Top Destinations
Red Bay National Historic Site
In the 1500s, the waters of Red Bay were thick with thousands of Basque whalers hunting right whales and bowhead whales for blubber, which was rendered into oil for export to Europe. On Saddle Island, an island at the mouth of the bay, the remnants of whale oil rendering ovens and cooperages sit where Basque hands first built them. Today you can wander around the former whaling town of Red Bay and immerse yourself in history. You can visualize the day the San Juan sank in 1565, only 50 metres away and stand at the whaler's burial ground where 140 colleagues and friends were carefully laid to rest.
Take a hike along the beach and step into the interpretation centre to see an eight-metre chalupa, which whalers used on the ocean to harpoon their giant catch. To get a full appreciation for the size of these whales, compare the chalupa to the assembled collections of whale bones displayed. These showcase a time of prosperity and dangerous adventure, illustrating a long-ago way of life.
If you take a boat or kayak trip to Saddle Island, you will find the remains of a time miraculously preserved. Where once stood the home of the first large-scale whale oil production in the world, now piles of red clay roof tiles can be found on the island, 500 years since its closure.
This mystical place is world-renowned. The history seeping from the edges of Red Bay National Historic Site has been acknowledged on Canada's Tentative List for World Heritage. Red Bay takes the essence of Labrador coastal living and transposes it onto a tapestry of rich culture and history.
Getting Here:
Red Bay National Historic Site is part of the Labrador Coastal Drive. It can be reached via ferry from St. Barbe, Newfoundland, to Blanc Sablon, Quebec, and just an 82 kilometre/1-hour drive.
Location data provided by the operator. Please confirm location
before departure. Also see offshore area disclaimer.
The offshore lines appearing in the map above which purport to delimit the offshore area of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador have no legal effect. Apart from the boundaries established pursuant to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, which include the line established pursuant to the 2002 award of the arbitration tribunal concerning the delimitation of portions of the offshore areas between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, there are no agreed boundaries between the offshore areas of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada, the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Quebec or the Nunavut Territory, and no such boundaries have been established under statute, regulation or agreement. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made these facts known to Google.
Directions
Driving distances and calculations derived using Google Maps. Actual driving times may vary. GPS coordinates have been provided by tourism operators. Please confirm location with operator before departure.
Helpful Links
Parks Canada - Red Bay National Historic Site of Canada
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L'Anse-au-LoupClean, comfortable accommodations on main highway overlooking the bay. View icebergs & whales from dining room in season.+1 (709) 927 5634
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Red BayLocated in the 16th-century World Whaling Capital. Friendly staff and a breathtaking view.+1 (709) 920 2002
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L'Anse-au-ClairTurn right at the "Gateway to Labrador Straits." Closest accommodations to Labrador ferry (8kms). Entertainment - Accordion Music.+1 (709) 931 2338
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ForteauHistoric Bed and Breakfast known as the International Grenfell Association Nursing Station, built in 1946. Operated as a nursing station unitl 1983 and a staff residence from 1983-1993. Opened as a private B & B in 1994.
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L'Anse-au-LoupLabrador hospitality. Berry picking just outside your door. Icebergs and whale watching. Beautiful sunset and great walking trails.+1 (709) 927 5881
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L'Anse-au-ClairWe have a 30 year tradition of warm hospitality, fine food and comfortable accommodations.
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L'Anse-au-ClairWe have a 30 year tradition of warm hospitality, fine food and comfortable accommodations.
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West St. ModesteA warm pleasant atmosphere with fine tradition dining, overlooking Pinware Bay. 10 air conditioned rooms.
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West St. ModesteA warm pleasant atmosphere with fine tradition dining, overlooking Pinware Bay. 10 air conditioned rooms.
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ForteauConcurrently located for fishing, hiking, dining with an ocean view and privacy.
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Red BayFor a home away from home experience, stay with us.+1 (709) 920 2156
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L'Anse-au-LoupThe trail winds through a stunted tuckamore forest and across barren grounds to a spectacular panorama of the Strait of Belle Isle at trail's end.
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Red BayBoney Shore Walking Trail is a gravel trail that is approximately 1-km long leading to a site where whale bone was discarded.
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West St. ModesteBouquets Hill Walking Trail is a 40 minute walk. As you reach the top you have a beautiful view overlooking the ocean.+1 (709) 927 5583
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L'Anse-au-ClairA beautifully restored early 20th Century church with interpretative panels, art pieces and artifacts that tells the 9000 year old story of the people of Labrador.
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ForteauAn easy trail that goes past a beautiful sandy beach to the rugged shore where fishermen from Jersey in the Channel Island established a fishery in the 19th century.
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L'Anse-au-LoupThe museum displays the lifestyle and changes in Labrador for the past 150 years and how women helped in this change.
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PinwareA 1.2-km trail from the campground to the point overlooking the town of Pinware, the River and the Estuary.
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L'Anse-AmourA plaque Site of National Historic Significance. This is the burial site of a Maritime Archaic Indian Child who died about 7,500 years ago.
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ForteauThis scenic trail follows the shoreline of Forteau Bay and ends at a stunning waterfall cascading over a cliff.
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Pinware River Provincial ParkPinware River Provincial Park is a 68 hectare park located on route 510, approximately 32-km southwest from Red Bay. A ferry crosses from St. Barbe on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland to souther Labrador approximately 53-km south of the Park. Opened in 1974, the park covers diverse terrain and vegetation.
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L'Anse-AmourClimb 109 feet to the top of Canada's second tallest lighthouse. Exhibits tell the story of life on the Straits, gift shop, whale watching, trails to the Raleigh shipwreck.
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Red BayDuring the 16th century, whalers from the Basque Region of Spain and France where making seasonal voyages across the Atlantic to Labrador in pursuit of Right and Bowhead whales for the lucrative
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Red BayThis 52-foot skeleton of a whale is 400 years old. The exhibit focuses on the research and protection of the North Atlantic Right Whale.
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Red BayDuring the 16th century, whalers from the Basque Region of Spain and France where making seasonal voyages across the Atlantic to Labrador.
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L'Anse-au-LoupThe walk to Schooner Cove provides excellent opportunities to examine the local flora and berries. Schooner Cove was first occupied by the Maritime Archaic people.
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Red BayModerate walking trail. This is a boardwalk consisting of 689 steps, descriptive panels, rest stops and 2 coin operated telescopes, with a breath taking view of Red Bay
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Red BayWe offer boat charters and tours, iceberg viewing, seal, whale and seabird watching in its natural habitat, or come & enjoy the ride and the beauty.
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ForteauLabrador Adventures offers guided tours for small groups. We specialized in escorted hiking, walking and driving tours offering hassle free all inclusive options, no need for ferry reservations!
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ClarenvilleFly-in wilderness tours consisting of hiking, canoeing, with ample opportunity for wildlife photography, tent under the stars. Sightseeing flights available to view icebergs, whales, porpoises, etc.+1 (709) 466 7823
A pod of whales has been spotted outside of the Narrows at Signal Hill National Historic Site, which got us thinking - isn't it about time you came up for a breath of fresh air?
