1. This is a basic version. Check for updates at (www.atlanticcanadacycling.com/newfoundland/tour/)

2. Our Tour Entry Form is available as an Adobe pdf file. (www.atlanticcanadacycling.com/newfoundland/tour/enter.html) We can also send it by e-mail, fax, or postal mail.
3. Visit our Tour Photo Album - This section is not included on the printer-friendly version. (http://www.atlanticcanadacycling.com/newfoundland/tour/album/pics/index.html)

Welcome to the Newfoundland Bicycle Tour! Join us for what will certainly be a tour of discovery and adventure. This tour of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula will not be an everyday bike trip. It will be an excursion of rugged landscape, basic amenities, and occasionally challenging elements. Those who accept nature's challenge will be richly rewarded.

To some, the Newfoundland Bicycle Tour will be a challenge, a goal and the satisfaction of completing it. To others, it will be a chance to renew and strengthen friendships, or to make new ones. For a great many, it will be the chance to explore an exotic location. For everyone, it will be an opportunity to see Newfoundland as no other form of travel can. For everyone, it will be perhaps the most inexpensive, not to mention fun, vacation of the island available.

We've planned this trip with adventurous cyclists in mind. The Newfoundland Bicycle Tour preferably should be more than a first bicycle trip. We will have seven full days of cycling, one partial day of biking before our transportation back and two rest/activity days. The tour will have an average 73 km (45 miles) per day. You can bicycle this amount in five hours or less of actual biking, leaving plenty of time for sightseeing and relaxing. Options will be available for extra cycling each day. Terrain on the western part of Newfoundland ranges from flat to rolling. Our days in Gros Morne National Park have several small mountains. These are challenging, but feasible, even for moderate cyclists. With the assistance of our support vehicle, we can offer a worry-free tour.

The Newfoundland Bicycle Tour is best suited for those who understand that they will be exploring an area with frontier-like conditions, rugged terrain, and unpredictable climate. Everyone will find plenty of food and all our campgrounds will have warm showers but there are long stretches of wilderness in between.)

Known as "the rock", Newfoundland is forested in its interior, but quite rocky and barren along the coast. Often there are barrens, with vegetation and conditions resembling Canada's north. Winds can be strong. The prevailing direction is from the south, and strong tailwinds are expected for almost every day.

Our tour is an exploration of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. We begin at the inland town of Deer Lake. We start off by going westward. Soon we will find ourselves crossing the rocky tablelands of Gros Morne National Park. We will take two days to explore the park, view its magnificent fresh-waterfjords, and perhaps walk up Gros Morne itself!

Turning northward at the ocean, we negotiate the park's immense fjords. Our route then moves along the coast. We will spend several days winding around numerous bays and harbours. Once we get in sight of Labrador, we turn north-east and continue to the tip of the Island.

Although sparsely settled, people have lived along this shore for over 9,000 years. Several important archeological sites will be available for us to explore. Once reaching the very northern end of Newfoundland, we will visit the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows.

Our tour ends at the only town found on our entire route, St. Anthony. We will no doubt spend our evening there with a wealth of stories from our tour. Early tn the afternoon there will be a return shuttle to Deer Lake (included with tour registration).

The Newfoundland Bicycle Tour will be a friendly event, with a great deal of socializing. Along the way, we will learn about Newfoundland's long history, discover its rugged beauty, and experience what makes it distinct. This is a tour which will be both spectacular and memorable!

Wednesday, June 25 - Deer Lake to Trout River
Thursday, June 26 - Trout River to Rocky Harbour
Friday, June 27 - Activity Day in Gros Morne National Park
Saturday, June 28 - Rocky Harbour to Cow Head
Sunday, June 29 - Cow Head to Hawke's Bay
Monday, June 30 - Hawke's Bay to St. Barbe
Tuesday, July 1 - Optional day ride to Labrador
Wednesday, July 2 - St. Barbe to Pistolet Bay
Thursday, July 3 - Pistolet Bay to St. Lunaire
Friday, July 4 - St. Lunaire to St. Anthony

Wednesday, June 25
Deer Lake to Trout River 87 km (54 mi. )   

We begin our tour at the inland town of Deer Lake. We start off by going westward. By late morning we will reach Gros Morne National Park. Taking the southern option of the two routes into the park, we will cross the "tablelands", rocky barrens formed by the wearing down of very old mountains. The far end of the road at Trout River offers us an incredibly spectacular vista. 

Thursday, June 26
Trout River - Rocky Harbour 42 km (26 mi. )

Today we return through the tablelands to take a boat crossing to the northern side of the park. After a ride from Norris Point to Rocky Harbour, there will be time for a short hike, a swim at the pool, or perhaps some photography at the Lobster Cove lighthouse.

Friday, June 27
Activity day in Gros Morne National Park We will take a day to explore the National Park, viewing its magnificent fresh-waterfjords, and many pleasant trails.

Saturday, June 28
Rocky Harbour to Cow Head  54 km (34 mi. )

Turning northward at the ocean, we negotiate the park's immense fjords. There is plenty of time today to take in some exploring. There are several short hikes, as well as boat tours of the fjord at Western Brook Pond.

