Canada is a huge country with lots to see and do especially if you like nature and wild landscapes. We especially would like to see the Churchill area to see the polar bears and belugas and just drive up the coast to Alaska at least once in our lifetime. However it also has historic cities, French and English speaking provinces and the first known European settlement in the Americas at L’Anse aux Meadows, a target for us for quite a few years.
Visiting it is easy as English is widely spoken, besides French in Quebec, people are friendly and the vast majority of the country is safe. We stayed quite close to the border for a few years without being able to visit and then did a short visit to Toronto and Niagara Falls before moving to the south of the US. Since then we have done two major road trips, one to the west encompassing Banff and Jasper National Park and one to Newfoundland in late summer of 2024.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Leaving Newfoundland
Today we leave Newfoundland passing through Gros Morne for the last time and seeing otters and bald eagles on the way - Short exploration of the Trout River Pond Trail
We end the day with a short hike on the scenic but difficult Trout River Pond Trail and then dinner at the acclaimed Seaside Restaurant - Tablelands, a shorter hike than we would have liked
The major stop for today at Tablelands is cut short by rains but still we enjoy the great views but not the cold and the rain - Discovery Center visit
We make a short stop at the Discovery Center to look over the exhibits related to the native people and geological wonders - Southeast Brook Falls a nice and short stop
On the way to the Tablelands we stop for the the short and scenic hike to Southeast Brook Falls - Jenniex House and Humber Trail
We start the day visiting historic Jenniex House and breathtaking Photographer’s Lookout and taking a short hike on nice Humber Trail - Port au Choix National Historic Site at night, almost
In the evening almost at night we explore the Port aux Choix NHS especially the lighthouse and a few ancient sites while observing foxes - Thrombolites Trail, how can we resist it?
The Thrombolites Trail is a worthwhile stop for us as we really wanted to see some of the fossils that Newfoundland is famous for and these ones are some of the most special - A long dreamed about visit to L’Anse aux Meadows
After a long wait we finally make it to L’Anse of Meadows to see the first known European settlement in North America of which little is left - Evening Loop around Berry Head Pond
In the evening we do a short hike around Berry Head Pond looking for birds while enjoying the evening and the nice views - Beautiful hike to the foot of Gros Morne
We hike today to the base of Gros Morne past beautiful waterfalls blundering moose and exciting birds while enjoying breathtaking views and flowers along the way - A beautiful afternoon loop hike around Sandy Pond
Last major stop today is Sandy Pond Loop Trail a beautiful deserted trail along a scenic lake with lots of birds - Salmon River Short Loop Hike
We arrive relatively late at the Terra Nova NP and start with the short Salmon River Loop Hike at the entrance station of the NP - Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world
We cannot resist visiting the root cellar capital of the world and entering a root cellar but we skip on the puffin site as we already have seen puffins today - Ryan Premises NHS, an interesting historical location
Second stop for today is Ryan Premises NHS to understand the importance of cod and the impact of the cod moratorium on this fishing community - Puffins, Lighthouses and Statues at the tip of Bonavista Peninsula
The first stop is at the tip of Bonavista Peninsula to see the lighthouse Cabot statue and of course puffins and breathtaking views - Port Union, the workers and fossils town
Last stop for the day is Port Union a historic town own by a powerful fishermen union that was trying to provide fair prices for catches but now also famous for its fossils - Abandoned Trinity Loop Park
On the way up the Bonavista Peninsula we have to stop at the abandoned Loop Park near Trinity to explore the old railway and the adequately scary delapidated buildings - Vernons Antique Car Museum, a must see
In the middle of our relocation drive we stop at the biggest surprise of our trip the huge collection of well maintained antique cars at the Vernons Antique Car Museum - The Provincial Seamen’s Museum, a worthwhile stop
The second stop of the day is the Provincial Seamen’s Museum housed in a futuristic building and exhibiting artifacts and objects related to the fishing industry in Newfoundland - Short hike on Grand Bank Cape Trail
First stop today is at Grand Bank Cape Trail to enjoy a short hike along the shoreline and find some birds - Fortune the gateway to St Pierre and Miquelon
We spend two nights in Fortune but it is not to explore the village really it is more to spend the day taking the ferry to St Pierre and explore a different country - Lunch at Hortons and visiting the Hibernia Center
After lunch and buying provisions we stop for a short visit at the Manuels River Hibernia Center to see the trilobits at least inside the museum if we cannot outside due to rain - The Rooms, an escape from the rain and a modern museum
To escape the rain we have planned only an indoor stop today at the Rooms the new and exciting major museum in St John’s - Colonial Building and one last exploration of downtown St John’s
We spend the last afternoon and evening in St John’s by visiting the Colonial Building and surrounding area and having a nice dinner downtown - Cape Spear Lighthouse NHS, the most easterly point
Cape Spear Lighthouse NHS is worth visiting due to the World War 2 fortifications, historic lighthouse and the most easterly point of continental North America - Signal Hill NHS, a famous historical site in St John’s
We spend the morning exploring Signal Hill NHS with a loop that takes in all major sites like Cabot Tower, multiple viewpoints and Queen’s Battery - The magnificent Cape St Mary Gannet Colony
We end the day with a visit to the Cape St Mary Ecological Preserve to hike to the famous Gannet Colony where we can still see lots of Northern Gannets both nesting and flying around - Castle Hill NHS, an important French fortress
The last time sensitive stop today is Castle Hill NHS which protects what is left of a major French fortress that protected the Placentia settlement - Cupids Cove, the first English settlement in Canada
We spend an hour exploring an active excavation site at Cupids Cove where the oldest English settlement in Canada was found a few years ago - Exploring the historic Hawthorne Cottage NHS
First stop today is the historic Hawthorne Cottage an NHS site honoring one of Canada’s most famed Arctic explorers - St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland
We start our trip in Newfoundland with a three night stay in St John’s the capital and most populous city famous for its brightly colored houses and scenic location