Exploring Cape Spear

Only 12 kilometres separate the relaxing calm of Cape Spear and the colourful city of St. John's. It's one of the northernmost capes on the eastern edge of the peninsula.

Thanks to its proximity to St. John's, Cape Spear is accessible to travellers from around the globe. With the capital as a hub, it's only a 15-minute drive to the cape.

Flights

St. John's International Airport accepts national and international flights from around North America, the Bahamas, and London. From Montreal, the flight is 3.5 hours. As the most easterly airport in North America, it's a short 5-hour trip if you're crossing the Atlantic from Europe.

Car

From St. John's, Cape Spear is an easy drive down Black Head Road, which eventually turns into the tail end of Route 11. It's the only road that takes you into Cape Spear.

Ferries

The shortest route if you're driving from the mainland begins in Sydney at the tip of Nova Scotia. Marine Atlantic transports travellers to Port aux Basques on the southern edge of Newfoundland. The ferry trip takes about six hours.

It's a long 9-hour drive along NL-1E to St. John's after you get off the ferry. Once in the capital, you'll follow Black Head Road the 13 km into Cape Spear.

The oldest standing lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Cape Spear Lighthouse has transformed into an official National Historic Site of Canada. Visitors can access the grounds at all times of the year, but the lighthouse itself is open seasonally between late May and early October.

Inside the lighthouse, the main quarters are restored to their original 19th-century layout. During the peak season, there are guides on hand to detail the lives of light-keeping families in the mid-1800s.

An adjacent art gallery showcases dozens of captivating paintings of the idyllic Newfoundland coast, while a gift shop offers visitors small tokens of their time at the historic landmark.

August is a great time to visit Newfoundland, both for social events and for ultimate whale-watching experiences. One of the best places for the latter is Signal Hill, a 20-minute drive from Cape Spear.

Situated north of St. John's, the National Historic Site overlooks the capital 167 metres above sea level. Because of its exceptional ocean view, Signal Hill was a fiercely contested strategic location during wars of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

Tourists can enjoy reenactments displaying the drills and wartime tactics from various royal Newfoundland regiments.

While the vantage point was once ideal for sighting ships in wartime, it is now a prime spot for viewing icebergs and a rich assortment of humpback whales, dolphins, orcas, and more. 

Bowring Park is south of St. John's, another 20-minute journey from Cape Spear. The park, which covers 200 acres, has plenty of recreational features including playgrounds, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and an amphitheatre.

There are long stretches of nature walks that take you through woods, across streams, and past waterfalls. It's a beautiful area to hike and bike or relax by the water to picnic and feed ducks.

The Rooms is the cultural hub of Newfoundland and Labrador, sitting on Bonaventure Ave. in St. John's. Open since 2005, the facility contains the provincial archives, natural history museum, and art gallery. The provincial art gallery manages several notable collections and over 7,000 artworks.

While at Signal Hill, checking out Cabot Tower is a must. Built in 1900, the tower has been at the centre of several crucial moments in global history.

Cabot Tower was commissioned to honour Newfoundland's discovery by John Cabot 400 years earlier. Before its construction, the site served as a critical holding during the Seven Year's War. It was also here that Guglielmo Marconi made communications history by receiving the first transatlantic telegraph in 1933. 

Quidi Vidi Brewery occupies an old fish plant in Quidi Vidi village in St. John's. Sample a diverse range of craft brews as enjoyable as the view from the taproom. The brewery is a true tourist destination, offering beer enthusiasts a rare chance to taste beer brewed with ancient iceberg water.

The DoubleTree by Hilton looks out on St. John's Harbour and is only minutes from shopping, dining, and downtown fun. It's a convenient distance from the North Head Trail, which takes you up to Signal Hill. During your stay, you can enjoy an on-site restaurant and fitness centre in a modern setting.

The recently renovated Delta Hotels by Marriott in downtown St. John's offers an elegant stay near Cape Spear. It's an ideal location if you want to take in some of the city's culture. But with a restaurant, fitness centre, swimming pool, and sauna, you can find plenty of reasons to hang out at the hotel too.

Resting on the old site of Fort William, the Sheraton Hotel offers another perspective on the harbour. Here you can enjoy a workout room, indoor pool, and an easy stroll to the downtown scene.

Even in the summer months, you need to be prepared for all seasons. The windy, open landscape of the cape is prone to frequent weather changes. A beautiful day can quickly turn into a misty, frigid outing, so pack a pair of pants and a coat along with your shorts and tee shirts.

Although the weather is extremely unpredictable across Newfoundland, the climate remains relatively temperate. Winters are usually warmer than on the mainland, while summers stay mild, with temperatures staying around the low 20's.