Traveling to Newfoundland

[Capebuild]

Hello..... we are at the beginning stages of planning a trip to Newfoundland. We're thinking June 2024. We just received some travel guides from the area. I'm thinking we'll have maybe 3 or 4 weeks to explore around. Asking any of you who've been there if you have any pointers, tips, places you'd recommend visiting.... anything at all that we can contemplate.
Thanks very much!

John

[Tom&Shelly]

Hello..... we are at the beginning stages of planning a trip to Newfoundland. We're thinking June 2024. We just received some travel guides from the area. I'm thinking we'll have maybe 3 or 4 weeks to explore around. Asking any of you who've been there if you have any pointers, tips, places you'd recommend visiting.... anything at all that we can contemplate.
Thanks very much!

John

Saint Pierre and Miquelon! You can practically take your teardrop to France!

Shelly and I haven't been to Newfoundland or Saint Pierre and Miquelon yet, but there are two French islands off the south coast of Newfoundland, and there is a ferry. The hitch is it doesn't allow cars but there are bed and breakfast establishments on the islands. They take Euros and, I've heard, Canadian dollars. During COVID we took some elementary French which we will need to brush up on to communicate. I'm not sure how much English is spoken.

We also want to get to Newfoundland from the single road going from Quebec to the coast of Labrador.

I've heard you are allowed to camp on the Queen's Land, well now the King's Land, for free in Newfoundland.

Again, all this is what we've learned from the interwebs, as we haven't been that far yet. All plans for "someday" for us. Wishing you a great trip! We'll be eager to hear everything about your experience! (Maybe we'll even make it there ourselves next summer.)

Tom

[RJ Howell]

I have plans of doing this also only leaving earlier in May in hopes of beating the bugs in Labrador. Probably mid May, haven't Locked that down yet and talking with 3 folks that have just gone this past year for good info.

Our plans are to drive up through Labrador and cross at Blanc-Sabion. This runs up Rt138 in Quebec to Baie-Comeau, which I know 2 really nice overnights just before you reach there and the turn north on Rt 389. A few POI's along that road that should be seen including Manic %, The impact crater and of course the mining truck. The run up Rt389 and the Trans Lab is renown for it's bugs once the weather starts to turn and stays until the snow flys again. 2 of the folks I have spoken with traveled in May and report light if no bugs. The one that traveled later June was over whelmed by them! This is the main reason we're traveling in this direction, earlier and returning through Cape Brenton.

Our run would put us at L'Anse aux Meadows first and clockwise around The Rock ending over by Gros Morne and Bonnie Bay. Another I know that toured NFLD entered and left by way of Cape Brenton has shared much info of stops to make. Piley's Island, Twillingate, Fogo Island (considered by the Flat Earth Society to be one of the corners of the earth), Terra Nova, Bonnavista, Miquelion to just name a few. My family is from Carbonear so I'd be remiss not to also mention Conception Bay! Okay and St John's..

We've been only in the region of my ancestors and really look forward to exploring 'all' of the Rock! Happy to pass along more info to ya and hope to hear more of you plans as well. I'm figuring 2 months traveling so good shot of seeing ya up there!

This is as far as I've searched out possible campsites. Lots of boondocking available!


Lower left is Rt138 in Quebec. That's the route up to Baie-Comeau. We drove Rt 138 to the archipelago in Havre-Saint-Pierre. I can now say I've driven it, but probably won't again. Much better scenic drive and camping below Baie-Comeau, besides Labrador sounds so interesting! Why not travel through since you're that far already!

Happy to share what I have and am learning. Looking forward to your plans as well.

[Capebuild]

Thanks Tom and RJ for the replies. The trip you have planned, RJ, through Labrador is pretty ambitious. We love Cape Breton and look forward to going back there since during our last visit this past September we were chased out by Hurricane Lee. The only plan we have so far is to go back up to Sydney and take the ferry over to Newfoundland. We hear if you get up there by June you can still see icebergs. There seems to be plenty of provincial parks for camping. I haven't explored boon docking, but wouldn't mind investigating that. Will keep you posted as our itinerary develops. Noted on the "bugs". While in Cape Breton we did see a few people with those veiled hats. Seems like a good addition to our travel gear (although they do look a bit dorky ).


John

[rbtrary]

Hello..... we are at the beginning stages of planning a trip to Newfoundland. We're thinking June 2024. We just received some travel guides from the area. I'm thinking we'll have maybe 3 or 4 weeks to explore around. Asking any of you who've been there if you have any pointers, tips, places you'd recommend visiting.... anything at all that we can contemplate.
Thanks very much!

John

Saint Pierre and Miquelon! You can practically take your teardrop to France!

