their protection. 

Hike up Tracy Hill Trail. You will climb the 689 steps to the top of the hill, where incredible views of the bay and the town await hikers.

Shop at Whalers Gifts and Designs. The store has a variety of souvenirs and crafts handmade by the owner.

In the mood for a tour? Consult either Gull Island Charters or Whaler’s Quest Ocean Adventures .

#vanlife We stopped for the night in Red Bay in the Tracy Hill Stairs parking lot. It is a nice parking lot with enough flat space for a few vehicles and plenty of room to turn around. We had a wonderful view of the bay and the town.

Mary’s Harbour

Mary’s Harbour is a small community with dirt roads full of potholes to ensure no one exceeds the speed limit of 30 km/h. However, it is a charming town with sympathetic residents that will heartily welcome you.

Hike Gin Cove Walking Trail an easy 20-minute hike with an old boardwalk and wooden stairs leading to the ocean. The White Water Falls Trail is an easy 2.5-kilometre hike that brings hikers to waterfalls.

Shop at The Great Caribou Studio. The store is an excellent place to stop for good coffee and pastries. In addition, they have arts and crafts from local artists on display and for sale.

Battle Harbour

In Mary’s Harbour, you can catch a ferry to Battle Harbour. This tiny island off the coast of Labrador, where time stood still, has charmed visitors for years. So don’t miss your chance to step back in time with a visit to Battle Harbour and experience life as it was when settlers first came to the island.

Time Change

The time zone changes somewhere between Port Hope Simpson and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Watch out for the road sign that will let you know to set your watch back by half an hour. However, if you rely on your phone, you will have to wait until Happy Valley-Goose Bay, as there is no cellular reception until then.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay – The Heart of Labrador

Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the Heart of Labrador. This is roughly mid-way into our road trip across Labrador. Driving the Trans-Labrador Highway from L’Anse au Clair to Labrador City, this is a little more than halfway through.

To do in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Visit the Labrador Military Museum . The exhibits go back to WWII to tell the story of 5 Wing Goose Bay and the military history of Labrador.

Geocaching is a popular activity in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Hike in the Birch Island Conservation Area. It is a beautiful small park with boardwalk trails through wooded and bog areas. Also, picnic tables are on the premises. 

Hike Peace Rock and Scenic Waterfalls. The easy 1-kilometre hike is short but full of beautiful sights.  

Shop at the Northern Lights Building, where they have a bit of everything and anything.  

#vanlife There is an abandoned campground with room for the night. Gosling lake has a boat launch and a small beach. Some campsites are overgrown, but some are still usable. In addition, there are two overflow parking lots with plenty of space for large vans or big rigs. 

North West River

A road trip to Labrador is not complete without a stop at North West River. It is the oldest Labrador community, founded in 1743 by fur trader Louis Fornel. It borders Melville Lake and Grand Lake (or Churchill River). On the opposite shore is the First-Nation Community, Sheshatshiu.

To do in North West

Visit the Labrador Heritage Society Museum, which is the original building by the Hudson’s Bay Company for fur trading back in the day. They have an impressive collection of artifacts, pictures and documents from the last two hundred years, mostly donated by the town’s folks.

I was highly impressed by the few dozen models and sketches a local did. They tell the story of the town and its people, the natives, the settlers and their way of life.

Visit the North West River Interpretation Centre . The exhibits in this center depict the lives of native Innu and Innuit and the settlers in the area. Learn about the area’s history dating back to before it became North West River and since. Particularly the hardships endured by the people during the summer and to survive the long winters. Visual and audio presentations turn it into a storytelling experience.

There is also an auditorium with a list of videos and movies from which you can choose. We decided on the film Torngat Mountains, Northwords. It was an inspirational story, including the fantastic scenery of Northern Labrador. 

Hike the Lookout Trails from the North West River Interpretation Center. The trailhead is at the right end of the parking lot. 

Stop by the Sunday Hill Lookout for a beautiful view of the town below and the immensity of Melville Lake with the Mealy Mountains in the distance. Not only does the area has campfire rings and a picnic table but also a pit toilet. Because it is higher in altitude, expect wind, although it does keep the bugs away. 

