20 March, 2024

Trail Profile: Newfoundland T’Railway

Spanning 883 kilometres, the Newfoundland T’Railway winds its way from Channel-Port aux Basques to St. John’s, passing by approximately 40 communities. This mixed-use trail follows former railway routes around the province.

What we love about this Trail section

Newfoundland T'railway monadnocks

• The trail is one of the longest linear parks in Canada

• It’s got a great mix of environments, from urban neighbourhoods to secluded forests to massive rock formations

• Amateur – and professional – astronomers will love the lack of artificial light along the T’Railway, which provide excellent viewing opportunities of your favourite constellations

Epic summer adventures: check

Port aux Basques bike path

Popular with hikers and bikepackers from June through October, the Newfoundland T’Railway is the ideal setting for your summer adventures. Walk, hike or cycle alongside relics of the trail’s past as a rail line that served Newfoundland for close to 100 years, from 1898 to 1988. You’ll find restored trail stations, museums, railway cars, trestle bridges and bridges. In fact, the trail has 3.2 kilometres of bridging – across 182 trestle bridges and bridges! The Bishops Falls Trestle is the longest on the trail, coming in at 283 metres (927 feet). The trestle is illuminated each night and is definitely worth a viewing if you’re in the area.

Urban vibes, rural beauty

You’ll find something for everyone along the Newfoundland T’Railway. In city and town centres in St. John’s, Gander, Grand Falls, Deer Lake or Channel-Port aux Basques, you’ll find dining options and cultural attractions aplenty.

If coastal landscapes are more your thing, stop near Gander or the Codroy Valley – or anywhere on Newfoundland’s West Coast – you’ll pass by endless awe-inspiring vistas for your gazing pleasure. The Gaff Topsails, between Badger and Howley, are monadnocks – isolated mountains rising up from surrounding plains – and are the point of highest elevation and most secluded section of the Newfoundland T’Railway. The area offers challenging terrain and scenery that can’t be beat.