It is France. It's all that's left of the once-vast colonial territory of New France in North America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon

[RJ Howell]

You have another hour travel then I, but still 7.5 hrs just to Moncton, NS.. Too much for me. We stop and overnight. We used run up to Holton and stay at the Walmart in Woodstock, NB. Worked well for easy provisioning, yet it's lotdocking.. I really like the Calais crossing now with the overnight at Airline Rips along Rt9 in ME (44°54'20.9"N 67°50'09.7"W). Makes St John a good place to provision.

Still looking for another good spot in Canada prior to Moncton. I have a few places to check out near St John.. so many places, so little time.. thank God I'm retired! LOL

[CaptKidd]

Over the last two summers I have been in all 49 states in the continental US and 8 Canadian provinces for a total of just over 30,000 miles with my RPod. So I have been as far south as Key
West as far east as Sidney Nova Scotia, as far north as Prudhoe Bay Alaska and as far west as discovery Bay in Washington. I have been over every major pass in California and most of the minor ones. I will be 81 years old next month and hope to do some more traveling.

[Tom&Shelly]

Hello..... we are at the beginning stages of planning a trip to Newfoundland. We're thinking June 2024. We just received some travel guides from the area. I'm thinking we'll have maybe 3 or 4 weeks to explore around. Asking any of you who've been there if you have any pointers, tips, places you'd recommend visiting.... anything at all that we can contemplate.
Thanks very much!

John

Saint Pierre and Miquelon! You can practically take your teardrop to France!

It is France. It's all that's left of the once-vast colonial territory of New France in North America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon

Indeed. I meant you can't bring your teardrop there.

Also seems like a shame, if it's even possible, to make it only a day trip. So a few nights in a hotel or bed and breakfast while the teardrop waits, hopefully untouched, in Canada.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

Over the last two summers I have been in all 49 states in the continental US and 8 Canadian provinces for a total of just over 30,000 miles with my RPod. So I have been as far south as Key
West as far east as Sidney Nova Scotia, as far north as Prudhoe Bay Alaska and as far west as discovery Bay in Washington. I have been over every major pass in California and most of the minor ones. I will be 81 years old next month and hope to do some more traveling.

Tom

[RJ Howell]

Indeed. I meant you can't bring your teardrop there.

Also seems like a shame, if it's even possible, to make it only a day trip. So a few nights in a hotel or bed and breakfast while the teardrop waits, hopefully untouched, in Canada.

Tom

You can go but the schedule is weird. Sunday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday. Even then the hours change.. Most leaves mid/late afternoon and returns are the following morning. Seems to visit it's a couple nights there. This is something I'm still researching. I've only spoken to 1 person that has been so far and he flew over and stayed the week.

I also haven't found away to day trip there.. The more I look into it, the less I see us going over.. Like you said 'shame'.

[RJ Howell]

We hear if you get up there by June you can still see icebergs.

John

I signed up early this year as I started plotting & planning. https://icebergfinder.com Iceburgs were spotted along the northeast coast into August, St Anthony into Bonivista Bay. Smaller yet still there. I have new friends on the Avalon Peninsula that have one of those views and by June they say the parade of icebergs is over for them. Ya you should see some in June. Use the app to locate the action!

The Grant's with my wife on their front yard!

[RJ Howell]

Couple of suggestions while researching.

I really am using iOveverlander quite a bit now. I'm finding it a great research tool well as a great 'offline' source on the road. Not all the places suggested there are 'great', so using Google Earth to zoom in a bit helps.

I am debating (and probably will ) buying the NL Provincial Park pass. It's $50 and covers the entrance fees. At $10 each entrance and many great areas to either day hike or camp, I'm seeing stoping at several of these to explore. Plus, even if you don't camp, you can still use the bath house, hot showers! Non-camper pays $5.09 (can). Campgrounds also have Laundry! I'm not tying myself to reservations until up there and getting close to one, so getting a site may be tough for us. Hell, there's a ton of boondocking most everywhere!

[RJ Howell]

Great YT channel for things Newfoundland. This particular episode introduced Cape St Mary preserve to me. I've planned on coming through this area but had no idea of what the Preserve has. There's also a overnight spot just down the road @ Gooseberry PP. It's closed as a PP, yet open for use.

[RJ Howell]

Came across yet another interesting place in NFLD. The Rose Blanche Lighthouse. Not one of the oldest but very unique! Nice drive out of Port aux Basques (ferry terminal) eastward with a couple villages along the way to get you started (if you arrived this way) and a granite lighthouse. iOverlander states in season you can stay for $10 a night (helps support maintain the lighthouse) or free off-season. There's a couple more places to visit and more opportunity to overnight.

May ant to add this one to you list! https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rose+Blanche+Lighthouse/@47.6018262,-58.6972135,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x4b65750c34c61075:0xcffdbd7cf3008141!8m2!3d47.6018226!4d-58.6946386!16s%2Fg%2F11s9b2fd12?entry=ttu