Duration
5 days
Activities
  • 5 days self guided hiking
Accommodation
  • 4 nights B&B's/guesthouses
Meals
  • 4 Dinners
  • 5 Lunches
  • 5 Breakfasts
THIS TRIP IS
100% CARBON OFFSET
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Trip Code: SOG7855

Overview

Trip highlights

  • Enjoy stunning coastal multi-day hiking
  • Opportunities to spot whales, icebergs, puffins, and moose
  • Discover colourful and historic fishing villages and communities
  • Step foot on the most easterly point of North America
  • Experience first-hand friendly Newfoundland hospitality

As whale pods patrol an emerald coast, sea birds flutter overhead in the salty fresh breeze, while plump golden bakeapples sprout across windswept barrens. Bright-painted clapboard houses sit alongside worn nets and lobster traps. With this stunning coastal beauty enriched by colourful seafaring communities, it’s little wonder Newfoundland captures the imagination. Comprised of 26 wilderness paths totalling over 300km/186mi along the province’s Avalon Peninsula, the East Coast Trail covers towering cliffs, deep fjords, dense greenery and dramatic sea-stacks, arches and ocean caves. Our itinerary gathers the very best of these trails while removing all your logistical headaches, lightening your load with friendly transfers and providing comfortable, authentic accommodation too. Offering plenty of flexibility, Newfoundland’s nature and culture are on full display, from popular day hikes along Cape Spear and Deadman’s Bay to the less-trafficked wonders at Flamber Head and Berry Head. You’ll meet the story-rich characters that breathe life into the coastal communities, and discover the history and seafood available in small villages from Quidi Vidi and Petty Harbour all the way to the capital of St John’s. The East Coast Trail is less arduous but no less stunning than its western counterpart, an unforgettable adventure no come-from-away will want to miss.

Activities:
Grading:
5

Moderate

More info about grading system

Itinerary

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Make your way to Belle Maison where you will meet your host Sharon to the southernmost end of the East Coast Trail, where you’ll explore the fishing villages and abandoned settlements of Renews-Cappahayden. From here, you’ll head up to Ferryland, one of the oldest communities on the island, where you’ll be able to perform your own dig at the Colony of Avalon Archaeology Site or attend summer dinner theatre at the Arts Centre. From Ferryland, walk north on the trail to Calvert, where you will be picked up and transferred to your charming guesthouse for a tasty home-cooked dinner.

Meals:  B,L,D

If there’s a single photo of your trip that will stop people in their tracks, it will be the massive sea arch at Berry Head located on the Spurwink Island Path section of the trail. Chunks of the stratified archway continue to fall to the ground below, while the reflecting ocean window is sublime on a summer day. You have the option of hiking the full distance southwards from Aquaforte back to your accommodation or to do an out-and-back hike to the archway from your accommodation. Both options result in similar hiking distances, but the latter (out and back) route avoids the north section, which is a rugged hike through dense forest with few coastal views.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today, sparkling turquoise waters and cliffside boardwalk await you at La Manche Provincial Park. The 50-metre/164-foot long swaying La Manche suspension bridge is another highlight of the East Coast Trail, crossing a tranquil cove that once serviced a long-abandoned fishing village. You’ll continue south along the Flamber Head Path, one of the more remote, underrated sections of the ECT. The trail rolls over wooded hills, headlands and cliff-faces with sweeping coastal views, concluding at your pick-up point in the charming little harbour community of Brigus South. A home-cooked meal awaits back in Port Kirwan.

Meals:  B,L,D

After a hearty breakfast, make your way to Witless Bay Inn. Our driver will pick you up and bring you to the trailhead of Tors Cove. You will take on two of the easier sections of the East Coast Trail, commencing at the famous brightly-painted saltbox houses in the community of Tors Cove. With its epic views of blue ocean, rocks, field and forest, “the Cribbies” is the most photographed meadow in Newfoundland. It has one of the best views of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, and fairy-tale magic about the place. The trail hugs the shoreline with lovely shore and coastal views all the way to the reserve, which is a sanctuary for puffins and migrating seabirds. The area is also a popular feeding ground for humpback whales, so keep an eye out for tails and breaches.

