If you visit Newfoundland in May through July, hiking in the northern outports are a MUST for seeing icebergs! These remote towns are also where you’ll find the true grit character and open warmth that people often associate with Newfoundlanders. This is not a region for day trips — it’s a place to come stay awhile, to visit with local residents and walk their daily pathways to the ocean. To get a sense of what we mean, read about our time in Fleur de Lys, Land of Storytellers and Icebergs.
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Terms to know while hiking in North Newfoundland
One of our favorite things about visiting the Baie Verte Peninsula was learning the lingo. Nowhere else in Newfoundland did we hear so many fun sayins’ and words.
Outport = a small coastal community in Newfoundland and Labrador
Bight = a curve in the coastline forming a shallow bay
Growler = small icebergs less than 3 feet above sea level, named because they often emit a growling sound as trapped air is released
Bergy bits = small to medium icebergs anywhere from 3-16 feet above sea level
Couldn’s = leftover food from previous day
Lunch = a snack
Dinner = midday meal
Supper = evening meal
All of a slam = in a hurry
Half seas over = half way there
Split your spraddle = injure your pelvis
Mother-in-law’s breath = cold air
Like a hen on a hot griddle = restless
Weather is gathering in = it’s getting cloudy
Sucking hind tit = following way behind (my personal fave)
All of the trails listed in this guide are FREE but require a lot of money and time to maintain, so please consider donating to the towns and trail associations to ensure these trails continue to remain open.
Best trails of the Great Northern Peninsula
Few find their way to the far northwestern tip on Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula, but for those driving the Viking Trail up to St. Anthony, these trails are worthy of your attention. The highlights of these trails are icebergs and remote fishing villages, as well as day tours with locals. For more trails in this area, check out Christopher Mitchelmore’s Live Rural NL blog (he lives in the Great Northern Peninsula).
Point Riche Trail
3.7 mi (6 km)
Point Riche is one of several trails in the Port au Choix National Historic Site and it’s an excellent coastal hike that can be combined with the Coastal and Dorset Trails for a longer loop. Excellent photos of this trail here.
Glass Hole Trail
4.2 mi (6.8 km)
It may take awhile to reach Conche, the remote outport where this trail begins, but it’s an intriguing hike with excellent views of the village and water. The trail gets its name from a narrow cavern between two cliffs.
Shoe Pond Hill Trail
1.2 mi (2 km)
The outport community of Englee maintains several little trails that are hidden gems and Shoe Pond is just one of them. It’s a climb to the top but offers beautiful views similar to those in Conche.
John Patey’s Trail
.6 mi (1 km)
This trail is for the Instagrammers who want a color-pop trail photo. John Patey’s is a pretty coastal walk, typical of any other outport trail, but it makes the list for its bright multi-colored stairs.
Best trails on or near Baie Verte Peninsula
The trails on Baie Verte Peninsula are short and are either called “Ocean View” or “Lookout” Trail. These are community trails that lead to the water or scenic viewpoints, so no need for them to have their own unique honorific.
Ocean View Lookout, Pacquet
1.6 mi (2.6 km)
Pacquet boasts one of the prettiest outports on the Baie Verte Peninsula and our favorite trail in this area. In town, follow the signs for Ocean View Trail and you’ll find a large parking lot at the top of the hill. There are two trailheads, one leading through forest and the other heading up to Chesley’s Hole viewpoint, but they eventually lead to the same path which brings you to fantastic views of the Pacquet Harbour and a large Canadian flag. Chesley’s Hole is a steep crevice named for the man who once fell down it and survived. When you see the surging waters here, you’ll understand how that feat would have been considered a miracle.
French Island Trail, Coachman’s Cove
1 mi (1.6 km)
French Island Trail begins at the end of Coachman’s Cove Road, where you’ll see a gazebo and an outdoor bread oven. Sometimes called Cow Cove or South Cove Trail, this is a beautiful walk through the woods that brings you to several quiet rocky coves full of bergy bits in May and June, sea glass and white coral and colorful seashells. At low tide you can walk to French Island.
Fleur de Lys Trails
3 mi (4.8 km), depending on what you walk
Fleur de Lys has several trails to keep you active. Follow the road into town until it ends at a small parking lot with stairs leading uphill. This is the Ocean View Trail, a short pleasant walk to a great viewpoint. Your next two trails begin from the Dorset Soapstone Museum, where you’ll find Spotted Point Trail, a more challenging 2.7 mile hike to even better views, and a short Lookout Trail.
La Scie Trails
2.5 mi (4 km) total combined trails
La Scie is the farthest outport on the Baie Verte Peninsula and everyone here says you MUST visit it. Unfortunately for us they were doing much needed road repairs while we were there and it was nearly impassable, so we missed the opportunity. There are five really good trails here, the Lookout Trail and Caplin Cove Trail (offering coastal views), a short path to a beach and Boone’s Hill Trail which offers a lookout of the town.
Alexander Murray Trail
5 mi (8 km)
The Alexander Murray Trail in King’s Point is worth hiking just so you can boast that you hiked up 2,200 steps! It’s a summit hike with waterfalls, need we say more. Both the trail and the town are lovely and well worth the extra drive to get here.
