Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Port au Port Peninsula
The large peninsula west of Stephenville is the only French-speaking area of the
province, a legacy of the Basque, French and Acadians who settled the coast starting in
the 1700s. Today, the culture is strongest along the western shore between
Cape St Ge-
orge
and
Lourdes
. Here children go to French school, preserving their dialect, which is
now distinct from the language spoken in either France or Québec.
In
Port au Port West
, near Stephenville, the gorgeous
Gravels Trail
(3km) leads along
the shore, passing secluded beach after secluded beach. Nearby in Felix Cove, stop at
Alpacas of Newfoundland
(
www.alpacasofnfld.ca
; Rte 460;
9am-6pm)
and meet
the fluffy namesake critters on a farm tour.
Barachois Pond Provincial Park
May-Sep)
, sitting just south of Rte 480 on Hwy 1, is one of the few in the province to
offer a backcountry experience. From the campground, the
Erin Mountain Trail
(4.5km)
winds through the forest and up to the 340m peak, where there are backcountry camp-
sites and excellent views. Allow two hours for the climb.
Not far away are a couple of leisurely nature trails and a nice swimming area.
NEWFOUNDLAND APPALACHIAN
Think the
International Appalachian Trail
ends in Québec just because it runs out of
land at Cap Gaspé? Think again. It picks up in Newfoundland, where another
1200km of trail swipes the west coast from Port aux Basques to L'Anse aux Mead-
ows. The province has linked existing trails, logging roads and old rail lines through
the Long Range Mountains, part of the Appalachian chain. It's a work in progress,
but some of the most complete sections are around Corner Brook and the Blomid-
on Mountains. See
www.iatnl.com
for trail details.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Port aux Basques
POP 4170
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