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Suggestions for Travel Itineraries in Newfoundland

Suggestions for Travel Itineraries in Newfoundland

Old Jun 28th, 2010, 07:02 PM
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Suggestions for Travel Itineraries in Newfoundland

Hello All,

First just want to thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.

I'm planning to travel to Newfoundland with my boyfriend on July 31st to August 9th. We'll be flying into St. Johns and heading out from there to travel across the island to Gross Mourne and L'anse Aux Meadows eventually making our way back on the 6th for the folk festival ..( Hey Rosetta is playing YEAH!) Yes, I know this is a lot of travel time on the road.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggested travel routes. I don't want to drive on the main highway the whole time and like taking back roads. I know that we want to hit up some coastal towns, small villages etc, but don't know where to start or how to get there. I also like to stay away from touristy locations... I want to see the authentic Newfoundland...again I know Newfoundland doesn't get nearly as touristy as many other places so I'm safe.

We havent booked our car yet which I know is crazy. I just can't believe how expensive it is. $900 and thats a same location drop off...We wanted to originally do a different drop off but that would bring it up to $1700 WOah!

Thanks again and look forward to reading your post.

Super excited to see Newfoundland.

Jackie
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Old Jun 28th, 2010, 07:51 PM
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First of all - reserve your rental car.
Second, as you have noted your trip includes a lot of driving.
Is L'anse aux Meadows a must?
You will love the Folk Festival. Nice venue, great vibe and awesome talent both from within and outside the province.
What are your primary interests other than music?

cheers - Jerry
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Old Jun 28th, 2010, 11:43 PM
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Jerry is correct - first of all if you can find a car reserve it - there is always a shortage on the island in the summer. Next I suggest that if you really want ot "see" some out of the way places, i.e. the "real Newfoundland" cut back your proposed itinerary. You can get a good feel on just the East Coast. As hard as it is to believe there are not very many touristy places. I suggest you drive the loop around the Avalon and stop at Trepassy, there is a nice walk to some fossil beds near Mistaken Point, go out to Cape Pine and Cape Schott - you may see some caribou around there, and a definite must stop is Cape St. Mary's as it is such an incredible experience. An out of the way place that not many people have been to is the Change Islands. It is up near Gander - there is a small ferry that goes to Change Islands and Fogo Island which is also worth investigating. Not many places to stay on Change Islands, but there is an old inn in a fish merchants house called Seven Oaks. As for driving around the outports you may want to consider driving out the Bonavista pennisula - it is between St. John's & CI & FI. Near New Bonaventure there is a cart road out to Kerley's Harbour which is a community that was resettled and it makes for an interesting place to explore. What I have just described would be a jam packed week. If you like hiking there are plenty of hiking opportunities including the East Coast Trail. I do not think you will see any icebergs anywhere however last year in mid-July we did see a small one from the porch at Seven Oaks. There is a good chance you will see whales. Off the Bonavista Lighthouse is usually a good spotting place as is along the ECT. Hope this helps.
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Old Jun 29th, 2010, 01:37 PM
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@ Gannetmusic Food Food Food! I don't eat red meat but I hear I'm in for a lot of cod. Looking forward to that and seafood.

I also love exploring different cultures. Shamefully, this is my first Canadian trip outside of Ontario and Quebec. I finally want to see what my country is all about and I figured Newfoundland is a great place to start.

I did a recent trip with my boyfriend last year in Normandy and loved visiting the small towns, going to the farms, eating off of the land, meeting great people etc..

History is also an interesting part but I mainly want to exprience and immerse myself into the culture. Thanks Jerry.
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Old Jun 29th, 2010, 01:42 PM
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@katrinasl Thank you for the incredible reply. Do you mind if I send you my travel itinerary? I have a feeling you'll be able to sift out the 'crap' and add in some hidden gems. It's not created yet but based off some of response and some research I'm starting to get an idea.

We've reserved a car. We've also decided to not visit L'anse aux meadows...way too much driving. I was planning to go to Fodo or Twillingate. Now we just have to decide whether its worth it to go to Gross Morne park...we're undecided and not sure if we'll have all the equipment to camp and don't know if its worth it to go all the way there to rent a cabin. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks again to both of you. It's really helpful. Any other secret gems you can recommend based on what I've written below to help me craft my itinerary is much appreciated.

