This article is part of a series celebrating communities, culture, traditions, and adventure throughout Canada. We’re spotlighting exciting people and places across the country’s provinces, from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east. Read more stories on our Canada guide page.
I stood looking out over Spillers Cove, the Atlantic Ocean roaring below, the rugged cliffs around me jutting sharply out of the water, and was reminded of Newfoundland’s nickname, “The Rock.” I’d come to the Twillingate Islands—an archipelago in eastern Newfoundland’s Notre Dame Bay made up of two main islands, North and South Twillingate, and several smaller ones—for their famous icebergs, and though there were none in sight, I wasn’t disappointed, for I’d discovered something else: the Rockcut Twillingate Trails, which had led me to this scenic spot.
To say I’d been excited to come to Canada’s easternmost province during the late-spring and early-summer iceberg season would be an understatement. After all, seeing a giant chunk of ice that has broken off from one of Greenland’s glaciers and floated into what’s known as Iceberg Alley, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, is one of the country’s signature outdoor experiences. It’s right up there with hearing the thunderous roar of Ontario’s Horseshoe Falls or breathing in the thin air high in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.
The Chimney is one of the signature rock formations at Spillers Cove, within Newfoundland’s Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark.
Photo by Frank Fichtmueller/Shutterstock
Twillingate welcomes thousands of travelers from around the world for iceberg season, some of them booking a year in advance, given that only 600 rooms at hotels and inns are available on the islands and in nearby communities such as Merritt’s Harbour and Salt Harbour. But icebergs are unpredictable—increasingly so, thanks to the climate crisis—and I arrived early last June to the news that there were none in town.
With the icy stars of the show absent, I turned my sights elsewhere. While exploring the area around the town of Twillingate, a historic fishing community with a population of 2,200 that straddles the two main islands, I found the Rockcut Trails. The network of 13 walking paths, ranging from half a mile to six miles, is spread across North and South Twillingate. Some of them, like the wheelchair-accessible Hospital Pond Trail, are a short walk from the hotels in town; others require a drive to get to. It’s hard to miss an access point: Bright orange-and-black signs mark the routes, and maps sit out on the counters at seemingly every café, restaurant, inn, and rest stop.
“You can never, ever be dependent on icebergs,” says Deborah Bourden, who co-owns and operates three small inns here, including the Anchor Inn. “But the trails have become the other pillar of our offering that is becoming world-class.”
The Lower Little Harbour Trail passes through low-lying evergreen forest on the way to the coast and a natural sea arch.
Photo courtesy of Anchor Inn Hotel and Properties
The town formally established this network of hiking routes in 2019, building it upon a series of traditional paths that locals would use to make their way to wind-sheltered overhangs in cliffs, known as rock cuts, where they could assess conditions on the water or try to spot family members returning from sea. Thirty-four miles of trails are currently available, and when the system is completed—likely by 2026—it will circumnavigate North and South Twillingate Islands.
“Spillers Cove seems to be the hub of the system,” says Grant White, the former mayor and current recreation director of the town of Twillingate, and I can see why. At my favorite spot on the trail, three and a half miles from town, I watched, mesmerized, as the waves crashed into the rugged rock faces and a boat churned by in the distance. At another point, I found myself positioned perfectly in front of a towering sea stack that was home to nesting ospreys—one of which soared right overhead. I also took a staircase that led down to a small beach in a protected cove, an ideal spot for a picnic or a quick (chilly) plunge.
There are plenty of wonders to encounter on the other paths. “French Beach and Lower Little Harbour, which has a natural arch, are also highlights,” White says. The trail to French Beach, a route just under four miles, takes hikers to the edge of rugged cliffs and to the namesake beach, where there are elevated tidal pools perfect for taking a dip. The slightly shorter Lower Little Harbour Trail leads hikers past the remains of a resettled community. The houses still stand on their raised platforms, offering insight into the traditional offshore architecture that many coastal communities still embrace almost a century later. A few root cellars are still present as well, with doorways leading into subterranean cold-storage areas. Continuing past the old town, I spotted a few beaches before arriving at the photogenic arch.
For the most part, the paths have been carved naturally, from decades of people walking them, but White and his team have made infrastructural improvements, installing walking platforms, stairs, and camping platforms. (The campsites, 10-by-10-foot raised wooden platforms for tents, must be booked in advance through White’s office.) Much of the construction materials—for example, the wood for stairs and benches—are brought in on foot because the routes are so rugged they can’t be accessed by vehicles.
