Global Adventure - Dayhike Newfoundland with a Naturalist and Culture Focus

Saturday July 12, arrive at the St. John’s International Airport (airport code YYT).  Trip leader will have rental vehicle and pick up participants arriving on Westjet 502 or, other flights arriving approximately the same time (10:30pm). Trip leader will not be available to pick up for earlier-same-day or next-day arrival times. While other flight options are available from Seattle for a Saturday July 12 arrival, WestJet 1551 connecting to WestJet 502 provides departure and arrival on the same day and does not have an overnight schedule with next-day arrival. At the time of this posting, the WestJet 1551 & 502 flight combination only available on Sat, Tues & Thurs. The start & end dates of this trip were arranged around the Westjet flight schedule. If you arrive on an earlier date, you are responsible for your own extra days of expenses, lodging & transportation. Early arrivals should meet at our St John’s accommodation (TBD) by at least 11pm on Saturday, July 12.

On departure day (July 26), Trip Leader will return the rental vehicle in advance of the 7:10am departing flight on Westjet 265. From St John’s to Seattle, WestJet 265 connecting to WestJet 1550 departs & arrives on the same day and is the least travel time. At the time of this posting, this flight combination only available on Saturday & Friday. You may book a later flight, but must arrange your own transportation.

Itinerary Highlights:    

• The preliminary schedule, see following paragraphs
• Quick-Find summary table, 1 page (click here)

Day 0, July 12 – arrive St. John’s Newfoundland (NFLD). Overnight: hotel near St. John’s, self-pay.⁽¹⁾  Meals: Self-Pay B, L, D

Day 1, July 13 – Walk to Cape Spear & lighthouse via East Coast trail, easternmost point of land in North America. Visit Salmonier Nature Park, location of Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Rehabilitation Program and captive breeding program for the Newfoundland marten. We’ll take a self-guided educational tour.    Overnight: hotel near St. John’s, self-pay.⁽¹⁾  Drive time (est): 2 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 5 miles, 400’ .  Meals: Self-Pay at restaurant B, D. Included: Welcome group lunch at restaurant.

Day 2, July 14 – Transit to Cormack, NFLD. To break up the trip, we will stop at Terra Nova national park (NP) visitor centre and Demasduit Regional Museum which traces indigenous cultures thriving here 5,000 years ago to the great changes of 20th century industrial development. These breaks occur after about 2 hours of driving.   Overnight: farm stay, included.⁽²⁾   Drive time (est): 6.5 hours not including fuel stop & stops at NP & museum.  Meals: Self-Pay at restaurant B, L, D. Grocery shopping in Deer Lake for Day 3 (B, L), Day 4 (B, L, D) and Day 5 (B, L)

Day 3, July 15 – Hike Green Gardens trail in Gros Morne NP (GMNP). This hike takes us across a barren landscape with a striking view of the Tablelands, down through thick boreal forest, and out to bluffs above the coastline of cliffs & sea stacks where there are rolling grassy meadows and waterfalls.   Overnight: farm stay, included.⁽²⁾   Drive time (est): 2 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 10 miles, 2200’.   Meals: Self-Catering B, L at farmhouse, Self-Pay D at restaurant

Day 4, July 16 – Low key day at the farm. This is a working farm and it may be possible to lend a hand with the chores or you may want to just hang out. There’s the option to drive to a provincial park to view migrating salmon as they leap up a waterfall. This day includes a 2-hour guided farm & forage tour for wild plant foraging and delicious snack using everything we've gathered.  Overnight: farm stay, included.⁽²⁾  Drive time (est): 1 hour (optional to provincial park).  Meals: Self-Catering B, L, D at farmhouse

Day 5, July 17 – Travel to GMNP Discovery Centre. At the Centre, we can get the story of why GMNP is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its amazing geology. We’ll participate in the GMNP guided tour of the Tablelands to walk on the earth’s mantle and the Medicine Walk to learn how Mi’kmaw ancestors and other peoples harvest & use traditional foods and medicines.  Overnight: Rocky Harbour, included.⁽³⁾    Drive time (est): 1.75 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 3 miles, 300’.  Meals: Self-Catering B,L. Self-pay D at restaurant. Grocery shopping in Deer Lake before checking into Rocky Harbour accommodations for Day 6-9 (B, L).

