The Best of Spectacular Newfoundland Coast to Coast

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars or settle in for the night. You may also wish to explore what the city has to offer.

Activity note: Walking roughly 2 miles, approximately 3 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 75 miles over 1.5 hours total riding time. Getting on/off a water taxi.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: This morning we set off to explore Gros Morne National Park by coach. At the Gros Morne National Park, park staff will give insight into the forces which shaped the landscape of this UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Discovery Centre. Gros Morne is characterized by a diverse landscape which includes barren cliffs, fjords, bogs, beaches, mountains, and forests.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy a boxed lunch from a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We will explore the Tablelands with a Parks expert. While walking Earth’s mantle, our expert will explain the plate tectonics and glacial formations which shaped the Tablelands as well as introduce us to the unique plants and vegetation in the region.We’ll then continue on to Cow Head. This small fishing village is situated on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Gros Morne National Park. It represents a large sample of Newfoundland's western highlands and coastal lowlands – a landscape of mountains, fjords, deep glacial lakes, and wave-carved cliffs. Upon arrival, we’ll check in at the hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking about 2 miles each way, approximately 1.5-2 hours total; boardwalk and gravel with some slight grades. No transportation available on the trail. Located at dockside are a sheltered waiting area, indoor washrooms, canteen, gift shop, picnic area. Two Coast Guard approved vessels have a combined capacity of 165 people. Live interpretation of some of the geological and historical features. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 55 miles, approximately 1 hour total riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will walk the Western Brook Pond Trail after transferring by motorcoach. Bask in the view of the land-locked fjord, waterfalls, and billion-year-old cliffs while wandering the recently revitalized trail. Once we arrive at the end of the trail, we will explore the Western Brook Pond by boat (weather permitting). A local resource person will provide onboard commentary. The “pond” is one of numerous glacially carved fjords in the Long Range Mountains, the northernmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains. Waterfalls cascade from a height of 2,000 feet, and we may even spot some of the local wildlife. The lake is home to Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and Arctic char, as well as an unusual colony of cliff-nesting gulls.

Lunch: We will enjoy box lunches dockside at Western Brook Pond. There is a sheltered waiting area, indoor washroom facilities, canteen services and a gift shop as well as several beautiful picnic areas.

Afternoon: We’ll depart by coach to explore other areas in the Park. Curving around a long and sweeping bay with the mountains in the background, we will see Rocky Harbour and stop at the Lobster Cove Lighthouse.

Dinner: Enjoy dinner and a theatre production on the coastal steamer SS Ethie and her final voyage in 1919 when she ran aground just south of Cow Head with 92 passengers and crew aboard.

Activity note: Walking 1 mile, approximately 2.5 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 126 miles, approximately 2.5 hours riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Travel by motorcoach to the town of Port au Choix, known as the fishing capital of Western Newfoundland. On a field trip to the Port au Choix National Historic Site, we will learn how the rich waters off this coast have supported many different groups of people. The remains of four ancient cultures have been found at Port au Choix to date: Maritime Archaic Indian, Dorset and Groswater Paleoeskimo, and Recent Indians. Archaeologists searched many years for a site such as this one, which sheds new light on our understanding of native peoples in this part of the world.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We’ll visit the lighthouse at Port Riche and have an opportunity to hunt for fossils. Depart by coach for Deer Lake, arriving approximately 6:00 p.m

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking 1 mile, approximately 1.5 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 130 miles throughout the day, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time. Ferry crossing is about 25 miles, approximately 2 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After traveling to St. Barbe by motorcoach, we’ll board the ferry for Labrador; keep watch for whales or icebergs which can sometimes be seen during the ferry crossing.

Lunch: At a nearby restaurant in Red Bay.

