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Gros Morne National Park ❘ David Purchase Imagery/Shutterstock
Rose Blanche Lighthouse in Channel-Port Aux Basques ❘ Deb Snelson/Getty Images
Mountains of Gros Morne National Park ❘ Marc Guitard/Getty Images
Valley in Gros Morne National Park ❘ Maarten Hoek/500px/Getty Images
Captain James Cook statue | Maryanne Perrier/Dreamstime
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Off the beaten path on one of Canada’s most nautical islands.

Winds whip the beach, whales lurk beneath the waves, and the landscape outside of the towns appears entirely untouched.

Many visitors stick to the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, which includes the capital city of St. John's. But if you’re up for a road trip, the west coast holds some of the country’s most pristine, hidden natural wonders.

A ferry takes visitors from Nova Scotia to Channel-Port Aux Basques, where Route 1 heads north along the western coast of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. Take a detour to the province’s last granite lighthouse or a statuesque lighthouse in a glacial valley on the island’s most westerly point.

Boutte du Cap Park ❘ Design Pics Inc/Alamy

Another detour, along what’s called the French Ancestors’ Route, will lead you to Boutte du Cap. This park sits on a large cliff that juts into the sea, along the southwestern edge of a dolphin-shaped peninsula. As with so many places on the west coast of the province, winds whip the beach, whales lurk beneath the waves, and the landscape outside of the towns appears entirely untouched. The park has all the gobsmacking coastal views the province is known for, but it’s also home to a traditional French bread oven, where on summer afternoons, you can end your breathtaking cliffside walk with a freshly baked baguette.

Farther north, you’ll reach the Tablelands. In this stretch of Gros Morne National Park, the ground is full of rocks that seem to have fallen from some far-off planet. In fact, these stones, peridotite, originate from the Earth’s mantle and have appeared above ground thanks to the area’s tectonic movement.

This drive along the west coast invites a lazy pace, so you can keep an eye out for whales and seals, or stop at places such as artist Ben Ploughman’s quirky Museum of Whales and Things. Near the great peninsula’s northwestern tip, the museum is full of original art, skulls and bones, and an almost fully reconstructed sperm whale skeleton. There’s also a golf course hiding behind the building, if you’re willing to play nine holes in whipping winds along sharp inclines. But if you’ve made it this far, you just might be.

KEEP WANDERING

Additional resources to learn more about Newfoundland

Bonne Bay Boat Tours

Whale watch off the coast.
Learn More

Gros Morne National Park

Fields and fjords.
Learn More

Channel-Port aux Basques Ferry

A nautical voyage from Nova Scotia
Learn More

Cape St. George’s French Bread Oven

Baguettes by the sea.
Learn More
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