Welcome to Trinity & Port Rexton

Houses, museums, art galleries, and other historic buildings preserved from the 19th century fill the area. Here, a walk through town is a walk through history – and everything tells a tale. In Trinity, find your way using old-fashioned street signage marked in calligraphy, watch a blacksmith at work, and visit the Cooperage to learn about barrel making.

History buffs will enjoy Hiscock House, a provincial historic site that captures life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Within those walls lay stories of remarkable resilience and entrepreneurship. Those with an eye for architecture will appreciate the Lester Garland House, a reconstruction on the site of the first brick house in Newfoundland. Now a museum and learning centre, you can spend the day among fascinating and preserved artifacts that uncover mysteries of our history.

See the relationship from past to present at the Champney’s West Heritage House. Discover insights of life from bygone days and historic equipment, appliances, furniture, and more that speak to our past way of life. Creative types will find no greater muse than Trinity and Port Rexton’s natural beauty – and luckily, we’ve got the perfect place to channel this inspiration. The English Harbour Arts Centre offers arts and crafts workshops for all ages, creative retreats for professional artists and writers, and cultural events such as musical performances. Get ready to watch a masterpiece. Or create one.

If you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, the Bonavista Biennale is a must-see event. This bi-annual, international exhibition of contemporary visual art features Indigenous, provincial, and international artists of the highest calibre, installed on the landscape and in historic buildings throughout the area.

Ready for your closeup? In New Bonaventure, tour the filming location of Random Passage. The site is a fishing village dating back to the 1800s, with houses, a church, fishing stages, and vegetable gardens to walk through. Later, cap off a day of exploration at the tea room to see what’s on the menu.

Follow hiking trails that bring you to rolling granite slopes and spectacular rocky beaches. The Hike Discovery Trail Network offers a range of wilderness hiking and walking paths from easy to difficult that include geographic wonders such as sea stacks, rugged coastline, towering cliffs, and geological sequences.

Among them, the Skerwink Trail is one of the province’s best-loved hikes; the trail winds a 5.3-kilometre circle around Skerwink Head near Port Rexton and Trinity East. Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of seabirds and whales, bergs, and craggy, rugged beaches as well as caves and arches.

For breathtaking panoramic views, Gun Hill Trail is your best bet – it offers the highest vantage point of the area. As you make your way to the top, you can walk by the water and through the woods. Lupins adorn the trail during July. In the fall, berries are ripe for the picking. It’s also part of the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark. Trace the stories of the last great ice age, the first complex multicellular organisms, the rise of animals, and incredible glacial processes. Those with an affinity for geology will be happy to know the area is a natural wonder, half a billion years in the making.

Fox Island Trail offers 5.5 kilometres of beautiful coastal scenery, local wildlife, and a walk through the fishing village of Champney’s West. Once there, give your hiking boots a rest at the aquarium and learn about local marine life.

Watch for one of the many playful whales that visit the area, or the dozens of species of birds. If you time it just right, you could even catch a glimpse of a spectacular iceberg.

With so much magnificent coastline, it’s only natural that we host plenty of diverse wildlife – from the finned to the feathered, and beyond. Trinity and Port Rexton are beautiful places for whale watching, seeing gatherings of humpback, minke, fin, sperm, and many other whale species that come through every year. Dolphin pods can be seen moving through the area in the fall, giving a friendly jump to say hello. And the area is every bird watcher’s paradise, with opportunities to view eagles, puffins, gannets, kittiwakes, and more. By boat, land, or coastal walking trail, see for yourself the incredible fauna of the area. And keep your eyes peeled for the glittering, statuesque wonders that are icebergs. If you prefer your viewing experiences on water, consider boat tours. Different types of vessels are offered from zodiacs to 46-foot motorsailers. Whatever you choose, fun is a guarantee.

There’s been an ongoing food renaissance across the province – so save room for seconds. Or thirds. See just why the Trinity and Port Rexton area has earned its reputation as a culinary destination, shaped by the availability of fresh produce from gardens and greenhouses, local berries, and seafood in season. Dine at top restaurants such as the Fishers’ Loft and the Twine Loft at the Artisan Inn.

Getting to Trinity

Trinity and Port Rexton are located on the Discovery Trail Scenic Driving Route along Route 230 and Route 239, approximately 259 kilometres or 2½ hours from St. John's.

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