Tips & Links for Planning your Newfoundland & Labrador RV Adventure

We've officially done it, y'all!  After nearly 13 years and 12 trips across the US-Canada border, July 24, 2025 marked the day that Hamlet made it to the northern-most village in Labrador -- the last Canadian province to which he can travel!  While Canada has a total of 10 provinces and 3 territories, the territory of Nunvat has no roads into it.  Hamlet will never be able to go, but we sure hope to go someday...

Have we saved the very best for last?  Newfoundland & Labrador is definitely VERY HIGH on the list of stunning places we've explored north of the US border -- and the geologic and cultural history of this place is truly second to none!

Our goal here is to provide practical tips, direct links to key resources, and money saving strategies to help you plan your own NL road trip.  

2025 TRIP STATS:

• 8.5 weeks (not enough!)
• 3741 miles (best roads: Labrador for the win!, worst road: Hwy 480 to Burgeo)
• 6 ferry rides (shortest: 1.25 hours, longest: 16 hours)
• 3 boat excursions 
• 5 major milestones celebrated (final Canadian province, northernmost tip of Appalachian Mtns, most eastern point of North America, 25th wedding anniversary, & 13th nomadiversary)
• 12 icebergs (even in July & August!)
• 36 hikes
• 5 bike adventures 
• 10 paddle trips
• 11 NL provincial parks
• 2 Harvest Hosts
• 2 Parks Canada national parks
• 5 national historic sites
• 500+ blueberries picked (and eaten!)
• 61 nights in off-grid campgrounds / boondocking (using solar power)
• 0 nights plugged in
• 0 break downs
• 1,000,000 memories
• 1 helluva fantastic experience!

NL Wildlife Count!

• 2 moose
• 1 black bear
• 10 caribou
• 1000's of puffins (and birds, birds, birds galore)
• 20+ whales: humpback, beluga, pilot, orca, minke (most variety we've even seen anywhere!). +1 dead, beached sperm whale which was both gross and fascinating at the same time

Also, we posted a TON of images, stories, videos, and information on our channels --Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube -- so join us virtually on our Newfoundland & Labrador journey to get inspired for your own!

Traveling to Newfoundland & Labrador

While governed as a single province since 1949, Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) are separated by a lot of water, aka the Straits of Belle Isle.  We chose to ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia, then ferry over to coastal Quebec/Labrador for 10 days, then back to Newfoundland for the rest of our 2 month tour.

Ferrying to Newfoundland:  Newfoundland can only be reached by ferry from Blanc Sablon, Quebec or North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

• Marine Atlantic Ferry:  Ferry service to/from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Newfoundland is offered to/from two different ports (Port aux Basque and Argentia). The ferry to/from Port aux Basque is a 7 hour ferry and offers 2-3 sailings per day, while the trip to/from Argentia is 16 hours and offers only 3 sailings per week. We recommend planning as far as head as you are comfortable to get the dates you want, especially if you are driving a long/large vehicle. Various accommodations are offered from general seating to reserved seating to sleeping cabins, depending on how you prefer to travel. BIG NEWS!  The Canadian government just announced that they are cutting ferry prices in HALF as of August 1, 2025 in order to make traveling in Atlantic Canada more affordable!  Well, thanks Canada!  
• Labrador Marine offers ferry service across the Straits of Belle Isle from Blanc Sablon, QB to St. Barbe, NL.  They offer 2-3 ferries per day during the summer months. While you can make a reservation, they reserve 20% of each ferry for last minute travelers. We wanted to leave plenty of coddiwomple time along this beautiful, rugged coastline, so we took our chances and snagged a last minute ferry ride twice with our 35' rig.
• Fogo/Change Island ferry service from the village of Farewell is run by the NL government and allows RV's of all sizes.  This is a first-come, first-served ferry only, with multiple trips per day.  Get in line as early as you can.  It's an easy 1.25 hours if you stop at Change Island first, then continue on to Fogo.  Just 45 minutes if you go directly to Fogo from .  Both are worth it and the view from the deck is worth the trip alone!
• Other Ferries:  If you want to get REALLY remote, hop on a passenger only ferry. There are several along the coastline of both Newfoundland and Labrador.  Some have an online reservations system, some require just a phone call.   Ask locals where to find the ferry schedules.