Built in 1876, the Long Point Lighthouse is still operational year-round. It’s located at a viewpoint 300 feet above sea level.
Photo courtesy of Anchor Inn Hotel and Properties
One of the newest segments is the Horney Head Cove Trail, a challenging four-mile route that starts at the Long Point Lighthouse. “There are steps constructed to go down to Horney Head Cove Beach, where there’s a big sea cave,” White says. “A lot of beaches didn’t have good access until we started building trails and steps.”
Aside from creating new ways to access the coast, the development of the trail system has led to discoveries from Twillingate’s past. The Beothuk people once called the islands home; they disappeared in the 19th century, after losing access to land and food sources and being exposed to disease and isolation by European settlers. The trail project’s archaeological survey found several Beothuk house pits, along with artifacts such as glass pieces. Over the next four years, White and his team will be working with the Provincial Archaeology Office to determine how best to preserve and integrate these findings into the trail network. “How do we use signage, and how do we use our trail system in a way that’s gonna benefit [the discovery of this history]?” he says. “We’re still in the very early process.”
On the whole, the Rockcut Trails are offering both a new experience in and perspective on the region. “I’ll be traveling, and I’ll meet someone, and the first thing they’ll tell me is, ‘I was in Twillingate last summer, and we did the Lighthouse to Cuckhold’s Point Trail, and it was simply amazing,’” Bourden says. “Or, ‘We went out to Spiller’s Cove, and we saw the ospreys and sea pillars.’ Whereas before it would be like, ‘Oh, I went, and I didn’t see icebergs.’”
How to do the Twillingate Islands
Here’s a quick guide to these beautiful islands off the northeastern coast of Newfoundland.
Get there
The nearest international airports, both served by Air Canada, are in the provincial capital of St. John’s, a five-and-a-half-hour drive away, and in the smaller town of Gander, a one-and-a-half-hour drive away. If you plan to rent a car, be sure to reserve it well in advance, especially during the summer.
The seven-room Hodge Premises Inn is in a heritage building overlooking Twillingate Harbour.
Photos courtesy of Anchor Inn Hotel and Properties
Stay
One of the Town of Twillingate’s oldest heritage buildings now houses the seven-room Hodge Premises Inn. The rooms are spacious, with ocean views, and the street-level Blue Barrel Gallery Café offers breakfast and lunch options. (The partridgeberry muffin makes for a tart start to the day, while chili and a chicken and brie sandwich are hearty post-hike fuel.) Just up the street is the Anchor Inn Hotel & Annex, which acts as the town’s hub. Along with 26 guest rooms, the property is home to Georgie’s Restaurant, where you can enjoy a seafood dinner with a view of the water, and Captain’s Pub, a casual spot with bar food and nightly live music. It’s also the spot in town to be “screeched in,” a traditional Newfoundland welcome that involves reciting a pledge, drinking screech rum, and kissing a cod fish. Rooms from C$175 (about US$122 at the time of writing) per night.
Visitors to the Newfoundland Distillery Co. can sample craft spirits while taking in views of Clarke’s Beach and Conception Bay.
Photo courtesy of NewFoundland Distillery
See & do
The islands have no shortage of spectacular viewpoints, but perhaps the best is at the Long Point Lighthouse, which offers vistas of the ocean as well as the clapboard houses in the town of Twillingate. For a dose of wry, snappy local humor, take a tour of Great Auk Winery. The production facility and tasting room are in a former schoolhouse, and after a tour, your guide will lead you through a tasting that illluminates why the wines—which are made with iceberg water, dandelions, and various berries handpicked by residents—received names like Funky Puffin and Jellybean Row (a reference to a much-photographed row of colorful houses in St. John’s.) For a “sea to plate” culinary experience, be sure to book with Wild Island Kitchen: Chef/owner Crystal Anstey, a member of Labrador’s NunatuKavut Indigenous community, prepares a multicourse, elevated take on a traditional boil (think lobster and corn boiled over an open fire, freshly foraged mushrooms, and cocktails featuring savory seaweed gin from The Newfoundland Distillery Co.) that she serves at sunset on various beaches around the islands.
