Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guide for the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland - Newfoundland Purple Travel Guide
Most tourists that come to the Burin Peninsula continue on to the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, missing out on the beauty this peninsula has to offer. We provide detailed information and a self-guided tour with the best things to see and we show lots of photos so you know what you can expect.
If you are following our itinerary, then you will have a rental car. If you are reading this to see how you can get best from St. John’s to the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, then you have another option.
There is one daily shuttle service between St. John’s and Fortune, operated by Foote’s Taxi. The departure and arrival times are not coordinated with the ferry in any way and thus, you will need to stay the night before and after the ferry ride in Fortune.
There is absolutely no public transportation (no taxi, uber, Lyft, bus) in Fortune, so you will need to stay in walking distance to the ferry.
Where to stay in the Burin Peninsula
There are only a few hotels, but several Airbnb’s in the Burin Peninsula. Many are only open in summer and some are not listed on any 3rd party booking sites.
If you plan to stay in Fortune, then you will need to book your accommodation early as the hotels and Airbnb’s will likely book out quickly.
Hotels in Fortune that are not listed on 3rd party booking sites at the time of writing:
Airbnb Ocean Gypsy in Point au Gaul
We decided to go extra nice with a house near the beach and ocean views.
The Airbnb Ocean Gypsy was perfect for that.
This 2-storey house has two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs, a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room and powder room downstairs.
From the deck, the living room and the upstairs bedroom, there is a nice view of the ocean and it is only a 2 min walk to the beach.
Point au Gaul is a tiny village of 67 people (2021 census) with super-friendly locals.
Grand Bank Lighthouse
The Grand Bank Lighthouse was built in 1921. You can access the harbor from Water Street and the jetty across the harbor from the lighthouse. You will see fishing boats in the harbor and maybe out in the ocean.
You can’t really see it anymore, but there is a story that a sailing schooner collided with the lighthouse, leaving a dent the B in the word Bank from Grand Bank.
The lighthouse is not spectacular, but we found the jetty to be very peaceful with great views of the town, the ocean, and the scenery. There are also some beautiful murals on the way to the jetty.
Provincial Seamen's Museum
This museum is part of The Rooms museum located in St John’s. It is an architecturally interesting building with a beautiful mural on its ocean-facing side.
The museum features parts of ships and lighthouses and commonly used items by seamen from the 1800s through today on the first floor. The items are grouped and numbered and you look up more details on information cards that are displayed at each group.
On the mezzanine level is the local sports hall of fame and on the upper level, you will find china, carriages, sleighs, bicycles, diving equipment, construction tools, etc., basically a chaotic mix of everything old the museum could get their hands on.
At the time of writing, they have a special exhibition of old stamps and postcards, which I found very interesting.
Because admission is only CAS2.50 per adult and they have free wifi, I can recommend this museum.
Burin Heritage Square
Burin Heritage Square consist of a grassy park with a deck and colorful seating, the Burin Heritage House and the Oldest Colony Trust Building. Across from the park are public restrooms. There is also a café, a bank, a gallery, and a post office.
Starting at the Oldest Colony Trust Building is a boardwalk that is 1,250 ft (380 m) long (one way) and goes through the water along the rocky coast.
The views from the boardwalk are gorgeous.
Cook's Lookout Trail
Cook's Lookout Trail is a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) round trip moderately difficult trail that leads through beautiful scenery and offers fantastic views. There are some steep areas, but those have wooden stairs for easy climbing.
The trail starts at a lake at the end of a residential street. At the beginning of the lake is a very small parking lot. The trailhead is about 220 ft (67 m) to the north on the same side of the lake. There is another trail that goes steep up on the opposite side of the lake, but this is a different trail.
1 = Parking
2 = Trailhead
3 = Cook’s Lookout
Beaches
The south coast of the Burin Peninsula has several beaches that can be easily accessed.
If you stay in Point au Gaul, then you can easily access the Point au Gaul Beach.
Otherwise, you can go to the beach in Lord’s Cove.
If you follow Pond Rd in Lord’s Cove to the east, it will become Back Rd and turn into a pothole ridden dirt road. If you have a car with high clearance, then you can follow this road for about 2.7 miles (4.4 km) and then turn right to another beach, called Sandy Cove. Chances are that you will be the only person there.
This concludes your tour for today.
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Author: Rudy at Backpack and Snorkel
Bio: Owner of Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides. We create in-depth guides to help you plan unforgettable vacations around the world.
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