Sunday, June 29
Cow Head to Hawke's Bay 102 km (63 mi. )

Enjoy the spectacular coastal scenery. There are several scenic look-offs today, as well as an ecological reserve.  The prevailing tailwinds are usually very strong at this point.

Our campground offers a boardwalk, which crosses typical island marshes and follows an active salmon river.

Monday, June 30
Hawke's Bay to St. Barbe 88 km (55 mi. )

We wind around numerous bays and harbours. People have lived along this shore for over 9,000 years. Port au Choix National Historic Site is the location of one of the most important archeological sites concerning the history of aboriginal people. The lighthouse stands at the furthest point west on the peninsula. It offers spectacular photography. 

Tuesday, July 1
Day Ride to Labrador (various distances)

Today we take a boat ride to Labrador. The icy channel between the island and the mainland is home to whales, seabirds, and occasional icebergs.

Remarkably different from Newfoundland, Labrador's coast is treeless and extremely rugged. We return back to the island in the late afternoon.

Wednesday, July 2
St. Barbe to Pistolet Bay 128 km (80 mi. )

We turn north-east along the top of Newfoundland. A long lonely stretch of Newfoundland's northern interior barrens lies between us and Pistolet Bay. The vegetation and conditions here resemble that of Canada's north. A diversion allows us to go to the far northern tip of Newfoundland. This, the longest day of our tour, goes through a wilderness area, will very services along our route. The usual prevailing tailwind should lessen the effort in rounding the tip of the island. As done everyday, and again for this long day, we will be offering rides in our support vehicle for anyone desiring to shorten the distance. We camp in an attractive forest setting.

Thursday, July 3
Pistolet Bay to St. Lunaire 54 km (33 mi. )

Today we go to L'anse aux Meadows, site of the discovery of Viking life in North America. A UNESCO world heritage site, we will experience what life was like 1000 years ago. We stay in the tradional Newfoundland fishing village of St. Lunaire It is our last night together - let's party!

Friday, July 4
St. Lunaire to St. Anthony 33 km (20 mi. )
Transportation from St. Anthony to Deer Lake

Our last day. It is on to St. Anthony, and the end of our tour. Today we take arranged transportation back to Deer Lake. Note: The transportation from our end point of cycling at St. Anthony back to Deer Lake is included with your registration. It leaves St. Anthony early in the morning and arrive sin Deer lake in early to mid afternoon. We manage to get a few hours of cycling in before departure.

Transportation Info

Note: As noted above, the transportation from our end point at St. Anthony back to Deer Lake is included with your registration.

Halifax and Cape Breton - Deer Lake Shuttle
Shuttle transportation is available between Halifax, Truro, or Sydney, Nova Scotia to Deer Lake, Newfoundland. The cost of this includes the ferry crossings from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port-Aux-Basques, Newfoundland. Contact us for details.

Deer Lake - Halifax and Cape Breton Shuttle
The after tour shuttle will return from Deer Lake in the afternoon of our last day. Depending on ferry schedules, we may take a late ferry to Nova Scotia in the evening, arriving in Halifax by late morning, or need to stay near Port-aux-Basques and take an early ferry to Nova Scotia the next morning, returning to Halifax by mid-afternoon.

What We Provide

-comprehensive ride guide - all about what you will see on route- history, culture, trivia
-camping facilities
-return transportation from St. Anthony to Deer Lake
-luggage transportation - we will carry your gear - just bike and enjoy the ride!
-bike mechanic assistance
-sag wagon service - support vehicles will be available for breakdowns or tired riders.
-daily route maps
-tour escort - Gary Conrod has 150,000 kilometers cycling experience, including a huge amount of the island of Newfoundland.

Accommodation

Our trip will be a tent camping adventure. It is possible for a few non-campers to attend. A limited number of Bed and Breakfasts and motels are along our route. If indoor lodgings are from our supported list, we will assist with the transport of their gear to and from our campsites. Due to the popularity of the area, early reservations are strongly recommended. Upon request, a listing of motels and Bed and Breakfasts will be sent with confirmation.

Meals

Food is the responsibility of each cyclist. This permits a wide range of dining styles and budgets. Some will prepare meals at our campsites, while others may have as many as the route allows at restaurants. We will provide a list of what you will find along our route. A support vehicle will be transport items selected at stores along the way.

Baggage System

Each morning you will bring your baggage to our truck. You are then free to ride at your own pace. Your bags will be waiting for you upon your arrival at the next campground. During the ride, our support vehicle will be at your service if you need a lift or other assistance.

Preparation and Equipment

We will carry whatever you feel you need to enjoy the tour. You must supply your own tent and sleeping bag. We will not subject your gear to weighing scales or bag limits. We ask, however, that you do not overdo things- (please - no TVs or lawn chairs!).

All participants must complete both a Registration Form and a Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk, Waiver. Our Participant Form and Waiver is in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). It requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. It is standard on many new computers and in most offices. The form is available at:

(http://www.atlanticcanadacycling.com/information/entryform.pdf)

We can also e-mail a pdf form, fax, or mail you registration printed forms.