2-Week
Newfoundland Itinerary
The complete 14-day Newfoundland road trip St. John’s, Avalon Peninsula, Bonavista, Twillingate, Fogo Island, Gros Morne, and L’Anse aux Meadows. Drive times, accommodation, and tips for doing the island properly without rushing.
🗺️ The 2-Week Itinerary Overview
Two weeks is the sweet spot for experiencing Newfoundland without the constant rushing that a shorter trip demands. Driving around Newfoundland, including major scenic routes and stops at key attractions, generally takes about 10 to 14 days making a 14-day itinerary the minimum that genuinely does the island justice from end to end. Furthermore, for those interested in hiking in Gros Morne National Park, visiting the Viking site at L’Anse aux Meadows, or touring the charming outport communities, a trip extending to 14 days would be more suitable.
The itinerary is structured as a one-way drive from St. John’s to the Northern Peninsula fly into St. John’s (YYT) on Day 1 and fly home from Deer Lake (YDF) on Day 14. This eliminates a 13-hour return drive and adds an extra full day in the destinations that matter. Most car rental companies allow one-way returns between these airports confirm at booking.
On a 2-week summer trip, four bookings must be made months in advance: (1) rental car pick up YYT, drop off YDF; (2) Gros Morne Western Brook Pond boat tour; (3) accommodation in Rocky Harbour for July/August; (4) Ferryland Lighthouse Picnic baskets. Everything else is flexible. These four sell out early and ruin itineraries when left to the last minute.
🏙️ Phase 1 Avalon Peninsula (Days 1–3)
Arrive YYT, collect rental car. Signal Hill, Jellybean Row, The Rooms museum, Quidi Vidi Brewing, George Street evening. Book Mallard Cottage ahead for dinner.
Cape Spear (easternmost North America, free), Bay Bulls whale and puffin boat tour into Witless Bay (2 hrs, $60–80/person book ahead), Ferryland Lighthouse Picnic (pre-order basket), Colony of Avalon archaeological site.
Extra Avalon day. Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve (2 hrs SW 30,000 gannets on Bird Rock, free) is the strongest option. Alternatively, Bell Island ferry + No. 2 Mine Tour for Atlantic industrial history. Petty Harbour for a quieter village experience.
🐦 Phase 2 Bonavista Peninsula (Days 4–6)
Leave St. John’s early. Elliston Puffin Viewing Site (The Neck, Elliston free, puffins metres away). Cape Bonavista Lighthouse headland (panoramic views, whale and iceberg spotting in May–June). Ryan Premises National Historic Site. Dinner in Bonavista.
Morning: Dungeon Provincial Park (10 min from Bonavista collapsed sea cave, free). Drive to Trinity (30 min). Afternoon: Skerwink Trail 5.3 km coastal loop rated top 35 in North America (1.5–2 hrs). Two Whales Coffee (Port Rexton) before the hike.
Morning: Trinity heritage walk, Green Family Forge, Trinity Historical Society. Afternoon: Trinity Eco-Tours kayak or boat whale watching on Trinity Bay. Evening: Rising Tide Theatre performance (book ahead). Dinner at Twine Loft (57 High Street, Trinity).
🧊 Phase 3 Central NL, Twillingate & Fogo Island (Days 7–9)
Morning at Terra Nova National Park coastal trail walk (4 km) and optional kayak on Newman Sound. Afternoon drive to Twillingate via Gander (~2.5 hrs from Terra Nova). Arrive evening. Check IcebergFinder.com for current positions.
Full Twillingate day. Morning: Long Point Lighthouse coastal trail for shore-based iceberg and whale viewing. Mid-morning: Iceberg Man Tours boat departure (50 Main St, 709-884-2242). Afternoon: Twillingate Coastline Trail. Evening: Split Rock Brewing taproom.
Option A (recommended if time allows): French Beach Trail, Prime Berth Museum, Auk Island Winery. Drive toward Gros Morne evening. Option B Fogo Island: Drive 1.5 hrs south to Farewell, ferry to Fogo Island (45–60 min). Brimstone Head, Tilting Heritage District. Note: Fogo Island has no car rental bring your car. Requires an extra day.
🏔️ Phase 4 Gros Morne National Park (Days 10–11)
Morning: Western Brook Pond boat tour 3 km walk to dock through boreal forest, then 3-hour tour through a fjord with 600-metre cliff walls. Afternoon: Drive south to Woody Point for the Tablelands trail (4 km return across exposed Earth’s mantle the UNESCO reason). Dinner in Trout River village (fresh seafood).
Fit hikers: Gros Morne Mountain 16 km return, 806m elevation, 7–8 hrs, start by 8am, extraordinary panoramic summit views. Easier pace: Green Gardens Trail (9 km, sea stacks, coastal views) + Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse loop (3 km, easy, 1 hr). Baker’s Brook Falls also worth a 45-minute detour.
⚔️ Phase 5 Northern Peninsula & L’Anse aux Meadows (Days 12–14)
Drive Route 430 north from Rocky Harbour the Viking Trail. Stop at Arches Provincial Park (~175 km north dramatic sea arches on a gravel beach, free, 30-min stop). Continue to Port au Choix National Historic Site (Maritime Archaic peoples). Arrive St. Anthony by evening.
Morning: L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (45 min from St. Anthony) the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America, ~1000 AD. Allow 2–3 hours. Afternoon: Return to St. Anthony for Fishing Point Park shore-based iceberg and whale viewing. Evening: Northland Discovery or Dark Tickle Expeditions boat tour.
Drive south on the Viking Trail from St. Anthony to Deer Lake Airport approximately 4.5 hours. Leave St. Anthony by 9am for afternoon flights. Drop off rental car at YDF and fly home. The scenic drive south through Gros Morne country makes the return journey rewarding rather than merely transactional.
Book Your 2-Week Road Trip
One-way car rental (YYT → YDF) + Western Brook Pond. Both must be booked months ahead for summer.
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