Tips 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?  We aren't quite sure yet, but it's 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!

Needless to say, we've learned a whole lot in the past month...and we'll continue to add to this blog as we discover more along our journey, so keep checking back for new and updated info. 

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.  

Also, we've been posting a TON of images, stories, and information on both our Facebook and Instagram pages -- so join us virtually on our Newfoundland & Labrador journey to get inspired for your own!

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.

Getting 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.

Getting 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).  

• First Stop...visit the Welcome Center in Port aux Basques!  Super helpful maps 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 2 months if you can swing that amount of time.
  
  
• Iceberg Hunting:  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 just saw 2 floating through the Straits today (July 29). 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.  
  
  
• 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!
  
  
• Roads, Wildlife, Weather, & Bugs:  
• Many of Newfoundland's roads 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. We've done fine so far, 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).
• So far, we've seen 2 moose and 1 black bear, all crossing the road.  No close calls, but it's a good reminder to stay alert and have as many eyes on the road as possible!  In addition, we've had the great pleasure of encountering multiple whales -- humpbacks (from the ferry and while hiking along the cliffs of the Great Northern Peninsula), minkes (from our boondocking site in Cartwright), and our very first beluga (while kayaking in Bonne Bay)!!
• Weather is..but here 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)!  We've not needed air conditioning at all, just our fans during a few warmer days.  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.

That's all for now, but stay tuned as we still have a month to go and we'll surely have more to share!