Churchill Falls

Churchill Falls is a company-owned town. As you drive through the city, it is very peculiar; you will see rows upon rows of identical square houses of the same light colour. The only difference is the cars parked in the driveways. It almost looks like something out of the movie Vivarium, where all the houses are identical. However, the other buildings in town are pretty modern looking and colourful contrasting with the off-white and pale beige of the houses.

To do in Churchill Falls

The Churchill Falls Generating Station is a significant hydroelectric power centre. Visits and tours are available, but reservations are required.

Hiking in Churchill Falls

Hike the Bowdoin Canyon Nature Trail. It is an easy hike to the viewpoint of Churchill Falls. The path is wide and barely rugged. In addition, there are makeshift wooden stairs, but many of the steps are rotten, so be careful. Most hikers seem to forgo the stairs and walk down the path beside the stairs as it is not that steep. The elevation is minimal, but there are a few ups and downs.

As you hike along the trail, there are a couple of viewpoints where you can admire the canyon and the water down below. However, the lookout at the trail’s end offers a direct view of the falls with the metal bridge far behind them.

On your way back, keep an eye out for one of the first lookouts in the canyon. There, you will find a rope that leads down the slope to the bottom. If you have an adventurous soul, you can venture to the bottom of the canyon and walk on the rocks on either side of the river cascading down the canyon. Admittedly, it is an amazing landscape and well worth the effort required to hike back up the slope with the aid of the rope. 

The metal bridge is a one-lane bridge, one vehicle at a time. The narrow metal bridge that crosses the canyon and river offers beautiful views. However, don’t stop on the bridge as it is only narrow enough for one vehicle.

#vanlife We spent the night in the rest area on the west side of the bridge. It was a quiet night. The parking lot is large and level. 

Labrador City

Labrador City is the last stop on our Labrador road trip and the last city driving west on the Trans-Labrador Highway. This is the largest city in Labrador and is known for its mining industry.

Visit the Gateway Labrador Information Center for its interesting exhibits on the history of the city and Labrador. 

#vanlife We spent the night on a sandy peninsula by the water on Wabush Lake. It is a bit noisy with the traffic from the highway close by and the train that comes through every once in a while. On the other hand, the view of the water and the hills behind is beautiful. 

The End of the Road Trip in Labrador

Twenty kilometres from Labrador City is Quebec’s border, where this road trip in Labrador ends, but other adventures begin in Fermont, Quebec, on route 389 to Baie-Comeau . After 1100 kilometres, a few towns, small cities, and countless miles of meadows and forests, our Trans-Labrador Highway road trip is complete.

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Josanne is a Canadian adventurer and traveller. She shares her passion, hoping to inspire and empower individuals to embark on extraordinary Canadian travel adventures. She is committed to sharing immersive experiences celebrating Canada's unique landscapes, wildlife, and cultures while promoting responsible and mindful travels that cherish Canada's natural wonders.

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10 Comments

What an amazing trip, your posts really inspire me to want to visit Canada. Coming from the UK, the scale of the road trips and the sweeping landscapes are something else! Intrigued by the van life tips too- we’ve just picked up a Ford Transit van to convert to a camper. Self build, so fingers crossed we can pull it off but… van life here we come!

Oh!!! Vanlife is an amazing adventure! My partner and I build ours last spring, and we absolutely love it. It is a Sprinter. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need input on anything van conversion.

I’ve made this trip twice, plus the northern Ranger freighter, to Naim, twice. Excellent adventure, you have to be self reliant!!!

That must have been quite the experience! I hope to make it up there again someday!

What a great trip. We did this trip with 5 kids, 5 spare tires (we used 3) before the road was paved, from Baie Comeau in Quebec to the Blanc Sablon ferry, in a Dodge caravan pulling a popup tent trailer. It was absolutely spectacular. Camping spots were easy to find, local people very helpful, and getting the free emergency Satellite phone, comforting. At the time we needed to take the ferry through lake Melville from Happy Valley/Goose Bay to Cartwright. Being a mostly gravel road, it was quite an adventure. We live hearing your stories and are looking forward doing this trip again, a little more slowly, and enjoying the beauty of the north.

