1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (118 page)

The southern region of the park is a great place to start your exploration. Tour boats ply Trout River Pond, once a sea fjord, now a 9-mile-long lake in a steep cliff-lined glaciated valley. One of the park’s indisputable highlights is the rugged massif called the Tablelands, which expose rocks from the earth’s interior. Mantle rocks such as this are usually found only deep below the surface, and have such an unusual chemistry that few plants can survive on their otherworldly orange-brown terrain. You can experience this fascinating environment on the Trout River Pond Trail, on the challenging 10-mile Green Gardens Trail, or by taking a guided hike on the 2.5-mile Tablelands Trail.

Explore coastal sections of the park for the combination of rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, and small, hardworking Newfoundland fishing villages that continue to operate as they have for generations. To the north, coastal lowlands bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence are covered with expanses of boreal forest and bog. Inland regions are dominated by the wilderness plateau of the Long Range Mountains and a series of glacier-carved fjord-lakes incised into the cliffs. Walkers will enjoy the challenging day hike up Gros Morne, the park’s highest peak at 2,644 feet and the second highest in Newfoundland, with spectacular views of the park. Less than a half-hour’s drive north of Rocky Harbour—location of a new regional visitors center—Western Brook Pond is among the park’s most popular stops, a landlocked glacial fjord that offers travelers a combination of trails and boat trips.

W
HERE
: The park entrance at Wiltondale is 186 miles/300 km from Port aux Basques. Tel 709-458-2417;
www.pc.gc.ca/grosmorne
.
W
HEN
: Most park facilities and services are available late May–mid-Oct.
B
EST TIMES
: June, when the rhododendrons are in bloom; Jul–Aug for hiking and wildlife; June–Sept for the Gros Morne Theatre Festival (
www.theatrenewfoundland.com
); Sept and early Oct for foliage.

Forests of stunted spruce and balsam fir trees line the coast of Gros Morne National Park.

In the Backcountry, a Fishing Refuge with Upscale Comforts

Eagle River, Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador

Labrador’s Eagle River is world-renowned as an angler’s nirvana, ranked in the top five Atlantic-salmon-producing rivers in North America. Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge, a new and sophisticated fishing resort with gourmet dining,
overlooks the Eagle River and offers weeklong fly-fishing trips in untrammeled backcountry. Accessible only by float plane or helicopter, the lodge offers 10 miles of riverfront, ranging from thousand-foot-wide riffles to deep, swirling channels narrow enough to cast from bank to bank.

Labrador is one of the last blank spots on the map of North America, a vast wilderness cleft by tumbling rivers and tranquil lakes. These pristine watersheds preserve mighty runs of Atlantic salmon, as well as pools where Labrador brook trout and northern pike lie in wait for their prey—or for the fly of a lucky angler.

The handsome and spacious Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge, made of native spruce, pine, and fir, has just seven private guest rooms, each with woodsy decor and handmade quilts. With a small number of guests, each angler receives personal guiding service, and there are so many good fishing holes that you’ll never need to fish the same one twice.

Despite the remote location, there’s no roughing it, come mealtime at Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge. Each day the chefs prepare a different menu, and everything, including bread, desserts, and ice cream, is homemade. Twice a week, guests enjoy a traditional Labrador “boil-up,” a riverside lunch of fresh fried trout, “flummies” (hearty baking powder biscuits prepared over an open fire), and seasonal fruit. In the evening, guests share stories of the ones that got away over fine wines and serious gourmet cooking.

W
HERE
: 150 miles/241 km east of Goose Bay. Tel 709-640-2414;
www.rifflinhitchlodge.nf.ca
.
C
OST
: US$3,908/C$4,400 per person per week, double occupancy, includes meals, guides, and air transfer from Goose Bay.
W
HEN
: May–Sept.
B
EST TIMES
: July–Aug for salmon fishing.

A Monument to Newfoundland Art and History

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland’s capital, St. John’s—founded in 1583, the oldest city established by the British in North America—stands in stark contrast to outlying regions of the province. The island’s hinterland is somber,
a wilderness of windswept rock, moor, and plunging coastline, with human outposts few and remote. St. John’s, on the other hand, is a colorful city of muscle and vitality, with a bustling sense of purpose and youthfulness. With the 2005 opening of The Rooms—the city’s most important cultural facility—St. John’s has an impressive showcase for its long, compelling history and artistic traditions.

The architecture of The Rooms is boldly innovative and has been the dominant structure of the skyline since its arrival. The three structures are designed to resemble the traditional tall, steep-roofed codfish-curing warehouses called “rooms” that cluster along the shores of the island’s old fishing villages (for centuries Newfoundland was the leading supplier of salt cod in the world). Each of the institutions brought together at The Rooms—the Provincial Archives, Art Gallery, and Museum Divisions—is housed in a separate four-story “room” structure but is joined at ground level by a central glass arcade.

In its new space, the Provincial Museum Division devotes nearly 16,000 square feet
to the natural and human history of Newfoundland and Labrador. The ethnographic collections are especially intriguing—tools and folk art of the indigenous Beothuk people, who were once the dominant culture on Newfoundland but whose last known member died in 1829. The Provincial Art Gallery Division features historical and folk art and a growing representation of works by contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador artists. From the rooftop restaurant, diners enjoy dramatic views of St. John’s steep and rocky harbor.