Have a wonderful day.

Jackie
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Old Jun 29th, 2010, 02:00 PM
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JackieP86,
My I suggest that you post your itinerary here. There are several people here who know NL fairly well. I've been co-leader of a couple of birding /whale watching tours to the island and have had some business interest in the music biz out there as well as spending quite a bit of time in various coastal communities, so might be able to help a bit.
You have picked a PERFECT location to "immerse yourself in the culture".
Jerry
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Old Jul 1st, 2010, 04:33 PM
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Hi Jackie,

This is my first time responding to a question on this site so please bear with me.

If you have any desire whatsoever, don't miss Gros Morne. It's one of the most beautiful parts of the island. I've been going back and forth there for almost 20 years and it still amazes me. If you go, don't miss the western brook boat tour. It takes you into the fjords and is just gorgeous. Also, I'd check out the Tablelands. These are rocky mountains that are made up of the inner core of the earth. There is at least one dinner theatre in the area. There are also a couple of beaches in the area -- the Atlantic Ocean is pretty cold in summer so you might not want to swim. There are several towns in the northern part of Gros Morne - Rocky Harbour, Norris Point, St. Paul's, Sally's Cove, Cow Head -- and several in the southern part - Trout River and Woody Point to name a couple. I suspect it may be difficult to get accommodations at this point because Gros Morne is a popular spot to tour but I'd try. It's not touristy though...as Katrina has stated, there are not very many touristy spots in Newfoundland. There are campgrounds if you are so inclined.

As for driving across the island, you're pretty much going to have to drive the Trans Canada Highway. It will take you about 7 hours to drive directly from St. John's to Deer Lake. If you have the time and want to break the driving up, I would spend some time in the Bonavista/Trinity area (about a three hour drive from St. John's). This is another beautiful area and full of history and culture. The Twillingate/Fogo area is also a nice place to explore and it will eliminate some of the highway driving. If you drive near Gander, directly on the highway is the aviation museum. They have a great exhibit on 9/11 when the planes landed in Gander. There is also a war memorial on the highway in honour of an US military plane that crashed in Gander.

I could go on but I'll stop for now. I'm from St. John's and my husband is from Norris Point (in Gros Morne) and we love driving so I've traveled all of the island minus the south coast and the Baie Verte Peninsula many times. If you have questions, I'd be only too happy to try and answer them.

Jill
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Old Jul 7th, 2010, 10:31 AM
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HI Jill
Great first response! This was actually my first post as well.
I'm crafting my itinerary and hope to have something together in the net week or so.
I know we're forsure going al over the avalon peninsula..across the northern coast to fogo islands, change islands and twillingate. We're now trying to contemplate whether we should drive all the way to Gross Morne or do something else on the east side. It's a lot of driving and I don't drive so it will all be on him.
I'm going to check out the places you've suggested above for Gross Morne. Do you have any places to sleep you'd recommend?
Thanks!
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Old Jul 7th, 2010, 01:37 PM
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If you only have from July 31 to Aug 6 and you want to visit the Avalon, Fogo, Twillingate and the Change Islands, you really don't have time to fit in Gros Morne. Save the west coast for another trip when you have the time.

You might have time for a stop on the Bonavista Peninsula--Trinity is certainly worth a visit.
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Old Jul 9th, 2010, 04:47 AM
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Hi Jackie,

As beautiful as Gros Morne is, perhaps it would be too much driving. I'm not sure where to stay out there since we always stay with my in-laws but I can ask for you. Perhaps Trinity/Bonavista might be a great substitution. This area is full of culture and history. http://www.townoftrinity.com/default.asp http://www.trinity-bight.com/random-passage-site.htm

One thing that you could try on the Avalon is Lighthouse Picnics. I haven't gone there (yet) but I hear it is a wonderful experience. http://lighthousepicnics.sytes.net/ I would suggest booking ahead.