Afternoon: We’ll visit Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a presentation given by a Parks historian highlighting the Basque whaling industry dating back to the 1500s and the role that it played in the history of Canada. Then, at the on-site museum with a local historian, we will explore artifacts and exhibits that tell the intriguing story of 16th-century Basque whalers who built the first industrial complex of the New World here. We’ll also see how the thriving industry of whale oil production lit the lamps of Europe in the late Middle Ages. Red Bay is the most complete and best-preserved example of these ports. Next, we’ll travel by motorcoach along the Labrador Coastal Drive to the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site. Explore the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site with a local expert, the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. Lighthouses play an integral part in the history and culture of Newfoundland as we will discover through a presentation at the historic site featuring a local storyteller and a morning social featuring Labrador tea and wildberry tarts. Afterwards, we’ll complete our transfer to L’Anse Au Clair and check in to the hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and ferrying in the morning.

Activity note: Walking 1.5 miles over 3 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 115 miles,approximately 2.5 hours riding time. Ferry crossing is about 25 miles; approximately 2 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Travel back to the island by ferry, keep watch for whales or icebergs which can sometimes be seen during the ferry crossing.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We’ll explore L'Anse-aux-Meadows National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the highlights of this program. At L'Anse aux Meadows, we will learn about this famous ancient Viking settlement, the first European encampment in the New World and site of Leif Erickson's Vinland. Discover the westward migration of the Vikings and understand how they lived so long ago. Stand on the same grassy plain facing the sea where the Vikings stood 1,000 years ago, then stoop to enter the reconstructed sod house that once protected them from the chill, wind and snow. We’ll experience firsthand the warm, smoky atmosphere of these efficient buildings, while costumed interpreters depict Viking life. Eight Norse sod-house foundations were unearthed by explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, in the 1960s. Next, we'll travel to the town of St. Anthony. The town had its beginnings as a seasonal fishing station for French and Biscayan (Basque) fishermen in the early 1500s. This is how Jacques Cartier came upon it in 1534, when he named the protected harbor St. Anthony Haven. A permanent coastal settlement did not begin until after the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815. During the latter decades of the 19th century, the town was a service point for Newfoundland schooners sailing between the Labrador coast and ports in Bonavista. As the largest town at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, it was a base camp for early European settlers. Visit the Grenfell Historic Properties where we will learn about the life of medical missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell from a local historian at the Grenfell House Museum and Interpretive Centre. Get crafty at the Grenfell Handicrafts located at the Interpretive Centre.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Activity note: Walking about 1 mile, approximately 1.5 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 210 miles, approximately about 4 hours riding time. Getting on/off a 12-passenger rigid hull inflatable zodiac boat; whale watching for 1 hour. Every participant must wear one-piece cold-weather suit. Activity is weather dependent.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: This morning, we'll embark on a whale watching expedition off the coast of St. Lunaire-Griquet (weather permitting) and explore the coastal waters of Iceberg alley. Divided into smaller groups, we’ll take turns dressing in cold weather suits and climbing aboard a 28-foot offshore rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) with our captain and marine ecologist to learn about the sea life off the tip of Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula and the cultural heritage of the area. The others will visit the Dark Tickle Company, champions of the wild berry industry, where we’ll immerse ourselves in the view of bakeapple berry, partridge berry, crowberry, and squash berry in their natural environment.

Lunch: At a nearby restaurant.

Afternoon: We will depart for Cow Head by motorcoach, stopping at Flower’s Cove, where we'll learn about thrombolites, formed by a photosynthetic process from the calcium carbonate found in the limestone rocks which is thought to have been the first creatures on the planet to release free oxygen. This is one of two locations on the planet where thrombolites are known to exist.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Activity note: Walking 0.5 miles, approximately 1 hour. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 310 miles, approximately 7 hours total riding time with rest stops.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will board the motorcoach and head across the island, with a stop in King's Point, where we'll visit the King's Point Whale Pavilion. The main attraction is a 50-foot humpback whale skeleton, the skeleton was extracted from a carcass that washed up in northeastern Newfoundland several years ago.