W
HERE
: 9 Bonaventura Ave. Tel 709-757-8099;
www.therooms.ca
.
When:
daily, June–mid-Oct; closed Mon, mid-Oct–May.
W
HERE TO STAY
: The Fairmont Newfoundland, tel 800-441-1414 or 709-726-4980;
www.fairmont.com/newfoundland
.
Cost:
from US$178/C$199.
B
EST TIMES
: last week of July for the George Street Festival; last weekend in Aug for the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival.

Nova Scotia’s Bastion of History

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s broad, orchard-filled Annapolis River Valley was once known as “Canada’s breadbasket,” so rich was the bounty of the land. Little surprise, then, that this fertile valley saw some of the earliest
European settlement—and warfare—in North America as Europe’s empire builders acted out their conflicts on the banks of the important Annapolis River.

In 1605, French colonists under the leadership of Samuel de Champlain established Port-Royal Habitation, a fortified trading post at the mouth of the wide Annapolis River. Life at the fringes of the known world was harsh for the French settlers, but they responded with good spirits, establishing l’Ordre de Bon Temps (Order of Good Cheer) as a social and dining club—another first for North America. The decadent good times didn’t last, however, as British forces destroyed the Habitation in 1613. The French rebuilt an even more grandly fortified Port-Royal a few miles upriver. However, in 1710, Port-Royal fell to another British siege, and shortly thereafter Port-Royal was rechristened as Annapolis Royal in honor of Queen Anne. In 1755, the British began the expulsion of the Acadians from their land (see p. 989), scattering the French pioneers elsewhere, including Louisiana (see p. 434) and the colonies of New England.

This long history is in evidence everywhere in Annapolis Royal. The village itself retains its vintage charm, with narrow, tree-lined streets, stunning gardens, and historic houses overlooking the waterfront. With numerous structures dating from the early 18th century (including the 1708 DeGannes-Cosby House, the oldest wooden home in Canada), the sense of the living past is profound and real. The old fort is now maintained as Fort Anne National Historic Site. In addition to visiting the Officer’s Quarters Museum, join the candlelight tours of the fort’s graveyard, offered on summer nights.

The Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens are exceptional—10 acres of plantings, highlighted by a rose garden with 2,000 bushes. Three miles from the village is Port-Royal National Historic Site, a painstaking replica of the imposing 1605 Habitation. Costumed interpreters demonstrate the skills and tools used by
the French settlers and relate tales of the Bon Temps club, when high-living 17th-century revelers sat down to savory banquets of delicacies such as beaver tail or moose nose.

W
HERE
: 122 miles/197 km west of Halifax.
Visitor info:
Tel 902-532-5769;
www.annapolisroyal.com
.
P
ORT
-R
OYAL
: Tel 902-532-2898;
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/portroyal
.
When:
mid-May–mid-Oct.
F
ORT
A
NNE
: Tel 902-532-2397;
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/fortanne
.
When:
mid-May–mid-Oct.
W
HERE TO STAY
: The Queen Anne Inn, tel 877-536-0403 or 902-532-7850;
www.queenanneinn.ns.ca
.
Cost:
from US$79/C$89 (off-peak), from US$141/C$159 (peak).
When:
May–Oct.
B
EST TIME
: last week of Sept for the Annapolis Royal Arts Festival.

Atlantic Canada’s Most Scenic Drive

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

“I have traveled the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland: But for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.” So said
Alexander Graham Bell, who summered and worked here for 35 years.

As it juts north between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island becomes increasingly mountainous and barren. Cape Breton Highlands National Park protects much of the island’s northern tip, a sometimes melancholy landscape of windswept mountains and deep river canyons, with a blustery coastline of plunging cliffs and sandy beaches. This remote area of Cape Breton wasn’t even served by automobile until the 1930s, when roads finally edged across the island’s spine to join Chéticamp on the west and Cape Smokey on the east. This route, which became known as the Cabot Trail, linked isolated communities previously accessed only by boat or winter dog team and is now considered to be one of the world’s great drives.

The 184-mile-long Cabot Trail follows the picturesque, craggy coastline around the 365-square-mile national park, passing centuries-old French Acadian and Scottish fishing villages, wooded valleys, and viewing points from which you can often spot finback and pilot whales. The route crosses the island’s central plateau between Pleasant Bay and Cape North—a striking moorland, with stunted old-growth hardwood forests and tundralike meadows. The park’s 27 hiking trails are also popular, especially the Skyline Trail, a 4-mile loop full of bluff-top sea views.

The most scenic highlight might be the 27-mile stretch between Chéticamp and Pleasant Bay. Chéticamp is a centuries-old Acadian village of just 1,000 folks, and is the heart of the French-speaking culture on the island. Main Street boasts a Coopérative Artisanale, an Acadian craft shop (hooked rugs are a longtime local specialty), a museum, and a restaurant serving traditional foods. Pleasant Bay (population 350) offers a whale interpretive center and whale-watching trips on fishing boats when sightings are just about guaranteed.

On the island’s east coast (predominantly settled by Highland Scots; see next page), the village of Ingonish Beach is the park’s eastern gateway and the largest of its holiday destinations. It is home to the Keltic Lodge, a gleaming-white red-roofed Tudor-style resort situated on a
spit of land so narrow it feels like an island. The views are a knockout, and the lodge is welcoming and nicely worn without being threadbare, and offers unusually good dining. With gorgeous ocean views, the nearby Highlands Links is a quirky gem and is considered one of Canada’s must-play golf courses.