Newfoundland and Labrador is much larger than most travellers realize. Our Road Trips will guide you through every nook and cranny of this place.
Enjoy the routes exactly as they’re written, switch things up and drive in reverse order, or create a custom route of your own using the trips as inspiration. How lost (or found) you want to get will be up to you.
If you plan on driving from the mainland to the island of Newfoundland,
Marine Atlantic can get you there. Start exploring your ferry options.
Choose a Region
Western
Stretching from the ferry port of Channel-Port aux Basques to the Viking site at L’Anse aux Meadows, the west coast of the Island of Newfoundland offers travellers a wide range of natural and cultural experiences. Don’t miss the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as glacier-carved fjords, hiking trails, ancient Indigenous sites, national and provincial parks, beaches, sand dunes, theatre festivals, museums, and cultural events.
Central
With two seacoasts and the forest in between, central Newfoundland offers an outdoor experience with unusual history, Old English words and Irish customs, aviation history, and music far removed from sea shanties. Hike to see an iceberg, camp in a national park on the coast, and uncover the tragic history of the Beothuk. Explore a deserted community, or discover what inspires our artists and songwriters. It’s all here.
Eastern
Eastern Newfoundland is synonymous with the fishing industry. Fishing takes place in small boats near shore and from larger vessels on the Grand Banks. Learn more about this way of life in major museums in Bonavista and Grand Bank, and in smaller ones with a more local focus. But there’s more here than fish. How about a round of golf near two salmon rivers, or a walk along a coastal path so beautiful it has won international acclaim? There’s a theatre festival in Trinity that’s been entertaining travellers for many years with local productions, local stories, and local stars. There are beaches and boat tours, history and heritage – and even a ferry ride to France.
Avalon
The Avalon Peninsula looks like a piece from a jigsaw puzzle, with its deep bays separating long fingers of land. Almost completely surrounded by water, it’s where the first European settlers put down roots. It’s full of history and home to the provincial capital, St. John’s, North America’s oldest city, which has a well-deserved reputation for food, music, and good times. The region – which National Geographic calls a top coastal destination – is full of great places to see whales and seabirds, go sea kayaking or hiking, or enjoy sightseeing in centuries-old outports.
Labrador
The trip across Labrador, The Big Land, is a trip through an untamed and unspoiled environment that will remind you of how wild the world once was. The Québec-Labrador Highway, also known as Expedition 51°, will take you from the mining centres of Labrador City and Wabush in the west, past the hub of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and eventually along the historic drive of the southern coast. The historic home of the Innu and Inuit, it’s also witnessed visits from Vikings, Basque whalers, and European fishermen. A land of rich wildlife and an enduring people, you cannot visit this inspiring region without being forever changed.
Western
Granite Coast Drive (45 km)
Travel the rugged coast, laden with history and lore, from Basque whalers to present day, 45 km one-way.
South Coast Adventure (by boat)
Tiny isolated villages, some without streets, where time is caught in the past.
Codroy Valley International Wetlands (40 km)
By car or by foot, one of the best birdwatching trails anywhere, 40 km one-way.
Three Rivers / Sandy Point Lookout (61 km)
Great salmon fishing and an incredible view of St. George’s Bay, 61 km one-way.
Caribou Trail (148 km)
Your pathway to the interior, and to the dunes of Sandbanks Provincial Park at Burgeo, 148 km one-way.
French Ancestors Route / La Route des Ancêtres Français (161 km)
Where the province’s French heritage still lives, in name and in spirit, 161 km one-way.
Captain Cook’s Trail (53 km)
See where one of the world’s best known explorers learned his trade, 53 km one-way.
Admiral Palliser’s Trail (40 km)
Scenery and history combined in this drive along the north shore of Humber Arm, 40 km one-way.
Humber Valley (51 km)
Salmon fishing in summer; skiing in winter. It’s an adventurer’s paradise, 51 km one-way.
Viking Trail (526 km)
Follow the footsteps of the Vikings, and marvel at the wonder of Gros Morne National Park, 526 km one-way.
Grenfell Drive (171 km)
Named for the famed medical missionary, this route follows the coastline of the old French Shore, 171 km one-way.
Main River Run (74 km)
A Canadian Heritage River that will challenge even the most experienced paddler, 74 km one-way.
Central
Dorset Trail (281 km)
The 1,500-year-old Dorset Soapstone Quarry at Fleur de Lys was the first of many mines built in this rugged area, 281 km one-way.
Green Bay and the Beothuk Trail (136 km)
Discover the shores and islands of Notre Dame Bay along this old Beothuk trail, 136 km one-way.
Exploits Valley (261 km)
Salmon have been caught here for over 5,000 years. Bring your waders and become part of history, 261 km one-way.
Coast of Bays (357 km)
A land of fjords and inlets that the French settlers along this coast named “Bay of Hope,” 357 km one-way.
South Coast Adventure (by boat)
Tiny isolated villages, some without streets, where time is caught in the past.
Fortune Bay Adventure (44 km)
A short sea cruise along the rugged north shore of Fortune Bay.
Kittiwake Coast: Road to the Isles (187 km)
What’s a drung? Where words and phrases from Shakespeare’s time are still alive and well-spoken, 187 km one-way.
Kittiwake Coast: Islands Experience (33 km + boat)
Two beautiful islands, connected by ferry, and a common heritage of the sea, 33 km + boat one-way.
Kittiwake Coast: Road to the Shore (301 km)
From Gander, Crossroads of the World, to Gambo, home of Joey Smallwood, the last Father of Confederation, 301 km one-way.
Kittiwake Coast: Road to the Beaches (41 km)
A land of sand castles and sandpipers – here at Eastport on Bonavista Bay, 41 km one-way.
Eastern
Discovery Trail (349 km)
In 1497 John Cabot made landfall here. People have been discovering its beauty ever since, 349 km one-way.
Heritage Run (479 km)
The legendary land of the wooden ships and iron men of the deep-sea fishery, 479 km one-way.
Fortune Bay Adventure (44 km)
A short sea cruise along the rugged north shore of Fortune Bay.
Avalon
Osprey Trail (28 km)
The sea hawks are here for the capelin, everyone else comes for the beach, 28 km one-way.
Cape Shore (303 km)
Visit the most accessible seabird colony in North America and the old French capital, 303 km one-way.
Baccalieu Coastal Drive (230 km)
Where classic outport communities and favourite pirate haunts dot the coastline, 230 km one-way.
Admiral's Coast (67 km)
For day-trippers from St. John’s, a perfect excursion “around the bay,” 67 km one-way.
Killick Coast (55 km)
For generations it’s been a wonderful place to drop anchor and admire the sea, 55 km one-way.
St. John's Metro (70 km)
One of the oldest cities in North America, and a centre of culture, history, and entertainment.
Irish Loop (312 km)
10,000 whales, a million seabirds, and an endless wealth of Irish heritage, 312 km one-way.
Labrador
Expedition 51°: South (628 km)
Discover the history and explore the unspoiled environment, 628 km one-way.
Expedition 51°: Central (42 km)
The land, air, and sea travel centre for all of Labrador, 42 km one-way.
North Coast (5 days round trip by boat)
A boat ride like no other: from central Labrador to the Inuit and Innu communities of the north coast.
Expedition 51°: West (534 km)
Discover the Big Land along the Freedom Road and beyond, 534 km one-way.