Home to some of the oldest settlements and picturesque scenery on the island of Newfoundland, Bonavista Peninsula is the perfect place to explore the beautiful Newfoundland’s countryside. The road going around the peninsula is called Discovery Trail, and has access to some of the most famous landmarks and places of interest.

Newfoundland and Labrador form together the easternmost province of Canada. While Labrador is connected to mainland Canada, Newfoundland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, separated by the Strait of Belle Island.

Colliding tectonic plates shaped much of the geology of Newfoundland, and the rocks on the Island of Newfoundland are divided into three zones: Western, Central and Eastern. While the western area has been part of North America for the last billion years, the Central and Eastern part are relatively new, if you can say about 200 million years ago. The old continents broke apart to form the present Atlantic Ocean, leaving rugged shores to be swept by the wind, water, and time.

With a length of approximatively 425 km, Discovery Trail is essentially the road that circles around the Bonavista Peninsula, with three road entrances: Routes 230 and 230A in Clarenville, and Route 233 in Port Brandford.

After passing Clarenville and Shoal Harbour, we found ourselves driving up north on Route 230. The road goes on and on, and our curiosity picked up with every km, to find out what the Discovery Trail is all about. The hilly landscape and the verdant landscape accompanying us stretched over as far as we could see. But we kept driving, heading straight to the head of this peninsula, where the town of Bonavista is.

Here is what we found to be the most interesting things along the Discovery Trail:

Bonavista

In early May 1497, John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), a Venetian citizen bearing letters from Henry VII, sailed from Bristol to seek western passage to Asia. On June 24, he made land somewhere on the East coast of Canada. Although there is no certain evidence of the site, the local tradition records Cape Bonavista as the landfall, and the place where John Cabot said (when he first laid eyes on the beautiful peninsula): “O Buona Vista” meaning Oh, such a beautiful sight.

Cape Bonavista lighthouse

Built in 1843, the Cape Bonavista lighthouse is worth a quick peek inside. Very important for generations of sailors and fishermen, the lighthouse beam was the only connection to land while out in dark seas. We were able to see the light going around, from 30 km away, from Melrose, where we had our base for 3 nights in this area.

It is said this place is one of the most photographed places in NL. No wonder why, we saw so many puffins on the sea stack across the lighthouse, and few whales in the distance going around Green Island.

Read more: Why Newfoundland was nicknamed the seabird capital of North America

King’s Cove and lighthouse trail

Local legend has it that King’s Cove is actually where Cabot and his party originally landed, and where the cove got its name from, as he erected the king’s banner here.

We parked in front of St. Peter and Paul church, and headed to the King’s Cove lighthouse, located down the path to the head of the peninsula. The walk is easy and pleasant, passing by Pat Murphy’s meadow, a lovely patch of wild flowers overlooking the cove. The lighthouse was closed, and stood graciously on top of the imposing rocky shore. We continued the path to the Fish Point lookout, wanting to go around the Outer loop, but after that the rest of the loop and the remainder of the trail became overgrown and it didn’t appear to be used or marked in any way, so we turned around using the little side trail till we reached the main path.

Tickle Cove Sea Arch

Not far from the King’s cove, there is Tickle cove. We left Route 235 and took a side road through a couple of villages with several houses scattered across the way. Red rocky outcrops made for an interesting landscape all the way to the end of the road. A short walk between some large granite boulders took us from the parking lot to the Sea Arch. These erratics were actually transported by glaciers million of years ago, from the other side of Bonavista Bay. A legend tells how these large glacial boulders were used by a giant as skipping stones, who tossed them across Bonavista Bay.

The Tickle Cove Sea Arch and rocky ridge provide a unique scenery. The sedimentary rocks, red sandstone, siltstone, and other conglomerates make an interesting coastal feature, while the clear blue green water made the rocks much more attractive. After a few sets of stairs and the viewing platform, we continued to climb the rocks around a bit, but didn’t want to venture too far.

Dungeon Provincial Park

If Bonavista sits on a flat terrain, instead, the coastline that surrounds the cape and the Eastern part of this peninsula has a rugged appearance, with cliffs varying in height and look, which is why it has so many natural scenic attractions. Dungeon Provincial Park is just six-minute drive from Bonavista, and offers fantastic views of a collapsed sea cave with natural arches carved by the sea.

The Dungeon had its origin as a cavern with two separate openings to the sea. Thousands of years of continuous coastal erosion led to the widening of the cavern until eventually had the roof collapsed. These collapsed sea caves are known as gloups.

Elliston

The small town of Elliston is located just 10 minutes from Bonavista, and is known to be the Root Cellar Capital of the World, with more than 130 such underground structures. These root cellars are traditional food storage structures, that were built into hillsides and banks, and were used to keep root vegetables cool in the summer, and frost-free in the winter. Half of them are still in working condition and the oldest is 165 years old.

But we weren’t there for the cellars actually. Elliston is home to the best viewing site of the cute and colourful puffins in all Newfoundland. Nicknamed ‘sea parrots’ or ‘sea clowns’ for their appearance, the Atlantic puffins are some of the most loved seabirds.

Read more: The Atlantic puffin

Trinity

One of the oldest communities in North America, the small town of Trinity lies at the edge of Bonavista Peninsula. The rugged shore and colourful houses caught our attention right before entering the town.

A walk through the town is a walk through history, and everything here tells a story. The geographical location of Trinity made a perfect harbour since the 16^th century, where fishermen used Trinity as a summer station in the early days. By the 18^th century, Trinity became a well-developed community, a major centre of trade on the northeast coast of Newfoundland.

Fort Point

Known as Admiral Point as well, Fort Point is a long, narrow peninsula at the entrance of Trinity Harbour, which protects the town and the harbour from harsh North Atlantic Ocean. The perfect setting also made it the ideal location for a fort to defend Trinity and a light station to assist the sailors.

Skerwink Trail

Part of the Hike Discovery network, this 5.3 km moderate loop trail offers all the coastal features you could want. Named after a local seabird, this trail leaves from Trinity East, and takes less than 2 hours to complete. The trail starts through a pine forest, then follows the coastline. Mixed with alpine vegetation, wild flowers and towering cliffs, the rugged coastline is a pleasant surprise, including the sea stacks and all the geological features.

Read more: 10+ reasons why you should visit Newfoundland at least once in your lifetime

Tip(s) of the day:

• It is advisable to rent a car well in advance (if you are not coming with one);
• Be prepared to find a lot of potholes, especially in remote areas;
• The most popular time to visit NL are the summer months: July and August. However, spring and fall can also be good times to visit. Spring is famous as you have a chance of seeing icebergs, while summer is a great chance of seeing whales. Fall is great to see fall colours, especially on the western coast;
• Weather wise, as unpredictable as it can be, be prepared for RDF: rain-drizzle-fog. And clouds, and wind.

~visited in July 2023