Terra Nova National Park

Terra Nova National Park is an excellent vacation base for sightseeing in the east-central region of Newfoundland. The park's 400 square kilometres protect a typical Newfoundland habitat of sheltered bays, rugged shores along the ocean and rolling forested hills with numerous ponds and bogs. Keep an eye out for ospreys, eagles, lynx and moose.

Camping and picnicking facilities abound and there are hiking and nature trails, some with guided tours by park interpreters and others for exploring alone. For those who come to the park by sea, there are excellent docking facilities in inner Newman Sound, and several wharves in the outer coves.

In the Newman Sound area the Activity Centre is where the whole family can take part in games, and see the aquariums and terrainiums, or take in some of the other programs that are offered. And you can take a tour boat, go hiking, go sea kayaking and get information about park activities right here.

Interpreters present informative and entertaining live performances daily in the park. You don't have to be a camper to participate: everyone is welcome. Come on a nature walk, watch a puppet show or visit the outdoor theatre at Newman Sound any night during the summer.

Campers can enjoy Newman Sound campground year round. Full facilities are offered during the summer. There are a grocery store, laundromat, bicycle rentals and other services here. A few kilometres away at Sandy Pond you can rent canoes, kayaks or peddle boats. Although there are no cabins available in the park, there are a wide variety of accommodations just outside the park.

Hikers have no fewer than 16 trails of varying length and difficulty from which to choose. There are short trails, such as that at Malady Head, which takes 45 minutes and is in good, dry condition, to much longer ones that take hours to traverse and are wet in spots. Portions of the Coastal Trail in Newman Sound are wheelchair accessible. There are trails along the shore, through the woods and over the hills. You can see moose, delicate wildflowers and beavers.

The park also offers winter outdoor adventures in cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, winter camping, ice fishing and picnicking. There are approximately 50 km of ski and snowshoe trails, some of them groomed. They range from 2 to 12 kms and from easy to difficult. Winter campers will find tent platforms and an enclosed picnic shelter with a wood stove and firewood at the Newman Sound campground, and winter camping is free. There is both freshwater and salt water ice fishing. A park license is required for freshwater ice fishing.

Primitive camping sites are available to the canoeist, boater and hiker. In summer you can take the Ocean Watch boat tour to a coastal camping site, returning the next day by the tour boat or along a hiking trail. There are also opportunities for scuba diving, interpretive marine tours and golfing at an 18-hole course set amid spectacular scenery.

There are even two communities within the park. Located approximately 16 km along unpaved Route 301, is Terra Nova, a quiet farming community where boating and canoeing are favourite activities. A little further east of the intersection of Route 301 and Route 1, a brief detour will take you toward the coastal community of Charlottetown. This pretty town is now a popular vacation spot. In the last century its rich forests and excellent harbour and shipping facilities made it a lumbering centre for Bonavista Bay.