Positioned at the outermost edge of North America, Newfoundland is an island defined by the raw power of the North Atlantic Ocean. Its character is one of wild, untamed beauty, a landscape forged by geological forces and severe weather. This environment creates a setting where the boundaries between land, sea, and sky are in constant, dramatic flux.
Dramatic Coastlines and Geological Wonders
Newfoundland’s coastline stretches for nearly 10,000 kilometers, featuring jagged cliffs, deep fjords, and weather-beaten sea stacks carved by the ocean. This rugged shoreline shelters hundreds of coves and bays that harbor small communities. The landscape is a direct result of ancient geological processes, a story told in the exposed rock that defines the island known as “The Rock.”
This geological history is most apparent in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island’s west coast. The park is designated for its illustration of plate tectonics, where deep ocean crust and rocks from the Earth’s mantle are exposed. This rare feature provides a visible record of continents colliding millions of years ago. The park’s landscape is a diverse panorama of beaches, bogs, and forests, all overshadowed by soaring mountains.
Within Gros Morne, the Tablelands stand as a rust-colored plateau, a rare fragment of the Earth’s mantle pushed to the surface. This barren expanse of peridotite rock, where few plants survive, originated deep within the planet. In contrast, Western Brook Pond is a massive freshwater fjord carved by glaciers and walled by ancient cliffs. Waterfalls cascade from heights of 2,000 feet, often turning to mist before reaching the pond.
The East Coast Trail offers a direct route to experience this landscape along the Avalon Peninsula’s cliffs and headlands. Stretching over 336 kilometers, the trail winds through more than 30 communities. It passes sea stacks, fjords, and a natural wave-driven geyser known as the Spout, connecting historic Signal Hill to the peninsula’s southern reaches.
Encounters with Marine Life
The waters surrounding Newfoundland are a rich feeding ground for an abundance of marine life. The annual migration of capelin, a small fish, draws thousands of whales to the coast each summer, making the island a premier whale-watching destination. The season runs from May to September, with peak sightings from mid-June to late August when the capelin “roll” onto the shores.
Humpback whales are celebrated visitors, known for their acrobatic breaches and powerful tail slaps. They can be seen from coastal cliffs and tour boats, along with smaller minke whales and occasional pods of orcas. Hotspots for sightings include the coastlines of Twillingate, the Bonavista Peninsula, and the Avalon Peninsula.
The same rich waters that support whales also sustain immense seabird populations. The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, comprising four islands off the Avalon Peninsula, is a major seabird colony. This protected area is home to North America’s largest colony of Atlantic Puffins, with more than 260,000 pairs nesting in burrows on the islands’ grassy slopes.
Beyond puffins, the reserve is a hub for millions of other seabirds. It hosts some of the world’s largest colonies of certain species. Other birds nesting in the reserve include:
- Leach’s storm-petrels
- Black-legged kittiwakes
- Common murres
- Razorbills
- Black guillemots
- Northern gannets
The Island’s Terrestrial Inhabitants
Newfoundland’s land-based wildlife is as distinctive as its marine life. The island is home to a large moose population, an iconic species introduced just over a century ago. In 1904, four moose were brought to the island, and with abundant food and few predators, their numbers grew. The population is now estimated at 150,000, one of the densest concentrations in North America.
In addition to the introduced moose, the island is home to the native woodland caribou. Newfoundland hosts some of the world’s southernmost herds of this subspecies (Rangifer tarandus caribou). These animals inhabit the island’s vast barrens and boreal forests, where they feed on lichens. The local caribou population provides accessible viewing opportunities.
Other reclusive mammals, such as black bears and foxes, also inhabit the island. The provincial flower is the Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea), a carnivorous plant adapted to the nutrient-poor soil of bogs. Its modified leaves form a pitcher-like trap that collects rainwater to drown and digest insects.
The Seasonal Spectacle of Iceberg Alley
Each spring, the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador become a slow-moving procession of ancient ice known as Iceberg Alley. This corridor follows the Labrador Current, which carries icebergs south from Greenland and Canada’s Arctic. These massive structures, some weighing hundreds of thousands of tonnes, drift past the coast.
The prime viewing season runs from late spring to early summer, with late May and early June offering plentiful icebergs. The further north one travels, the longer the season can extend, with some icebergs lingering near St. Anthony into August. Popular viewing locations where ice can be seen from shore include:
- Twillingate
- Bonavista
- St. Anthony
- Cape Spear
The icebergs are formed from snow that compacted into glacial ice over 10,000 years ago. Their journey from Greenland can take up to three years. By the time they reach Newfoundland, they are in their final stages of melting, displaying an array of shapes, sizes, and colors from snow-white to deep aquamarine.