Walking and Wandering Newfoundland
A mix of seaside hikes and fjord vistas, with side wanderings across the earth's mantle and through colourful outports. The great news is that you can get next to the icebergs and whales walking the most beautiful scenery we offer!
2021 Dates: Please contact for dates. 5 spots total. Easy to Moderate.
Our Goal
We aim to deliver unforgettable experiences through the day and comfort at night. Our accommodations are a treat in themselves – luxury inns, heritage inns in spectacular settings, centers of the community’s cultural life. Each chosen to add to your vacation experience.
The activity is not designed to test the endurance of our guests. We set distance and pace for each day allowing for plenty of time to relax, enjoy the scenery and watch the wildlife. On many days we are able to offer more than one route which allows each person to suit their own energy level.
Meals are an event in themselves where you will sample local cuisine from berries picked at the lighthouse, fish caught in our cove and traditional recipes. One night you will also enjoy theatre based on local stories.
We have found that the larger the group, the more impersonal the tour. We cap our tour at 6 people to ensure a small group, individual attention and flexibility in the itinerary to suit each guest.
Itinerary
Day 1
WELCOME!
Unearthly is the word that comes readily to mind to describe the hike today. Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the Tablelands where the earth’s mantle has been thrust up like nowhere on earth, allowing you to roam on a mountain which should be kilometres deep under the ocean. This geological classroom has a view like no other as you overlook the fishing towns along the shores of Bonne Bay. After the appetite building hike, we enjoy a meal overlooking the sea where you may watch whales pursuing their own seafood supper.
Day 2
If you think the shoreline to this point has been spectacular wait until your boat tour of Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne. This landlocked fjord was left as a slash in the cliffs when the last ice age ended. 2000 vertical faces slowly come together as your journey on the purest lake in the world. This voyage is surreal but guaranteed to give you memories to savour back in the real world. Afterwards, stretch your legs on a valley of ancient earth’s mantle that has made this park a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The landscape evokes images of the moon more than the earth, but this geological wonder has its own charms.
Are your senses still able to absorb more? Try an evening of theatre and see for yourself why Newfoundlanders are the friendliest and funniest people on earth
Day 3
Before Quirpon, you visit the only Viking site on this side of the Atlantic. Ten centuries ago, long before Columbus set sail, the Vikings landed in North America at this spot. The factors that led this astounding culture to inhabit and then desert this settlement will set your imagination afire. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site..
Your goal for the day is Quirpon Lighthouse Inn perched on the tip of an island off the northernmost point of Newfoundland. After being dropped at Grandmother’s Cove you strike out along the cliffs toward the inn. The cliffs offer balcony seats to the whales and dolphins that play in the waters below but also keep an eye out for smaller friends including sea otters and seals. For those with an appreciation of the ancient, we visit sod huts remains from an unidentified culture. These untouched artifacts are evoke the life of those that preceded us to this cove by millennia. Sip a drink and relax on the cliffs, helipad or in the indoor whale watching station as you watch the bergs and whales continue their eternal parade. This island is the best location in the world for watching whales and icebergs at one time. The unique currents and underwater geography bring an unmatched food source in next to the rocks and the whales aren’t far behind. The frigid Labrador Current pulls the “vast cathedrals of ice” from the arctic to smash against the cliffs.
Day 4
We didn’t want you to have nightmares so we saved the visit to the nearby cove of L’Anse aux Pigeon for today. This abandoned community was the site of a mass murder and suicide which was the climax of a tragic tale told in Earl Pilgrim’s book ‘Curse of the Red Cross Ring‘. It is only one of the stories of hardship that have made this island famous. We know more.
Day 5
The Thrombolite Walking Site will take you to see 650-million-year-fossils. This is one of only two places in the world to see these unique primitive life forms. The Deep Cove Wintering Site is where Newfoundland fishermen from Anchor Point would move for the winter to be in a more sheltered location and to be near firewood and wild game. This was a common practice and was known as winterhousing.
Day 6
At the isthmus of the Port au Port Peninsula is The Gravels and now renamed Danny’s Trail, has interesting limestone formations which have fossils dating from the Ordovician period. The stunted weathered trees look like they could have come out of a Tolkien novel.
After stretching your legs on the trail you head to your home for the night – Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn – and watch the sun dip into the ocean. The inn is a restored century old lightkeeper’s home surrounded by the Atlantic where horses and sheep wander at will through the meadows.
The southwest corner of Newfoundland features rolling hills that are an irresistible invitation to see what is on the other side. Avid birdwatchers will be made speechless by the rare birds and those that simply love nature will enjoy the eagles patrolling the cliffs and the silhouette of osprey carrying fish to their young as the sun sets in a limitless sea.
Day 7
Time to gain a little altitude as we walk the Starlite Trail. The Annieopsquotch hills offer a panoramic view of the Codroy Valley in one direction and a breathtaking drop to a pond behind you. The valley that beckons is covered with long alpine grass that traces each breath of wind. Some days the air is so clear you can see St. Paul’s island off Cape Breton. It is here I once virtually tripped over a newborn moose barely able to stand.
The Steady Brook Waterfall is the ideal spot to refresh yourself and when you taste supper, you will appreciate arriving hungry. After great food, retire to Marble Inn Resort and take advantage of the sauna or indoor salt water pool – just because you are on an adventure vacation there is no need to leave comfort behind at night.
Day 8
The mountains that overlook the Bay of Islands outside Corner Brook are remarkable for their ruggedness. From trails into secret swimming spots to isolated coves pinched between cliffs, today you enjoy exploring the coastline, beach combing and picnicking. You are only limited by how much driftwood and flotsam you can carry.
Cape Blow Me Down Trail formerly known as Coppermine Cape is a challenging hike just before York Harbour. It is a new section of the International Appalachian Trail which starts in Georgia and ends in northern Newfoundland.
The effort required to make it to the top of the Blow Me Down mountains is well worth it for the spectacular view! Look at the bright side – you have better vacation stories than any of your friends!
Tour Inclusions
Accommodations: Quirpon Lighthouse Inn (2 nights), Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn (1 night), Gros Morne National Park (3 nights), Humber Valley (1 night)
Meals: 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 suppers
Transportation: all transportation, including airport shuttles
Site & Park Passes: Gros Morne National Park, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Guides: Our local guides are full of stories and are trained in safety and hospitality. They are internationally certified by the Red Cross in Wilderness & Remote First Aid, BCU, Paddle Canada, the International Rescue Association.
Rates
Per Person Price:
$3,395 + tax, based on double occupancy
$3,795 + tax, based on single occupancy
All prices are in Canadian dollars. Plus applicable taxes.