Day 6, July 18 – Hike to Gros Morne Mountain⁽⁵⁾. The mountains of GMNP, including Gros Morne Mtn, are an outlying range of the Appalachian Mountain range. We’ll hike from lowland to alpine terrain amid wildflowers, enjoying panoramic views from the summit of a spectacular glacial-carved landscape: the deep fjord arms of Bonne Bay and the U-shaped trough of Ten Mile Pond. This is the quiet domain of rock ptarmigan, Arctic hare, and woodland caribou.  Overnight: Rocky Harbour, included.⁽³⁾   Drive time (est): 0.5 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 12 miles, 2900’.   Meals: Self-Catering B, L. Self-Pay D at restaurant.

Day 7, July 19 – Interpretive boat tour of Western Brook Pond, a glacier-carved land-locked fjord with waterfalls cascading from 2000’ that often turn to mist before reaching the pond, billion year-old cliffs, and frequent wildlife sightings including an unusual colony of cliff nesting gulls.   Overnight: Rocky Harbour, included.⁽³⁾  Drive time (est): 0.8 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 7.5 miles, 400’.   Meals: Self-Catering B, L. Self-Pay D at restaurant.

Day 8, July 20 – Free day to independently explore GMNP or the village of Rocky Harbour or relax at your oceanfront cabin. No planned activities. Optional: Fire Circle with Parks Canada  Overnight: Rock Harbour, included.⁽³⁾  Meals: Self-Catering B, L. Self-Pay D at restaurant.

Day 9, July 21 – Travel to Terra Nova NP. Hike Ochre Hill and Sand Pond trails (or comparable). These trails visit a bog ecosystem we have not yet explored. We hope to see orchids, moose, beaver and reindeer, as well as other unique bog plants and wildlife.   Overnight: Port Blandford⁽³⁾   Drive time (est): 5 hours   Hiking distance & gain (est): 5 miles, 400’.  Meals: Self-Catering B, L. Self-Pay D at restaurant.

Day 10, July 22 – Hike Skerwink trail on the Bonavista Peninsula where John Cabot is thought to have landed in 1497, making claim for the king of England. This trail features views of sea stacks, whales, eagles, kittiwakes, gannets and great black-baked gulls as well as views of the communities of Port Rexton and Trinity.  After the hike we’ll visit the village of Elliston, the so-called Root Cellar Capital of the World, for a self-guided tour of the famous root cellars. Before heading onward, we’ll stop at a puffin viewing site, closest view of a puffin colony from the land in all of North America. Puffins fly close to viewers and often land on the cliffs just feet away.  Overnight: Bonavista, included⁽⁴⁾    Drive time (est): 2 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 3.2 miles, 200’.  Meals: Self-Pay B, L, D at restaurant.

Day 11, July 23 – Visit Bonavista Lighthouse and climb up the stone tower to see the same seal oil fueled catoptric light apparatus that was used in the 19^th century. A great place to watch for whales, icebergs and puffins. No planned activities for the remainder of the day.  Optional: Dungeon Provincial Park. Overnight: hotel near St. John’s, self-pay.⁽¹⁾   Drive time (est): 3.5 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): negligible.  Meals: Self-Pay B, L, D at restaurant.

Day 12, July 24 – Boat tour in Witless Bay Ecological Reserve for puffin and whale watching. About 95% of all North America's puffins breed in colonies around the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. This is also a hotspot for magnificent whale sightings, from humpbacks to minke whales, upwards of 22 different species of whales. At this time of year, thousands of migrating whales come to the east coast of NFLD to feed before their long southward migration for breeding. On this day, we’ll also visit the quaint village of Quidi Vidi (pronounced ‘kiddy vidi’) and hike the Sugarloaf Path of the East Coast Trail.  Overnight: hotel near St. John’s, self-pay.⁽¹⁾    Drive time (est): 1.25 hours  Hiking distance & gain (est): 3.5 miles, 800’.  Meals: Self-Pay B, L, D at restaurant.

Day 13, July 25 – On this, our final day, we’ll visit the Signal Hill National Historic Site to take in 360º views of the wild North Atlantic from the top of Signal Hill and tour with Parks Canada interpreters who share stories and history of the site, from military outposts to Marconi’s receipt of the first trans-Atlantic wireless signal.  In St. John’s we’ll celebrate our trip with a farewell lunch or dinner.  Overnight: hotel near St. John’s NFLD, self-pay.⁽¹⁾    Drive time (est): 0.75 hours   Hiking distance & gain (est): 2 miles, 500’.  Meals: Self-Pay B, L. Included: Farewell group dinner at restaurant.

