Newfoundland Still Feels Like Somewhere Else

Why this overlooked corner of Canada deserves a place on your fall travel list

The rankings mentioned in this week's Dispatch, the ones that highlight Japan as the best country in the world for older travelers, put Canada seventh. Interestingly, it was the only North American country in the top 10.

Most travelers to Canada find their way to the same handful of places. Banff and the Rockies, Vancouver, Quebec City, and Niagara Falls. All are amazing places and worth a visit. Newfoundland is a part of Canada few lists will send you to but should definitely be on your list, particularly in the fall.

If you are not familiar, Newfoundland is far enough east that St. John's is closer to Ireland than to Winnipeg. It was a separate country until 1949.

A Place That Still Feels Different

Newfoundland offers something that is becoming increasingly difficult to find: a place that feels different and still a little undiscovered.

A good place to start is St. John's, one of the oldest cities in North America. It wraps around a spectacular natural harbor. You can walk streets filled with colorful wooden houses, climb Signal Hill, and explore the Battery, where the homes seem to cling to the rocks. A short drive from downtown, you'll find Quidi Vidi, which still feels like the fishing village it was before the city grew around it.

If you are a hiker or walker, the East Coast Trail covers more than 200 miles of the Avalon Peninsula, past cliffs, coves and even more fishing villages. Whatever your speed, you can choose a section and be back in St. John's for a late lunch or dinner.

Food and music are worth as much attention as the landscape. If you are a seafood fan, cod, snow crab and mussels are restaurant highlights. Later, you can find pubs with live music that isn't staged for tourists.

And Then There Are the People

In 2017, a story about a visiting family and a woman named Alma Lake traveled well beyond Newfoundland. The family had come to hike the East Coast Trail but discovered there wasn't a rental car available in St. John's. They decided to use taxis instead.

Earlier that same day, they had asked their cab driver what made him proudest to be a Newfoundlander. Generosity and hospitality, he told them. If your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, someone will stop, help you out, and probably drive you home.

Near Signal Hill, they met Lake and her friend and began talking about the trails they hoped to explore. Lake asked if they had a car. When they explained the problem, she offered them hers.

Lake didn't know them. But she knew they had driver's licenses, and they needed a car more than she did.

So they took it.

They spent the rest of their visit exploring in a stranger's car. On their final evening, Lake and her husband invited the family to their home for dinner. The story was later picked up by the CBC and even retold on the floor of the Canadian Senate.

That generosity has deep roots. For centuries, isolated fishing communities survived because neighbors depended on one another. Much has changed, but some of those habits endured.

Going in the Fall

Fall may be the sweet spot. Summer crowds have thinned, leaves are turning, and the roads are quieter. By October, some boat tours and seasonal attractions begin closing, so check schedules if you go later in the fall. The East Coast Trail Association stops clearing paths and posting trail conditions from November through April. One stretch between Herring Cove and Ferryland is currently closed due to a land dispute, so check their advisories before you plan a route.

Give yourself at least five days. St. John's and the Avalon Peninsula are enough for one trip. If you have more time, head toward Brigus, Trinity, or Bonavista.

And leave a little room in the itinerary. In Newfoundland, a change in plans may turn out to be the best part of the trip.