Lunch: At a local restaurant in King’s Point.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will continue on to Twillingate, with a stop in Grand Falls, Windsor.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking 2 miles over 4.5 hours. Driving 25 miles over 1 hour.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will start the day with a trip to the Isles Wooden Boat Builder’s Museum and Workshop. Twillingate is one of the province’s oldest ports and a perfect place to learn about the Newfoundland tradition of wooden boat building. We’ll meet with a boat builder to learn about this ancient art and the part it has played in the lives of the people of the island and get an up close look at a boat being built. Next, we visit the Twillingate Museum, where we’ll glimpse into the lives of the people of Twillingate in the early 1900s. Housed in the former Anglican rectory, the museum recreates a typical household of the time, complete with a parlour for entertaining guest to a cozy kitchen with its Waterloo Stove and flowering geraniums. A museum guide will escort us to the very interesting cemetery located behind the museum, with rocky outcroppings and the ocean as a backdrop. This is the resting place of a woman who once was Newfoundland’s most famous export, the prima donna soprano Georgina Stirling, who performed under the name Marie Toulinquet.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch and an exploration at the Auk Island Winery.

Afternoon: We’re in for a treat as meet with a local expert on traditional foods for a multi-sensory learning experience. After gathering on the shore at her family’s fishing stage — a special wooden building where cod fishing equipment was kept and cod were cleaned and sometimes processed — we’ll learn about the importance of cod in the lives of one family and the devasting effect that the moratorium has had. We’ll also learn about efforts to preserve and promote traditional Newfoundland food sources and traditions. After this inspiring talk, we will walk on a spit of land to nearby Beatrix Island for a “mug up.” We’ll enjoy nature-inspired cool or warm drinks over the fire and a sampling of traditional foods which may include cod tongue, capelin, smoked fish, fish and brewis, or salt cod. Our menu will vary and depend on what we locally source each day. Road Scholars can beachcomb, sit by the fire and watch the culinary creations by our expert, or just relax by the sea.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Activity note: Walking 1.5 miles, approximately 3.5 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 210 miles, approximately 4.5 hours total riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will board the motorcoach and make our way to Gander, with a stop at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre Provincial Historic Site in Boyd's Cove. Learn the haunting story of the extinct Beothuk people. Discover how these people lived in the 17th century - who they traded with and what sort of religion they practiced. Explore the physical world in which the Beothuk lived by following a traditional path through the forest used by early European settlers and possibly also by the Beothuk. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a group of house pits occupied between 1650 and 1720 AD, at a time when the now-extinct Beothuk people had had some interaction with Europeans and were making use of metal scavenged from European sites. The Beothuk people became extinct with the death of Shanawdithit, a Beothuk woman, in St. John's in 1829. The Boyd's Cove site and Notre Dame Bay area provide important information about the life and culture of this unique people. Next, we'll visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander, where we will be joined by a museum expert to see some of the incredible planes, photos, models, and more that tell the tale of Gander’s role in the development of trans-Atlantic aviation. Of note is the exhibit on 9/11, including a piece of the steel from the World Trade Centre and hundreds of letters from stranded passengers thanking Gander and its residents for helping them in their time of need.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will visit the Gander International Airport where a local expert will walk us through the design and construction of the building, a shining example of 1960s modernist architecture, that welcomed thousands of weary stranded passengers on September 11, 2001 when American and Canadian airspace was closed to all air traffic. This was the first building that passengers entered after disembarking from their planes. What at first appears to be an airport like any other is soon revealed to be so much more, as we hear stories of the airport staff and townspeople that worked tirelessly as the town’s population almost doubled in size overnight with travelers from around the world. Afterwards, we’ll complete our transfer to Port Union and check in to the hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking 2 miles, approximately 4 hours, some uneven terrain, stops for interpretation but no seating. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 60 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: A local historian will deliver a presentation on Port Union and its history. Learn how Sir William Coaker formed a union of fishermen in the early 1900s to fight against the merchant trade of St. John's. His goal was to revolutionize the fishery, placing control of the fish trade in the hands of fishermen. Sir William is noted as an activist, labor leader, visionary, businessman, publisher and politician. Next, on an expert-led visit of historic Port Union, see the buildings of the town, including the factory and the Coaker Bungalow. Many are being restored to their original state. Local experts talk about each site and the part it played in the life and times of Port Union.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: At Ryan Premises National Historic Site, we will learn the intriguing story of the East Coast fishery. Parks Canada staff will describe the compelling story of the fishing industry in Newfoundland in the unique setting of these restored merchant’s premises. The first thing we notice is the smell of salt cod. More than a century after employees of James Ryan Ltd. began salting and storing the cod brought in by local fishermen, the tangy aroma of their work remains as strong as if the enterprise had just closed yesterday. We will also visit the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site, located at the headland of Cape Bonavista. As trained locals interpret this site, we will learn how important this lighthouse was in guiding mariners and shipping traffic bound for Labrador. Discover the vital role played by lighthouses, and the extraordinary breed of men and women who operated them, in safeguarding the lives of the mariners who executed their trade off Newfoundland's rugged coast. The lighthouse is now a Provincial Historic Site, restored to the 1870s. Bonavista is one of the oldest settlements on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. A quaint fishing community of 4,600 people, it is the largest community in the province to rely solely on the inshore fishing industry. Its name is presumed to have come from Italian explorer John Cabot's exclamation “O Buena Vista,” meaning “O Happy Sight,” when he first sighted land off Cape Bonavista in 1497.