Day 14, July 26 – Depart NFLD.  Trip leader will have rental vehicle and drop-off participants at the airport.  From St John’s to Seattle, WestJet 265 connecting to WestJet 1550 is the least travel time. At the time of this posting, this flight combination only available on Saturday & Friday.  Meals: Self-Pay B at restaurant.

 1/ John’s hotel estimated cost is for each person in their own hotel room. Price not included in trip cost and participants will pay directly to the hotel.

2/ We are renting an entire farmhouse on a working farm. Each person will have their own bedroom.

3/ In Rocky Harbour and Pt. Blandford, we are renting oceanfront 2-BR self-catering cabins. Each person will have their own bedroom. Cabins include a kitchenette where we can prepare our own food.

4/ In Bonavista, we’re staying at a hotel. Twin-share room is included in the trip cost.

5/ Panoramic views from the summit are the point of this hike. If weather conditions are not favorable, an alternate hike will be chosen.

Car-Based Trip: The width of the island of Newfoundland from the east coast to the west coast is similar to the distance from Seattle to Coeur d’Alene. Unlike the relatively straight I-90 route between these cities, our route on Trans-Canada Hwy 1 between St. John’s (east coast) and Gros Morne NP (west coast) maneuvers around numerous waterbodies and ocean inlets, bays and sounds. Including distances to our various trailheads and points of interest, this trip involves up to 1,000+ miles of driving. Except for Day 2 & 9, one-day driving times range from 0.25 to 3.5 hours which is comparable or less than roundtrip drive times to trailheads in Washington state. For the longer drive times, trips are broken into approximately 2 hour segments with long stops at points-of-interest locations. Given the mostly low daily activity level of this trip, there is adequate rest time for drivers between days of driving. The rental SUV will be driven by Trip Leader and an alternate driver who is a trip participant. Both drivers will have safe driving records and experience driving an SUV.

Time of Year:    In NFLD, July is a prime tourism month due the best weather and the arrival of migrating whales & seabirds. The productive upwelling caused by the confluence of the cold Labrador current and the warm Gulfstream current attracts feeding for thousands of whales & birds. Mid-day high temperatures are expected to be in the 70s. The maritime climate can also bring fog and rain.  At GMNP, weather is unpredictable because there are significant differences between weather conditions in low-lying areas along the coastal plain and the higher elevations of the GMNP mountains. Participants must be prepared for changeable conditions over the course of a single day and know how to avoid hypothermia. Here is a link to historical data for various NFLD weather stations. 

Lodging:   We will stay in hotels near St. John’s (east coast), a farm stay near Deer Lake (west NFLD), oceanfront cabins near Gros Morne National Park (west coast) and quaint village hotels (north-central NFLD). All lodging provides single occupancy bedrooms, except for the 1 night at Bonavista which is twin-share (2 queen beds in same room). For the St. John’s hotel rooms, each participant will pay directly to the hotel (not to the Mountaineers). Cost of all other accommodations are included in trip cost (also see footnotes). Trip leader has reserved all accommodations.

Food:   Participants will be responsible for all of their own food, except for the Welcome and Farewell meals. The farmhouse (Day 2-4) has a fully equipped kitchen, we will prepare our own meals with groceries we purchase at our own expense;  likewise with the cabin accommodations which have kitchenettes (Day 5-9). We will stop at grocery stores, as needed.  Participants should plan about $40-$70/day for food, depending on whether you prepare your own breakfast & lunch, or eat out. Most dinners will be eaten out at restaurants.

Leader’s Experience:    The trip leader Roseanne Lorenzana is a Hike Leader, Snowshoe Trip leader, Naturalist trip leader and an Urban Walk leader. She is an instructor for Conditioning Hiking Series, GoHike course and Basic Snowshoeing course.  She has been a Mountaineers member since 1995, a Global Adventures leader since 2023 and led a successful Global Adventure to Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park and Global Adventure trip to Cuba. For friends, family and a non-Mountaineers hiking group, she has planned and lead trips to Portugal, Azores, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Guatemala, Belize, South Africa, Argentina, Ecuador, Galapagos, Patagonia and Antarctica. She has current badges for Wilderness Navigation and Wilderness First Aid. Twenty-three year career as a risk assessor with the Environmental Protection Agency, with expertise in identifying hazards, exposure and magnitude of risk.

