Kittiwake Coast: Road to the Beaches

The Eastport Peninsula is famed for its sandy beaches and scenic hiking trails. Take Route 310 from the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 1) at either Glovertown or Traytown and get ready for some beachcombing.

There’s more here than just sand, including exceptional hiking on the Damnable Trail network. Ranging from rugged and challenging coastal trails to leisurely strolls along beaches and through historic communities, the Damnable Trail network has something for every level of hiker. Start with the leisurely Ken Diamond Memorial Park & Trail in Glovertown, and work your way through the network.

Before you leave Glovertown, pay a visit to the Glovertown Museum – The Janes House, where you’ll learn about the fascinating resettlement history of the islands in Bonavista Bay. There are also informative exhibits about the area’s boat building heritage (1930-1960), as well as educational exhibits about the logging and lumber industry.

From Burnside, you can catch a small car ferry to St. Brendan’s, an island in the bay settled by Irish immigrants. The island is named for the Irish monk who supposedly sailed the North Atlantic in a leather boat about 1,400 years ago.

Eastport is the main beach hub. Eastport Beach and Northside Beach draw visitors all summer long – these white sandy beaches are connected by boardwalks and a nature trail. Northside Beach is the starting point of the High Tide Trail, part of the Damnable Trail Network.

The town of Eastport also hosts a well-regarded literary festival and an accordion festival each summer, a testament to the residents’ cultural interests. Get further acquainted with the arts and culture scene by seeing what’s on the roster at The Beaches Arts & Heritage Centre, or by paying a visit to Pinsent’s Art Studio.

Nearby Sandy Cove is home to the aptly named Sandy Cove Beach. There are trails belonging to the Damnable Trail network also in this area, including the Old School House Trail which takes you to Happy Adventure on a fairly easy 2-kilometre trek. From Happy Adventure, you can explore the coast via boat tour or kayak. On a boat tour, you’ll visit off-the-beaten-path destinations like resettled communities, sea caves, and even a little-known puffin colony.

The most photographed spot here is Salvage, pronounced with a long “a” as in “age.” This is the oldest European settlement along this part of the coast and is a classic outport with wharves, stages, fishing boats, and fishing paraphernalia.

Terra Nova National Park on the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 1) has become a favourite with families who like to camp, either in an RV, tent, or a glamping tent or pod. And no wonder. Kids can have fun at several playgrounds while their parents relax close by. And there are lots of things to see and do, like visit the Terra Nova National Park Visitor Centre where the touch tank lets you have a close look at a wide variety of sea life. The park has an extensive trail system and entertaining evening shows about park wildlife and ecology. Terra Nova National Park became the province’s very first Dark Sky Preserve, and there’s a festival called Night Sky Celebrations to honour this preservation. If you can’t make the festival, you can appreciate the beauty of the starlit sky while camping out beneath it. If you’re a golfer, you’ll appreciate the 18-hole Twin Rivers course and the 9-hole Eagle Creek course.

Road Trip Tips:

Please check exact directions and road conditions before you start each road trip. Visit www.511nl.ca for current road conditions.

This road trip includes a community(s) accessible by ferry. Please visit www.tw.gov.nl.ca/ferryservices/schedules for routes and rates. Some ferries do permit vehicles, with a set limit for vehicle capacity; other ferries are passengers only (no vehicles accepted) so plan accordingly.

Distances are estimates and for guidance only. Routes can be taken as is, or in reverse order.