The Salmonier Nature Park on Salmonier line is also really nice. It's a "natural", in the woods zoo and it's free. http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/snp/visitation/index.html Cape St. Mary's is a great spot if you like birds. http://www.greatcanadianparks.com/nf...mary/index.htm

If you need a break driving through Terra Nova National Park, there is a nice sandy beach along the highway called Sandy Pond. Unfortunately you need a day pass (which you can buy at the beach) but it is one of the nicer sandy beaches on the island and it's fresh water.

I have to run now but if I think of any other nice spots to visit, I'll send them along.

Take care,
Jill
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Old Jul 9th, 2010, 07:11 AM
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Hey Everyone,

So here is my loose Itinerary. I haven't plugged in all of the details but I'm mapped out the route we're planning on going. Thanks for all the suggestions it's really helped make this a lot easier.

Day 1 – arrive in St Johns (12P) - spend the day
Day 2 – Drive to Bonavista via 230 (via Trinity) stay for the night
Day 3- Drive Bonavsista Bay Hwy to Terra Nova National Park- camp or find cabin
Day 4 – More Terra then Drive the coast on the 320 stopping into towns on the way – stay in one of the towns or head to islands.
Day 5 – Take ferry to Fogo, Change & Twilingate (island hoping) spend the night on one of them
Day 6 - a little more island fever (either stay the night or head inland on route to St Johns)
Day 7 -if we stayed the night head inland through gander making few stops back to st johns-
Day 8 – - take a day to relax or drive the avalon peninsula – sleep in st johns
Day 9 – drive the avalon peninsula stopping in towns – sleep in st johns
Day 10 – CAPE SPEAR in the morning - Leave St Johns for Toronto at 12P


If you guys have any suggestions for towns to see while on route, or small shops/restos please let me know.

Jackie
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Old Jul 9th, 2010, 07:39 AM
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I'd be cautious about going to Cape Spear before a noon flight. You might well encounter fog which would delay your return in time to make your flight (ie it might be clear on the way out and then a fog could roll in.)

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/spear...o-weather.aspx
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Old Jul 11th, 2010, 02:16 PM
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Hi Jackie,

I have lots of suggestions!

If you are camping in Terra Nova, you have two campgrounds to select from: Malady Head and Newman Sound. Newman Sound is the bigger of the two parks -- family oriented, more services, and probably party-goer oriented though it's never been particularly noisy when I've been there. Malady Head is more of a quiet, romantic, less occupied park. I've camped in both and really like Malady Head. If you are looking for a cabin, you will find them down the Eastport Peninsula. Traytown and Eastport are the two main communities for them but there are cabins all over that area. One note, however. This tends to be a place where a lot of locals go for summer holidays so I would book in advance if you can. I particularly like Pinetree Lodge and Cabins in Traytown. http://www.pinetreelodge.ca/
The Eastport Peninsula is also a really nice drive with a couple of beaches: Eastport beach and Sandy Cove beach.

I don't have many suggestions for route 330 -- I've only driven through there once. One place that we did visit was Dover and the Dover Fault line. This line marks the boundary where the European and North American continents collided 150 million years ago. I hear that the beaches around Musgrave Harbour are supposed to be beautiful. (My goodness...I'm mentioning a lot of beaches and I'm not even that much of a beachgoer myself.)


For day 8, I'd probably hang around the city. You could see the fluvarium, Signal Hill, the Geo Centre, downtown, or the Rooms just to name a few ideas. Or, perhaps a bird and whale watching tour south of the city in Bay Bulls. That's also a busy week in St. John's with the George Street Festival, Regatta Day, and the Folk Festival though you'd only be back in time to see the Folk Festival.

Another note...driving the Avalon takes a lot longer than it looks on the map. The speed limit is 50km/h for a lot of it. If you are heading south down route 10 (also called the Irish Loop) towards Trepassey, north on route 90 (via St. Mary's) and then take route 100 to see Cape St. Mary's and then north to the Trans Canada via Placentia, that will take the better part of a day. I would estimate around 5-6 hours just for the driving.

