Terra Nova National Park is accessed via the #1 Trans-Canada Highway through Newfoundland.
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Terra Nova National Park
Glovertown, Newfoundland, A0G 2L0
(709) 533-3145 fax: (709) 533-2706
(709) 533-2801, tollfree: 1-800-213-7275 fax: (709) 533-2706
Open year-round
Terra Nova National Park’s sheltered 400 square kilometres of typical Newfoundland habitat, rugged shores along the ocean, and rolling forested hills with numerous ponds and bogs, is an excellent vacation base for sightseeing in the east-central region of Newfoundland. Facilities are provided for camping, picnicking, hiking, and boating. Some nature trails have guided tours by park interpreters and others are self-guided. The park also has lots of ospreys, eagles, lynx, and moose.
The park contains two communities: Terra Nova, a quiet farming community where boating and canoeing are favourite activities and the coastal community of Charlottetown with its rich forests and shipping facilities made it Bonavista Bay’s lumbering centre.
The Saltons day-use area features a new Marine Interpretation Centre with information on things to see and do in the park, along with exhibits which include touch tanks, aquaria, and special interpretive programs. Saltons is also the departure point for Ocean Watch Tours which provide educational and entertaining tours of the marine environment. You can also catch a puppet show or visit the outdoor theatre at Newman Sound any night during the summer.
Kayak, canoe and pedal boat rentals, a snack bar, picnic facilities, shower and laundry facilities for boaters, and a docking area are also available. There are also opportunities for scuba diving, interpretive marine tours, and golfing set amid spectacular scenery. The park has 12 hiking trails of varying length and difficulty. The Malady Head trail takes only 45 minutes and is in good, dry condition. 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 snowshoeing, and winter camping. There are approximately 50 km of ski and snowshoe trails, some of them groomed. They range from 2 to 12 km 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. The park offers both freshwater and salt water ice fishing. A license is required for freshwater ice fishing.
Back-country 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.
Festivals
Heritage Folk Festival
Terra Nova National Park
Glovertown, Newfoundland, A0G 2L0
(709) 533-3145 fax: (709) 533-2706
Held annually in Terra Nova National Park. Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 pm. Music, dance and recitations. Family entertainment.
From Aug 17 – Aug 19
Attractions
Activity Centre (nature House)
Located in Terra Nova National Park’s Newman Sound Campground. Offers stories, movies, arts/crafts, computer/other games, videos, puppet shows & a junior Naturalist Program.
From Jun 22 – Sep 04
Burnside Archaeology Centre
P.O. Box 101
Eastport, Newfoundland, A0G 1Z0
(709) 677-2474 fax: 745-4687
Discover 5,000 years of aboriginal history! Learn about native culture from trained interpreters as you examine artifacts from Bloody Reach and Beaches archaeological sites. Mammateek; gift shop, boat tours to sites.
From Jun 15 – Oct 30
Marine Interpretation Centre Summer Program
Terra Nova National Park
Glovertown, Newfoundland, A0G 2L0
(709) 533-2801 fax: (709) 533-2706
A variety of interpretive programming throughout the summer season. Junior Naturalist programs help kids understand the marine environment of Bonavista Bay. There are also tours of the centre, beach walks and oceanology programs available. Call for more details.
From May 19 – Oct 31
Salvage Fisherman’s Museum
General Delivery
Salvage, Newfoundland, A0G 3X0
(709) 677-2414
Depicts the domestic life of Salvage from the late 19th century to the present. The museum building, dating from 1860, is the oldest dwelling in the area.
From Jun 15 – Sep 06
Terra Nova Golf Resort
P.O. Box 160
Port Blandford, Newfoundland, A0C 2G0
(709) 543-2626 fax: (709) 543-2201
Championship 18-hole golf course is Atlantic Canada’s premier golfing destination. Seaside course crisscrossed by two salmon rivers. Home to several nesting bald eagles. One of the top 30 courses in Canada.
May 01 – Oct 31
Tours & Adventures
Burnside Archaeological Boat Tours
P.O. Box 101
Eastport, Newfoundland, A0G 1Z0
(709) 677-2474 fax: 745-4687
This scenic tour follows ancient marine routes to Newfoundland’s largest aboriginal quarry at Bloody Bay Cove, and to the Beaches, a former settlement occupied for almost 5,000 years. Interpretation included.
From Jun 15 – Oct 30
Ocean Watch Tours
P.O. Box 132
Glovertown South, Newfoundland, A0G 2M0
(709) 533-6024 fax: (709) 533-6124
Participate in a hands-on educational/interpretive tour cruising the park’s sheltered fjords. See bald eagles, whales, icebergs, plankton & human history. Drop off/pick-ups for campers/hikers to wilderness.
From May 15 – Oct 31