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast, make your way to Cape Spear to park your vehicle. Our driver will meet you there and transfer you to the trailhead at Petty Harbour for your hike to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of the continent, in the shadow of the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador and an iconic symbol of the province’s maritime history. Your hike will feature board-walked bog crossings, a variety of terrains, two river crossings and expansive views of deep swells rolling in across the Atlantic. You have plenty of time to explore the Cape Spear Lighthouse, which was originally built in 1836 and rebuilt in 1955 using the active light of the original lighthouse before you are transferred to St John's.

Meals:  B,L

Inclusions

What's included

  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • 3 nights in Port Kirwan in triple occupancy - 1 night in Witless Bay in double
  • Transfers to/from trailheads as indicated in itinerary
  • Navigation APP inclusive of detailed route notes and points of interest (available offline while hiking)
  • Set of trail maps (1 per group)
  • Use of Garmin emergency communications device (1 per group)

  • Travel to and from St. John's
  • Items of a personal nature including alcoholic beverages
  • Meals and transfers where not indicated in the itinerary
  • Travel insurance (compulsory)
  • Entrance fees and optional activities
  • Airport transfers
  • Applicable taxes

Accommodation

Charming B&Bs

Combination of B&B's and guesthouses. All have been chosen for their convenient locations, local character, and quality. The trip price is based on double occupancy. Please indicate if you prefer to share a bed, or have separate beds. A single supplement is available for those wishing to secure their own rooms, subject to availability.

Charming B&B's

Combination of B&B's and guesthouses. All have been chosen for their convenient locations, local character, and quality. The trip price is based on double occupancy. Please indicate if you prefer to share a bed, or have separate beds. A single supplement is available for those wishing to secure their own rooms, subject to availability.

Suitability

Moderate

5

Daily walks are between 8km and 16km on well marked trails over diverse and often rugged terrain – from relatively flat to short, steep sections. Most of the walk is on trail with some boarded surfaces, exposed tree roots, and likely mud and/or rocks to scramble over. You should pay particular attention to your footwear to ensure that it is suitable to avoid blisters and rolling ankles. This is not a trip for breaking in new hiking boots! Be sure you have tried and tested your boots in wet conditions and over uneven terrain. Route finding will be reasonably straightforward (refer to information regarding self guided adventures) but days are long and weather conditions will be variable. The main areas to concentrate on route finding are arriving and leaving towns and cities, and along rocky shores. The accent is on keeping a steady pace to take in all of the views, with time to stop and take photos. You will need a good level of fitness to participate fully in this adventure. Self guided walking requires individuals to use problem solving skills, be adaptable and have a keen eye. It is recommended that you are comfortable map reading, referring to route notes and that you have a good sense of direction (or are willing to work on improving this!) Sometimes route finding, losing your way, finding it again and asking the locals for help is all part of the adventure. If you’ve never been on a self guided trip, after the first couple of days you will get the hang of if as the vast majority of our first time travellers attest. Please be assured that our written material issued to you for route finding is updated regularly and we provide local contact information in the event of any problems. There is a certain level of the unknown that comes with self guided trips, however with a methodical approach potential problems will be averted. The freedom of a self guided trip is something that, once experienced, is sought time and time again.

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Our Expertise

Everyone who works with us, from our office staff, ground staff and guides is the ‘’real deal’’. Our team is comprised of actual hikers and cyclists who have explored or live in the region in which you will be travelling. Our entire network is highly-specialised in active travel.

Great Value

Quality services at the best price make our adventures great value for money. Having essential items included like National Park fees, charming accommodations, most meals, bikes for cycling trips, maps and support for peace of mind. Our inclusions allow you to better budget for your big adventure.

Innovative Itineraries

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We are committed to responsible travel and true sustainability, formed when the company was established, and in the face of a multitude of threats to the environment, our commitment is stronger than ever. We aim to "leave no trace" in both an environmental and cultural sense.

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Hiking Newfoundland's East Coast Trail with Great Canadian Trails