If you leave St. John's and travel on the CBS highway (route 60) which will eventually connect to Conception Bay North (route 70) and onwards to Grates Cove (via Bay Roberts and Carbonear and then back to the highway on route 80 (via Winterton and Heart's Delight), that will take another 4-5 hours. There are ways to shorten this trip. You could take the TCH until you reach the Veteran's Memorial Highway (route 75). This will take you directly to Carbonear. However, you will miss pretty communities like Cupids and Brigus if you do that. Cupids is celebrating it's 400th anniversary as the first English settlement in North America.
http://cupids400.com/english/index.php
There are also other places that you could jump off the TCH like Salmonier Line, Avondale, or Hollyrood.

And don't worry...unless, you run into car trouble, you will easily be able to see Cape Spear and get back in time for your flight. It's only about 15 minutes from the city, and yes, it is often foggy there, but it will not pose any problems with driving. I would recommend leaving your hotel by 8am or so just to be sure. If you have time, when you leave Cape Spear, there is a road that will take you to Petty Harbour which is a lovely picturesque community. And it is where Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea was born. I would suggest that if you do this route, to turn around once you pass through Petty Harbour so you don't get lost.
http://www.pettyharbourmaddoxcove.ca/default.php

Hope this helps!

Jill
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Old Jul 11th, 2010, 03:10 PM
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I expect that Jill is right about Cape Spear. It's just that I get very cautious when I have a flight to catch--perhaps overly so.
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Old Jul 11th, 2010, 04:48 PM
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Sorry laverendrye. I hope you didn't mind me contradicting you. It's just that I've been up to Cape Spear many, many times and I'd hate for Jackie to miss it. The waves around Cape Spear can be amazing. Our airport is not extremely busy either so as long as she's there by 10:00am, she should easily make her flight. Or Jackie, perhaps move the Cape Spear trip to another day?
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Old Jul 11th, 2010, 05:41 PM
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Hi, Sorry I did not respond to your earlier post, but I just got back from two weeks in Nfld (Gros Morne & Burgeo)..... Interesting - Hey Rosetta is playing for two sold-out nights at the Heritage Theatre (150 seats) in Woody Point earlier in July. I "heard" they had promised Charlie Payne last year to always perform there each summer. I must look them up on You Tube as I am not familiar with their music. About your itinerary - you will be seeing a good cross section of the eastern half of the island. Someone above said driving the Irish Loop will take all day and that is correct. I usually spend several days exploring. My favorite spot on the Island - is on that drive - Cape St. Mary's is a must see. For me that takes about 4 hours because I just stay and stay and walk along the cliffs. Also lots of the places I mentioned in my earlier post are along the Irish Loop. My suggestion is think about what you want to accomplish.... do you want to see things? or experience Newfoundland? Newfoundland is a beautiful island but the people are its greatest resource..... lovely, friendly, honest, fun people. I like to stay in a place a couple days to get the "feel" of it. If it was my 10 days, I would plan on two to three nights on the Bonavista Pennisula. Try to catch the pageant in Trinity - it is not touristy - it is a wonderful, interactive historical view - I actually got emotional there. One of my fave restaurants is Dock Side Marina in Trinity. For us, Trinity is always worth several hours (without the pageant) as it is just a fun place to walk around and hang out looking at the sea. The dinner theatre is good there too. I like to stay out in Bonavista - again we spend hours up by the lighthouse - whale and puffin watching. The Harbourview B&B is very good - Albert is quite a character & Florence bakes a mean pie. It is right across the street from the Matthew & Ryan's Premises. I would then plan 2 to 3 nights in either Fogo or Change Islands or maybe split between the two. I am not particularly fond of Twillingate and I heard there are no icebergs there this year. You should be able to catch some music out there. And I would plan to spend at least one night maybe two nights on the Irish Loop. Cape St. Mary's has music one or two nights a week and the dinner theater in Ferryland is very good. There is lots to see on the loop besides scenery. Down around St. Vincet's, Cape Schott, & Cape Pine you can sometimes see caribou herds. There is a little gravel road that goes out to the lighthouse. It takes a while to get to the end but we have spent probably an hour parked on the side of that road trying to get the perfect caribou picture. I heard last week the humpbacks were frolicking off St. Vincents.... breaching & everything. And then if you can - I would spend two nights in St. John's. It is a fun city with lots going on. Lots of music at night and lots of restaurants. Walking through the Narrows & up to Signal Hill is a must - it is fun to then walk across to Quidi Vidi to the brewery for a well-earned beer. Again Cape Spear is close to the city, but I spend a lot of time when there. Notice a pattern? It is a fascinating place and when I went to the art exhibit there it was staffed by someone who used to be a lighthouse keeper (not at Cape Spear) and he had fascinating stories. There is a piece of land that juts out from Cape Spear - it is a 15 to 30 minute walk from the light house - I cannot remember what it is called but it is a great place to picnic, watch whales, and just watch the ocean because you are out there directly above it. Also it has been a while (probably 4 years of so) but Lighthouse picnics in Ferryland was very good. They have done a good job with it. So I think I am suggesting - 3 nights on Bonavista Pennisula, 3 nights in Fogo/Change Islands, 2 nights in Avalon/Irish Loop (I would stay at two different places - wherever you decide to stop), & 2 nights in St. John's. Whatever you decide to do you will have a wonderful time.... Just keep in mind that it always takes longer than you think it will - there is always something interesting to see, someone interesting to talk to, and you are on vacation - you need time to chill out. Once we spent 3 to 4 hours just leaning up against rocks to block the wind by the Ferryland Lighthouse watching the whales.... Newfoundland has its own time zone for a reason.........
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Old Jul 11th, 2010, 06:56 PM
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WOW! WOW! WOW! I really am overwhelmed by all of your responses. The detail, passion & thoughtfulness is amazing. I am going to have to sleep on all of this information and get back to it tomorrow. A lot of great suggestions to take in. You've all gotten me even more excited for this trip and I didn't think that was possible.
@Katrinasl Hey Rosetta is a fabulous band...talented song writers and performers. A band Canada can really be proud of. You must check them out.
I hope you all had a nice weekend. Thank you again.
Jackie
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Old Jul 12th, 2010, 04:40 AM
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katrinasl, are you sure that you are not from Newfoundland?? You know your stuff. If you're not from here, you are definitely a honorary Newfoundlander! They could use you at the tourism department. I suspect you know more about this place than most Newfoundlanders.

