An Epic Road Trip

Randy Nickerson of Courtice, Ont., discovers the wild beauty and warm-hearted locals of Newfoundland’s west coast

- Randy Nickerson

I used to think that the best drive in our great country was from Calgary to Jasper by way of the Icefields Parkway, but I am going to let you in on a secret, the west coast of Newfoundland is every bit as amazing. I know many people who have traveled to the eastern part of the province and have raved about it, but the west coast is rugged, full of small fishing communities and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Being from Toronto, we don’t have the type of rugged landscapes nearby that offer a glimpse of what Eastern Canada truly has to offer. You can imagine my surprise at the wondrous vistas before us the minute we got off the plane at Deer Lake. Our visit was to take us to Norris Point, then to Lobster Cove, Gros Morne, St. Anthony, and then back to Port aux Choix and finally to Lark Cove, west of Corner Brook.

Our first stop in Norris Point was to give us a home base to get to Gros Morne, but one of the wonderful people we met gave us the opportunity to climb one of the mountainous hills close to our accommodations. It took a while, but the struggle was worth it when we saw the view from over 600 metres above Neddy Harbour. After an hour of taking some great landscape shots, it was time to call it a day with a sunrise call at 3 a.m. to get the view of Neddy Harbour from Main Street.