Dinner: Local residents will join us in Port Union for dinner and share their stories about life in rural Newfoundland. Dinner will feature a variety of traditional Newfoundland dishes.

Evening: Following dinner, there will be traditional music and dancing, and you may want to try your hand at playing the "ugly sticks" and spoons; and become an honorary Newfoundlander at a screech-in. An evening of fun and laughter. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Activity note: Walking about 2 miles, approximately 4 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 185 miles, approximately 4.5 hours riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We continue to travel to St. John's with a stop in Trinity to explore the town’s historic sites and landmarks. The preservation of Trinity’s cultural and built heritage has made it perhaps the most notable “heritage community” in the province.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will embark on an expert-led motorcoach exploration of St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. This colorful city, born of its sheltered harbor, was a busy port 40 years before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth. Although it is a small city, St. John's has a warm, vibrant spirit. Water Street is one of the oldest streets in North America. Explore Signal Hill National Historic Site and Cabot Tower. Signal Hill was the site of St. John's harbour defenses from the 17th century to the Second World War, and where Guglielmo Marconi received the world's first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. We will also visit Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, the most easterly point of land in North America. Next, we'll transfer to “The Rooms” for an introduction to the people of Newfoundland. A unique blend of art gallery, archives, and museum, its controversial design mirrors the colorful “fishing rooms” where families came together to process their catch. This is a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to local culture and craft as well as traditional and modern looks at life in Newfoundland and Labrador as it houses the largest collection of artifacts and specimens from the First Nations, Vikings, French, and English.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure. The hotel is near St. John’s harbor, surrounded by shopping, restaurants, and rainbow houses.

Activity note: The puffin and whale watching is aboard Gatherall’s Catamaran, a designed and built passenger vessel. It is more stable than conventional vessels; which means less seasickness and a more pleasant ride. Space for all passengers both outside and inside. Two washrooms and an on-board bar/canteen service. Boating about 20 miles, approximately 1.5 hours. Walking about 0.5 miles, approximately 1 hour. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 75 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: At the hotel, our local expert will discuss seabirds and the marine ecology of Newfoundland and Labrador. Learn about the diversity of North Atlantic seabirds and the Low Arctic ocean conditions along the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador that provide their habitat. Newfoundland is the southern limit for icebergs and many Arctic seabirds. We will also explore the interrelationships between seabirds and their ocean environment and assess the current information about the North Atlantic, the fishes in it and climate change from the point of view of the spectacular seabirds of Newfoundland and Labrador. Then, we’ll travel to Witless Bay where we’ll board a boat for the opportunity to spot puffins and whales (weather and season permitting). The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is where over 1,000,000 pairs of seabirds gather to breed during the summer months. The onboard interpretive program will describe the natural and cultural heritage of Newfoundland.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore the city of St. John's on your own.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!