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On more than one occasion, a day-tripper to Trinity has asked Marieke Gow where her home really is. It’s incomprehensible for some that Trinity — with its heritage buildings, utterly charming stores and residents so friendly it’s easy to assume they might be paid to behave that way — could be anything but a manufactured tourist attraction.

On my recent trip to Newfoundland this September, I was exposed to some of the most remote parts of Canada’s most easterly province. To say they were awe-inspiring might be the biggest understatement of the century.

Outpost Magazine takes a hike along the Alexander Murray Hiking Trail in King's Point.

Big mountains, fjords, polar bears and Outpost Magazine = Summer 2012 Adventure Overload in Torngat Mountains National Park.

I heard the couple from Alberta grumbling about the Green Garden Trail a minute or two before I saw them.

“This is kind of rough going, isn’t it,” the man was saying to his significant other.

The woman agreed, but their voices trailed off suddenly as they saw me limping along with both knees heavily wrapped and leaning with determination on two walking poles.

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked how I wound up traveling through Central Newfoundland, I’d have a tidy little sum piled up in just a few days.

Our eldest son was still seven the first time he hiked to The Spout. It was early August and the whales were thick as black flies. The humpbacks were so close to the coast near Bread and Cheese in Bay Bulls, you could smell their breath. Which wasn’t too fresh, I may add. A pure caplin diet and no mouthwash does not a pleasant odour make.

ST. JOHN'S NEWFOUNDLAND - One of the great things about St. John’s is how easy it is to get out to the country. Often in just a few minutes. Or even seconds.

The easternmost hiking trail in North America, Newfoundland's East Coast Trail delivers hikers to a world of sea stacks, oceanside headlands, icebergs, and deep fjords.

From August 21 to September 2, long-distance hiker and filmmaker Mark Flagler was in Western Newfoundland beginning production on a one-hour documentary about the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) in North America. It follows his successful Appalachian Impressions documentary about the US Appalachian Trail, which aired in more than a million households on the PBS television network.

Where on earth can you hike trails for seven days straight that are at once beautifully wild and off the beaten path, yet also accessible and within reach of a comfortable B&B every night? Ruggedly scenic trails, weaving along and above the ocean, affording the occasional sighting of a whale or an iceberg as they hum with history spanning thousands of years?

If you manage to catch your breath after having it taken away by the scenery around Newfoundland and Labrador, you can spend your time enjoying some of the local cuisine across the province. Get ready to dig in, and bring your appetite.

If icebergs and whlaes are in your vacation plans this week, head over to Point Amour lighthouse in the Labrador Straits or Battle Harbour National Historic District.  

A dramatic community project is transforming a windswept island of fishermen off Canada's Newfoundland coast into a cutting edge artists' haven

Over the past decade, author Peter Potterfield has hiked more than 10,000 miles over six continents to research his definitive list of the best hiking trails in the world. He picks the Long Range Traverse trail from Western Brook Pond to Gros Morne Mountain in Newfoundland as one of his top 15 next to the likes of Petra, Tasmania and Patagonia.

If you find yourself near Gros Morne National Park over the next couple of weeks, or if you’re simply in need of some creative inspiration, be sure to check out the Trails, Tales and Tunes Festival, May 14th to 28th.

Join us in Western Newfoundland to celebrate the arrival of spring through a series of festivals that capture the essence of what is truly unique in each part of the region at this beautiful time of year.

Each festival aims to take advantage of the fresh spring weather in the great outdoors. By day, join us on the many planned walks and hikes, interspersed with a program of informative talks and other learning opportunities. At the end of the day, relax with friends and family in the presence of the best local artists, musicians, and entertainers at the many social evenings and kitchen parties.
 

One of the best places to see the fall colours is in the Humber Valley, and the best way to see them up close is to take a fall hike.

It is no surprise then that The Old Man in the Mountain Hike is one of the most popular of those developed by the International Appalachian Trail in Newfoundland (IATNL). It has fabulous views of the Humber River and Humber Canyon and the vistas are all the more beautiful in the fall when the brilliant colours of changing leaves intermingle with the coniferous greens.
 

The Western Brook Pond fjord in Gros Morne National Park is the Park’s largest lake and the backdrop for a spectacular scenic boat tour. Once open to the ocean, this 16-km lake with a depth of 165m is home to Atlantic salmon, brook trout and Arctic char, as well as an unusual colony of cliff nesting gulls.

The boat tour can be reached via Route 430, 27 km north of Rocky Harbour. From the parking lot, there is a pleasant 45-minute walk to the dock. The trail carries you over the fragile coastal plain, once located below sea level. Here, examine a variety of plant life, scan for wildlife sightings or view the interpretive panels located along the trail.
 

Camping at 40 years old brings back the same summer rush I had for adventure in my earlier days exploring Gros Morne National Park. Last July’s excursion to a 90-km stretch of beach in Labrador called the Wonderstrands proved I was still able to hike 100 km of wilderness and camp for seven days – and call it vacation! It was so much fun.

The Wonderstrands is located in what is now the Mealy Mountain National Park Reserve. At 11,000 square km, it’s the largest protected area in eastern Canada. Best of all, it’s just a day’s ride from other fantastic adventures in the Labrador Straits region, including Gros Morne, Iceberg Alley and Battle Harbour National Historic Site. For my wife Rufina and I, it was only a kayak trip from Cartwright.