About Equity and Inclusion: As part of creating a mental and emotional safe experience on this Global Adventure, trip leader will adhere to the Mountaineers justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion policies and expectations. Participants will be expected to be familiar with and also adhere to these policies and expectations. These can be reviewed here.

Participant Requirements:   Must be a current Mountaineers member with an up-to-date waiver on file. Unless trip leader has hiked with you, a participant’s Mountaineers activity profile must include successful completion of day-hikes, backpacks, scrambles or similar activity in changeable weather conditions (e.g. from sunny to rainy & windy) and a hike of at least 12 miles and 2900’ gain within a few months prior to application. Participation in Mountaineers Naturalist activities or other naturalist activities is highly desirable because this trip will spend a lot of time in this type of activity. One participant must be able to be an alternate driver for the rental SUV (trip leader is primary driver). Note: Application link will be available on this page by October 01. No applications will be accepted prior to that date.

Participants are required to attend two meetings: (1) 8-10 weeks prior to departure, a zoom meeting for introductions, pre-trip questions and information sharing between participants, and; (2) 4-6 weeks prior to departure, an in-person pre-trip briefing meeting. Location TBD. This is a mandatory in-person meeting.

COVID-19 Requirements:  Participants must be fully vaccinated to participate in the trip, which includes any boosters available up to the time of travel.  In addition, participants are expected to practice conservative COVID behavior before and during transit to the trip including masking and avoiding crowded indoor spaces whenever possible; to self-test the day before traveling to Newfoundland^(a) and to carry COVID self-tests on the trip and use them at any time when they experience a symptom commonly related to COVID.  Any positive test will mean that the participant will need to leave the group and quarantine at their own expense for at least 5 days (or longer if not symptom free, per CDC guidelines) before rejoining the group.

• The day before the trip if any positive COVID self-test result is obtained, the participant must cancel. Then, follow the procedures outlined by their travel insurer to demonstrate the positive result for purposes of a trip cancellation insurance claim.

Trip Price Detail:    $3,500 includes 9 night’s accommodations (except for 1 night, each person has their own bedroom at each accommodation), all ground transportation & fuel, parking fees, national park fees and tour fees. Included tours: Cape Spear Nat Historic Lighthouse tour (Day 1), Demasduit Regional Museum (Day 2), Farm & Forage tour (Day 4), GMNP Tablelands tour (Day 5), GMNP Medicine Walk tour (Day 5), Western Brook Pond interpretive boat tour (Day 7), Bonavista Provincial Historic Lighthouse tour (Day 11), Witless Bay Ecological Reserve Puffin & Whale Watch boat tour (Day 12), Signal Hill Nat Historic Site tour (Day 13). IMPORTANT: Trip cost is based on exchange rates as of August 2024 and 15% HST tax. If there are significant changes, a small price adjustment may be needed.

Estimate of expenses NOT included (~$2,180): Airfare (~$800), meals (up to ~$800), self-pay single occupancy hotel accommodations in St. John’s (5 nights, ~$500) and required Medical-Evacuation insurance (~$75). With its short summertime tourist season, prices are expensive in Newfoundland. View this trip as an investment in experiencing a one-of-a-kind hiking and naturalist adventure in a place where few Americans visit!

Registration Instructions:(1) Do NOT request permission. Instead, complete & submit the online application at the button below; (2) Leader will contact you to arrange the required in-person interview; (3) If accepted, leader's permission to register will be received; (4) Pay within required timeframe; (5) Payment automatically adds you to the roster. Leader approval of application is required prior to registration. At registration, 100%  of the trip cost ($3,500) is required to hold your spot on the roster.  After you have registered, you are asked to complete the Trip Agreement and Release forms at your earliest convenience, at the buttons below.  The Supplemental Information form will be requested in the weeks before the trip departs.

APPLICATION

TRIP AGREEMENT

RELEASE

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Cancellation & Refund Policy: If fewer than 3 participants register, the trip will be canceled and amounts paid will be refunded with no penalty. With this small group, cancellation of any person has a significant impact on the trip. Hence the strict cancellation & refund policy. Once the roster is full, in the event of cancellation there is no refund of trip cost unless your place can be taken by someone on the waiting list and they are able to pay in a timely manner.  If a refund is given, the Mountaineers administrative fee of $100 will be deducted from the refunded amount.