NEWFOUNDLAND 2025
When we booked the Maritimes Cruise, I noticed right away that one huge section of the country (Canada) wasn't included... Newfoundland! It had long been on my list to go see this part of Canada, and since we were in the neighborhood, we added some extra time on the end of our cruise to fly there and explore our tenth province. We had a rough plan in place to try and make the most of our ten days at the other end of the country.
Deer Lake
We flew from Montreal, and landed in Newfoundland late at night/early in the morning (with the 1.5 hour time change). I was surprised to see the Car Rental agencies still open, but with all the Moose hunters coming in that night, my car wouldn't be ready for early pickup, I would have to wait until the morning, but being Enterprise, I could just call them, and they'd come pick me up..
The Hotel was nothing fancy, but they had a shuttle bus to pick us up, a comfy bed, and a complimentary breakfast.
After a hearty free breakfast, I called Enterprise, and they came to pick me up. A short drive to the airport to do some paperwork, and we were ready to roll in our little Hyundai Elantra. Welcome to the West Coast of Newfoundland!
We left Deer Lake and followed Captain Cook's foot steps to visit the Captain James Cook Historic Site for an impressive view of the City of Corner Brook and the Blomidon Mountains. The location of the site overlooks the Bay of Islands that were explored by Captain Cook. From 1763 to 1767 Captain James Cook directed a survey embracing the greater part of the coast of Newfoundland. The charting of this coastline was the first scientific, large scale survey to use precise triangulation to establish land outlines. It produced a collection of charts which remained standard for a century.
Our next stop was Woody Point to see the Woody Point Lighthouse, a 7.3-metre square, tapered, wooden tower, and a typical square wooden lantern. Constructed in 1959 to replace the original 1919 light. This lighthouse is located on a grassy Knoll overlooking the south arm of Bonne Bay, which was an important fishing area after the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, allowing France to fish off the west coast of Newfoundland, but not to settle.
From Woody Point we drove into Gros Morne National Park, and stopped at the Tablelands for a 4 km hike. The Tablelands are a unique geological formation that are unlike anything else in the world. The red and orange rock formations that make up the Tablelands were once part of the Earth’s mantle, deep beneath the planet’s crust. They were forced to the surface millions of years ago, creating a barren landscape that is unlike anything else in Gros Morne National Park.
The hiking trail follows an old roadbed as it skirts the base of the mountain. Unusual plants and rocks dot the sides of the trail, and the views are amazing. The trail ends in the glacially carved Winter House Brook Canyon.
It would be a fairly easy hike if the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it was. Walking back on the trail was much easier than walking up.
Rocky Harbour
Our final stop of the day is Rocky Harbour, a quaint west coast seaside village.
The place I booked is basically half a duplex, with a deck and windows looking out onto the harbour.
We walked over to Earle's, which apparently is World Famous because of it's Moose burger. Google says it's open until 9, their neon sign says they are open until 8:30, we arrive at 7:30 and the staff there tell us it's closed. So we walked to the other end of town and tried the Fisherman's Landing restaurant. As good a time as any to order a Lobster roll with a baked potato.
Today's Newfoundland adventures took us back into Gros Morne park, but first we had to stop and get a park permit as the booths on the highway are closed. We got a lot of good information on the area, and headed out to the landlocked fjord of Western Brook Pond. Carved by glaciers, stunning fjords, and plenty of waterfalls it is recognized for its beauty and geological significance.
The trail from the parking lot to the dock is 3 km, it's a fairly smooth gravel trail that takes you along some beautiful scenery.
We did the hike in pretty good time, and had a short wait before the boats would leave.
The pond is located in the long Range Mountains, the most northern section of the Appalachian Mountains surrounded by deep rock walls much like Norway. This 16 kilometre lake with a depth of 165 meters is home to Atlantic Salmon, Brook Trout and Arctic Char and a colony of cliff nesting gulls. The pond is a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers during the ice age 25,000 to 10,000 years ago. Its water is extremely pure. We were lucky enough to get on one of the last boat tours of the season.
A lot of the other people head to the upper deck and inside to the window seats, but Norine and I headed straight to the front of the boat for the best views. It was a little windy, but we were used to that.
With a comedy duo of local guides, we learn about the "pond", the rocks, as well as the history and legends of the area. One of those legends is the Tin Man who is trapped in the rockside, and the old man in the mountain, just having a rest.
At the far end of the pond is a small pier where hikers can be dropped for a 12 hour hike leading to great views over the fjord, nobody got off today.
I'm not sure if this waterfall is called Pissing Mare Falls, but one of them was, and the guide apologized for it.
We had a bowl of Chowder and Chili to warm up again, and let the crowds disperse before doing the hike back to the car. Our next stop would be The Arches Provincial Park. These arches were carved from the rock by thousands of years of crashing ocean waves, forming three natural arches. There was once a fourth arch but constant erosion eventually led to its collapse. Through them you can see the wild ocean crashing in. The Arches Provincial Park opened to the public in 1972 but visitors were photographing this breathtaking sight for as long as can be remembered.
The sign that really started our quest to see a moose, we learned about how the moose was not a natural animal on Newfoundland. Original settlers brought a pair to provide food options, they didn't really take, so they brought in 6 more, and now they have to cull the population every year to keep them in check. We were constantly watching the roadside areas.
We saw the sign for the SS Ethie shipwreck and decided to check it out.
Here during "the worst storm ever", the SS Ethie ran aground on December 11, 1919. She was a good ship, employed in the Newfoundland coast trade, and driven by both steam and sail. However, she could no longer fight the raging seas which were whipped to a froth by the high winds. Her passengers and crew feared for their lives as the icy water and rock lined shore threatened. Luckily, all were saved, including a baby sent ashore in a mailbag. Time has eroded her hull, but the story of the SS Ethie lives on in folklore.
There is not much left to see on the shore after 100 years, but there is chunks of metal ship parts still scattered on the beach.
Our final historical stop for the day was the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse. Lobster Cove Head was selected in 1889 as one of four new lighthouse sites along the west coast of Newfoundland. Four years later, an iron tower and illuminating apparatus were ordered, and a year later the lantern and apparatus arrived. But the light was not activated until the spring of 1898, when the necessary buildings had been constructed.
The Young family had been keepers of the lighthouse from 1902 until automated equipment was installed in the lighthouse in 1969, and the following year, Lobster Cove Head’s final keeper, George Young, retired. The area around the lighthouse shows historical aspects of the Young family including the rooms of their house, gardens and trails.
Tonight's dinner would be at a local restaurant called Buoy & Arrow. All combined it was one of the highlight meals of this trip, a beautiful sunset, a delicious Moose burger, my first (but not last) drink of the famous blue bottled Iceberg Beer, which is made with 20,000 year old iceberg water which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland. And we got to watch the Blue Jays rip up the Yankees 10-1 in the first game of the MLB playoffs.
The next morning we would pack up and head from the west coast, to the northern part, of the middle of Newfoundland.