Ferrying or Driving to Labrador:  There are two options -- a VERY long and monotonous road trip along the Trans-Labrador Highway via Quebec or a 2ish hour ferry operated by Labrador Marine across the Straits of Belle Isle (from St. Barbe, NL to Blanc Sablon, QB then a short drive up the coast to Labrador).  

Regardless of HOW you get here, we recommend visiting the Welcome Center in Port aux Basques or Argentia to get first-hand local knowledge, in addition to using this website to help plan your journey!  Super helpful maps (you'll have zero cell signal quite a bit) and guides to help you zero in on what to explore, see, and do.  There is truly enough to keep you busy for 5 years, so a 2-3 week trip will only leave you wishing for more.  We recommend at least 3 months if you can swing that amount of time.  We only had 8.5 weeks, and that simply wasn't enough to do or see it all.

Parks & Camping Info

• NL Provincial Parks:  There are 20 provincial parks with hilarious names like Butter Pot, Blow Me Down, Cheeseman, and Dildo Run (we kid you not!), as well as a province-wide T'Railway Trail, Main River Waterway, and 10 provincial reserves. Thirteen of these parks offer off-grid campgrounds, most of which are quite small and in truly stunning locations!  Six of the 13 campgrounds offer a handful of serviced sites, which fill up fast!  Pinware River is the only provincial park along the Labrador coast. The campgrounds are VERY reasonably priced, especially for the quality of services they provide.  Camping prices here remind us of the U.S. back in 2010!
  
  For a $50 (CA) / $35 (US) annual pass, you get access to all of these parks for both day and overnight use -- which means you have access to all of the facilities (showers, laundry, water, dump stations, etc.) within each provincial park whenever you need it!  This is a must have for anyone planning to spend more than a week in Newfoundland & Labrador. The only caveat is that many parks have had a boil advisory for drinking water (so be prepared to boil or filter).
  
  
  

• Parks Canada National Parks & Historic Parks:  NL is home to 3 national parks, 2 of which are accessible to RV's -- Gros Morne on the west coast and Terra Nova on east coast of Newfoundland. The Torngat Mountains in northern Labrador requires a private flight and guide. In addition, there are 9 other Parks Canada National Historic Sites located throughout the province. So far, each that we've seen is absolutely worth it!  In addition to reducing ferry prices, Parks Canada made all parks FREE for summer 2025 as well as 25% off all camping fees until early September.  We don't know if this will be in effect in the future, but it's been a nice boost to our travel fund this year!
  

• Camping Reservations:  Other than making reservations at the very popular Gros Morne National Park on Newfoundland's west coast, camping reservations are probably not necessary.  There are 5 different campgrounds along the length of the park -- all with great access to things to do/see in the immediate area, so it's fun to split your time in the park among the various campgrounds. The only exception to this "reservation rule" is if you have a very large RV (more than 35+ feet in total) and/or require full-hookups.  
  
  
• General Camping Info: In addition to federal and provincial campgrounds, there are several private RV parks/campgrounds which offer serviced sites throughout Newfoundland. These are easily identified on the map provided by the welcome center.  Labrador is another story all together though. While there are several RV dumps and a handful of water filling stations, there are zero serviced RV campgrounds along the 483km (290 miles) coastal road from Cartwright, NL to Old Fort, QB.  
  
  
• Boondocking is very popular in Newfoundland & Labrador -- with many stunning and free options along the coast with long range ocean views. There are also several Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome options in Newfoundland, with just 1 in Labrador.  Come prepared with solar power and you are all set!  We have resources galore for newbies and solar superstars alike!  Must have apps for planning where you'll spend the night -- Parks Canada, Harvest Hosts, and iOverlander!

Northern Roads: The Good & the Terrible

• While the Trans Canada Highway is fairly well maintained, many of Newfoundland's roads and highways are notoriously rough -- bumpy, frost heaves, rutted, and full of potholes. Much like the ALCAN in the Yukon and Alaska...drive slowly and it'll help prevent major damage. If it's raining hard and the road ruts are filled with water, pull over and stop for a bit to prevent hydroplaning.  We did just fine, but our 1957 Sportcraft is used to taking a beating. On the other hand, Labrador's coastal roads are nearly baby butt smooth, even the 50 mile dirt road into Cartwright (the northern-most village that you can reach with a vehicle along Labrador's coast).
  

Wildlife, Wildlife, Wildlife!