You have given great advice. I had forgotten all about the Trinity Pageant but that is definitely something worth seeing. And, I've been very reluctant to say this, but if it was me, I'd probably skip route 330. I'm sure the communities are very nice but we found it a boring drive the one time that we did it. But that's just my opinion. Perhaps you would like it. katrinasl, have you been there?

Jackie, the only problem that you might have with Trinity and Bonavista is getting accommodations. I would book something before you go because you might not find anything otherwise.

By the way, too bad you weren't here last weekend. I never saw them myself but apparently the caplin were rolling on the beaches and thus the whales were in. Some were breaching completely out of the water! Put on quite a show for the tourists (and locals).

And Hey Rosetta! is fabulous!! What a chance to see them in a 150 seat theatre!!!

Jackie, I hope that you will have a great time no matter what you choose to do. And I pray that you get decent weather. Until last week, we've been having a lousy summer. One last thing, it is normally windy here so always have a sweater with you or nearby.

Jill
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Old Jul 12th, 2010, 05:24 AM
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Just had one more thought. If you can't get accommodations in Bonavista or the area, there is a really nice Provincial Park called Lockston Path and it's close to all the attractions. Use the following link to reserve:
http://www.nlcamping.ca/en/park.cgi?&p=108

Again, book as early as you can.

Are you tired of hearing from me??

Hope you had a nice weekend too!

Jill
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Old Jul 12th, 2010, 06:55 AM
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A couple quick questions.

Do you guys recommend staying in Bonavista for my two nights there...or should I split it up between Trinity? I'm thinking of cutting out Terra Nova to have more relaxin time in one area...
I feel like there are too many options all over again..lol

@chipmunk you said 330 is a boring route...I was thinking of just taking it to get back to St John's...I didn't want to retrace steps...is it that bad? Any other routes I should take to get back to St Johns?

@katrinasi We've alreayd booked our St John's hotels for our last three nights. Do you really think we should split up the driving on the avalon and stay somewhere..I'm sure the b&b wouldn't mind us canceling one night. Hopefully.

I'm going to print this all out and do the matching game.

Thanks.

Jackie
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