I am so happy you enjoyed it. Your adventure was quite different than mine on the gravel road with the whole family! It is still a remote area but the paved highway makes it a bit more comforting 😉 I am also looking forward to seeing it again some day!

I am planning to do this trip from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Montreal, in my Subaru Crosstrek. Do you think it’s a good enough car to make this trip without any damage?

Thanks Arnav

Hello Arnav,

You should be ok in your Crosstrek as long as you have good tires. The trip is amazing! Enjoy!

Were there any problems finding fuel? Did you carry extra fuel?

We did carry fuel just in case; although we did not use it, I still recommend it. We fuelled up every chance we got, and it was enough, but this will depend on what you are driving. The longest stretch without any gas station was about 400 km (250 miles) between Port Hope Simpson and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The other stretches were 200-300 km (150-200 miles) Labrador City – Churchill Falls – Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

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Scarcity of pet-friendly cabins on Marine Atlantic ferry frustrating for 1 pet owner after rough trip

Danielle irvine says her dog has special needs and had to spend 12 hours in a car.

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After a rough boat ride with her special needs dog, one traveller is frustrated with how Marine Atlantic treats customers with pets.

Danielle Irvine booked a pet-friendly cabin for her March 19 trip months in advance so she could travel in comfort with her rescue dog Wile E. Coyote, a 75-pound malamute-golden-St. Bernard mix.

However, she said, due to weather delays that postponed the trip, she wasn't able to get her reserved cabin. Instead, her dog had to spend the 12-hour trip locked in her vehicle.

"They are so cavalier as to say you can just stick your pet here, you can just do this or you can just get off. And that was literally the party line from every single person. So that is clearly the Marine Atlantic stance," Irvine told CBC News.

The only alternative option was a kennel.

Irvine was less than impressed with how Marine Atlantic handled the situation when she told them her dog couldn't be confined in small spaces. She said a manager told her she could also delay her trip for another two days when another crossing would have a pet-friendly cabin available.

Irvine said she couldn't delay the trip any more and her dog ended up in her vehicle for the duration of the voyage. She said the kennel wasn't an accessible or safe space.

She said in other circumstances, if leaving a pet in a vehicle, the owner can be charged with neglect.

"That is actually like an abusive situation. Unless you've got a pet who's totally cool and is going to snooze and be relaxed, right," she said.

Irvine had a downgraded cabin but she was told she couldn't bring her dog with her because other passengers have allergies.

"So in the end what they said to me was, 'the cleanliness of this cabin was more important than the mental and physical health' of my animal and my own mental and physical health because of the stress of this situation," said Irvine.

Now, every time she brings her dog near her car he panics, she said.

A pet-friendly cabin on their return trip also isn't guaranteed, she added.

Now, Irvine said she wants to see changes with how Marine Atlantic handles travelling with pets.

"I need them to remember that they are an essential service and not a destination, and so they need to actually look at the bigger picture of the traveling public."

Space is limited on ferry

Marine Atlantic spokesperson Darrell Mercer said the company tries to accommodate passengers but it isn't always possible.

The MV Blue Puttees and MV Highlanders have eight pet-friendly cabins, he said, with seven reserved for general passengers and one for commercial drivers. The pet-friendly cabins sell out very quickly and some have been booked a year in advance.

Unfortunately, Mercer said, there's high demand for those cabins.

The designated cabins, which are also for commercial drivers, people with disabilities and general passengers, is limited by available space on a vessel, said Mercer. The company also keeps the pet-friendly cabins away from the other cabins.

Mercer said when the company's newest ferry comes into service this summer there will be 31 pet-friendly cabins.

On the shorter trips, he said, there haven't been many instances where a pet has stayed in a vehicle.

On longer voyages where a pet-friendly cabin isn't available, he said, Marine Atlantic recommends people keep their pets in kennels as opposed to vehicles.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Whitten is a journalist and editor based in St. John's.

With files from Newfoundland Morning

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