• We saw 2 moose and 1 black bear crossing the road.  We also had an entire family of caribou (including a calf!) join us for dinner one evening along the northwestern coast near the New Ferolle Lighthouse.  No close calls, but it's a good reminder to stay alert and have as many eyes on the road as possible!  
• We had the great pleasure of encountering multiple whales, the most variety of any place we've visited anywhere in the world -- including Humpbacks (from the ferry and while hiking along the cliffs of the Great Northern Peninsula), Minkes (from our boondocking site in Cartwright), Ocras & Pilots (in Twillingate), and our very first Beluga (while kayaking in Bonne Bay)!!  There are several tour companies that will take you out to "hunt" for them, but we saw about 20 whales just while standing on land as well.  The folks at Iceberg Quest operate out of both Twillingate and St. John.
• And, finally a TON of birds of all types...including puffins in Elliston, near Bonavista.
  

Lighthouses & Icebergs

• If you are a lighthouse lover, you are in for a treat as there are several hundred navigational lights clinging to the craggy shores of this seafaring region.  Here are some notable lighthouses to enjoy during your travels!
• Massive icebergs break off from Greenland in the late spring and start making their way down to Newfoundland and along the coast of Labrador.  While June is the best month to visit "Iceberg Alley," we saw at least 12 just from shore in the Straits of Belle Isle as well s in the northeastern part of Newfoundland. The annual Iceberg Festival is in early June. Boat tour companies offer iceberg hunting, along with whale watching and other sightseeing in the general area. This Iceberg Finder app is helpful to find them along your journey.

NL Food Culture & Grocery Stores

• As a seafaring province, this region is known for their quality seafood.  "In Cod We Trust" is practically a mantra.  So, if you are a lover of seafood and fried food, you are in a for a treat!  If you are seeking vegetables of any sort, have a food allergy, or happen to be a vegetarian, finding quality food that isn't fried is a real challenge (unless you happen to be in St. John's).  We are self-admitted foodies and nearly survive on ethnic food (Thai, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, African, etc.) everywhere we travel and we love it!  Other than a Chinese restaurant here and there and some really bad pizza, there is no such thing as "ethnic food" in this province.  We searched high and low for high quality restaurants with a varied menu, and up-to-date menus are very hard to locate.  So, we want to give a shout out to these places which were able to provide a menu with a wide range of options beyond fried seafood: Norseman Restaurant in L'Anse aux Meadows, Taste in Gros Morne, and Bang Belly Bistro in Fogo.  Also, The Storehouse in Joe Batt's Arm (Fogo Island) had some quality alterable options and the food and atmosphere is great!

• Grocery stores are all over the province, but most of them are tiny and more like glorified convenience stores with a minimal selection -- especially for vegetarians or those with food allergies.  If you are able to store a lot of food, be sure to plan ahead and shop at Sobey, Foodland, or Coleman's, when you are in larger cities/towns such as Corner Brook, Deer Lake, St. Anthony, Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, Clarenville, and St. John's.  If you ferry over to Labrador via St. Barbe, the VERY BEST grocery store is Earle's in L'Ause au Loupe -- they have an IMPRESSIVE selection for a small store!

Live Theater & Music

Enjoying local theater is one of our favorite things to do when the weather isn't cooperating for outdoor fun.  There are several different places you can enjoy some local culture around the island, as well as just simply talking with friendly locals and hanging out in their pubs.  We enjoyed the Gros Morne Theater Festival in Cow Bay, the Joseph R. Smallwood Arts & Cultural Center in Gander which shows the Broadway musical Come From Away all summer long, and the Garrick Theater in Bonavista.

Weather & Bugs

• Weather is..but in NL...it is VERY temperamental -- day times highs ranging from 80 and very dry to 48 and raining, as well as occasional thunderstorms and pea soup fog -- so be prepared for a bit of everything (often all in one day)!  Air conditioning wasn't necessary for most of the summer, there were just 3 days of hot humid weather that sent us for a dip in a nearby lake or the ocean.  Normally, we stay plenty cool with just our fans during the summer months.  Believe it or not, we've actually used our heated mattress pad on a few nights in mid-July as it's gotten down into the low 40's at night.  That's officially a first for us!
• Bugs (specifically mosquitoes and black flies) range from non-existent to absolutely maddening (Coastal Labrador...we are looking at you in July/August!).  Here are some strategies we use to deal with them.

If we've missed anything you want to know, or you have specific questions, please contact us and we'll add it to this blog.  We want this to be a very helpful resource...something we wished that we'd had when planning our own trip in 2025!  See y'all on the road...