Hazelnut Hill Trail
6 mi (9.7 km)
This one’s way off the beaten path but if you find yourself in the area of Robert’s Arm, then Hazelnut Hill Trail offers a great hike with running streams, a cool bridge and excellent views at the top.
Best trails near Twillingate
Rockcut Trails
19 mi (30 km) total, 4 miles average per trail
The Rockcut Trail system consists of several trails in the southern portion of Twillingate. These are the coastal trails you haven’t yet heard about but I expect that will change soon as word gets out. You can walk them separately as day hikes or combine them for a short multi-day hike. French Beach and Lower Little Harbour would be our top picks.
Twillingate Island Trails
16 mi (26 km) total
For details on the non-Rockcut trails in Twillingate, you’ll need to visit different sites. Besides those in the Rockcut system, our favorite Twillingate trails are the Lighthouse Lower Head Trail and Cuckold’s Point Trail (4-6 miles each). The rest are short 1-2 mile trails, such as Top of Twillingate which offers an easy viewpoint if you’re willing to climb some stairs. Out and Across covers some of these trails in-depth.
Pikes Arm Lookout Trail
.4 mi (.6 km)
Pike’s Arm offers beautiful panoramic views for very little effort but few people know about it. Close to Twillingate but off the main route, this little treasure is one to consider if you’re in this area and looking for a short walk or place to picnic.
Potcove Pond Trail
1.5 mi (2.4 km) loop, based on our best guess
Potcove Pond Trail near Cottlesville is a hidden gem that’s worth the rough roads to reach this often overlooked part of Newfoundland. It’s a great trail if you love seclusion, swimming holes and kayaking, which you can do while staying at The Hideout nearby. It’s a local favorite and we’re convinced they’ve purposefully kept it off the trail apps to keep it secret.
Summerford Trail
1 mi (1.6 km)
The Summerford Trail is a good vista trail to add to Potcove Pond, especially if you’re staying at The Hideout or nearby Dildo Run Provincial Park. Like most of the others on this list, it’s a local favorite rarely walked by visitors unless someone tells them about it.
Best trails on Fogo Island
Fogo Island is on everyone’s bucket list these days, ever since the Fogo Island Inn opened in 2013. While we’ll never be willing to pay the sky high prices to stay there, we do hope to return someday to Newfoundland and stay at a B&B so we can hike these trails. I’d also like to be able to tell my friend Leah that I stood at one of the four corners of the earth (look up Flat Earthers and you’ll know what I’m talking about).
Waterman’s Brook Trail
5.1 mi (8.2 km)
Waterman’s Brook is a beautiful trail that begins in Fogo, meanders through forest and past several ponds, and ends with a waterfall at the waters of Deep Bay.
Lion’s Den Trail
4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Lion’s Den is a moderate to hard loop trail highlighting the beautiful terrain of Fogo Island. It takes you to a Marconi Interpretation Station.
Turpin’s Trail to Tilting + Loop
5 mi (8 km)
You’ll see some variations on Turpin’s Trail but they all begin outside of town, following coastal terrain as it takes you into the heart of Tilting. We’ve included the longer loop addition here.
Joe Batt’s Point Trail
3.4 mi (5.5 km)
Joe Batt’s Point is a great coastal hike that showcases the northern tip of Fogo Island.
Fogo Head Trail
3 mi (5 km)
Fogo Head Trail offers fantastic views of Fogo Island, including Brimstone Head (one of the corners of the Flat Earth). There’s a short hike up Brimstone Head that’s challenging but may be worth adding.
Hiking Tour Operators in North Newfoundland
Al’s Walking Tour
Local Al Dwyer offers a day tour of Tilting and Oliver’s Cove on Fogo Island that includes a 2.5 mi (4.5 km) hike. The tour highlights cultural sites unique to this region, interesting landmarks and stories, and concludes with music and singing.
Burnt Cape Tours
Stay at the Burnt Cape Cabins in Raleigh on the Great Northern Peninsula and book their Scroll and Scoff walking tour, which includes a guided walk through town and an ecological reserve and ends with food!
Lavers Leisurely Walking Tour
Take a gentle walk along Port au Choix with Carolyn as she shares the history of this region. Lavers Leisurely Walking offers a 3-hr tour that includes lunch and learning how to bake traditional bread.
Mayflower Adventures
Mayflower Adventures is based in Roddington on the the Great Northern Peninsula. Their hiking package includes a night at the Mayflower Inn, 3 meals, 3 hiking trails (Glass Hole, Barr’d Island, Underground Salmon Pool) and gas discounts.
Moratorium Tours and Retreats
Based in Conche on the Great Northern Peninsula, Moratorium Tours offers a full-day mindfullness hike that includes The Glass Hole and beautiful coastline views. What makes this guided tour truly unique is its focus on introducing you to townfolks as you walk and the history of Newfoundland’s cod moratorium told from someone who lived it.
Add in some hiking on the western coast with our Guide to Hiking Western Newfoundland. Want more personal stories about our time in north Newfoundland? Read our Fleur de Lys, Land of Storytellers and Icebergs post.
