Now, are you landing at Port Aux Basques early in the morning of late at night?
If you're landing late at night and want a hotel in Port Aux Basques, make sure you book ahead, especially in the summer. Accommodations are fairly limited in Port Aux Basques (click here) . If you're camping, there are several good camp grounds inside a 30 minute drive (click here). Normally the ferry will arrive either early evening (around 6:00 pm) or early morning (around 7:00 am). They make the trip a little faster in the summer months. We always prefer to make the night crossing, mainly because you don't waste a day's driving. Don't expect a good night's sleep on the boat. The boat crossing may be enjoyable the FIRST time you do it. You may not even mind it the second time. When you've done it as much as we have, it's tedious, uncomfortable (even in a cabin), and it will take you a day or two to get your biorhythms back in sync. If you can afford the cabins, then by all means get one for the night crossing; it will certainly make it a little more pleasant. If you can't afford the cabins, get a dorm sleeper. They can be noisy, and you still won't get a good night's sleep, but at least you'll be able to stretch out and you'll sleep fitfully. (Book both cabins and dorm sleepers WELL in advance in the summer. You must also, or course, make your boat reservations well in advance during the summer months.) Time your trip so you can eat BEFORE you get on the boat. There are several nice motel restaurants about 15 km from Sidney, and a few spots on the highway about 40 km from Port Aux Basques. The boat is OK for coffee and snacks. We'd also recommend that you NOT eat breakfast on the boat; plan to stop as soon as you can after you get off the boat for breakfast, or supper/dinner. You'll get better meals, cheaper, and you'll get out of the boat traffic which can be quite frantic as people try to get to the head of the line. It's a passing frenzy and can be quite dangerous. Get out of it by planning your stop. We always stop at the first Irving station on the highway outside Port Aux Basques for breakfast. It's about 20 minutes. Take your time before that and let everyone who wants to pass you go right ahead. After your breakfast you'll be able to enjoy a relaxed drive through the beautiful Codroy Valley with the mountains on your right and the sea on your left. The drive from there to Corner Brook is very nice. After that it only gets better.
Watch out for moose, especially at twilight, night, and early morning. We can't stress this enough. Now, you may not see a moose the entire time you're on the island (unless you go to Gros Morne), but every year there are several fatal moose/vehicle collisions, and it's usually CFA's (Come from Aways or mainlanders) involved. Why? They don't see them, they're not looking for them, they're driving too fast. Newfoundlanders drive with at least one eye in the ditches and on the sides of the road all the time. We have close calls at least two or three times a year.
So, DAY ONE:
Arrive Port Aux Basques early morning. Have breakfast AFTER you get off the boat (If you miss the Irving Station, try the Chignic Lodge. If you miss that, I think there are a few other places, but there's not much between there and Corner Brook, about a two hour (plus) drive.) Corner Brook is a beautiful, small city. If you wanted to stay there, try the Glynmill Inn for lovely accommodations and food and "reasonable" (not cheap) prices. The Glynmill Inn also has some fine dining at the Wine Cellar. The Holiday Inn is also available, as well as Journey's End and several other less expensive alternatives. (Click here.) If you're going to camp, Prince Edward Park is slightly off the road just East of Corner Brook (nice spot, nice sites) and South Brook park is about 25 minutes East of Corner Brook, right off the highway, nice spot, nicer sites. (Most Newfoundland campgrounds feature wooded, private sites, and most are on lakes, ocean. They're really quite wonderful. Many of the old provincial parks, the nicest sites and locations, lack many of the conveniences that modern campers expect.) If you stop in or around Corner Brook you could easily make a day trip along either the north shore of south shore of the Bay of Islands. We'd recommend the south shore, as far as Lark Harbour and Bottle Cove. If any of you are foolish enough to come to Newfoundland to shop, your best spot would be the Corner Brook Plaza. This is close to the highway. If you're looking for Newfoundland stuff, try the Newfoundland Emporium on Broadway, Nortique Boutique on Confederation Drive or Sora Handicrafts in the Plaza.) This could be a three or four hour trip, more if you stop to do much hiking/sightseeing. If you go as far as the South Brook Park, or even Prince Edward Park, you may just want to settle there for the rest of the day and night. From either it's a easy trip to Gros Morne the next day.
DAY TWO:
There's lots of camping in Gros Morne. You'll have to stop at the park entry kiosk on the way into the Park. You'll get charged for day use as well as camp fees. It's getting more expensive every year, but still not as expensive as private camp grounds (parking lots) in the US and mainland Canada. If you want to stay in a cabin, motel/hotel, bed and breakfast there are plenty around the Rocky Harbour area (and that's right in the middle of the park) and there are more springing up every day. They're pretty full at peak season, so book ahead. (Click here to see what's available.) After you're set up in your camp site (Berry Hill is the largest and most popular; it's just north of Rocky Harbour. Green Point is a primitive campground with nice sites but few facilities. On the South side of the park there's a wonderful campground at Lomond, and another in Trout River. These are the park camp sites. There are also several private sites that offer more hookups, nice, but not as nice as the park sites.) There are nice campgrounds all the way up the Northern Peninsula. Make sure you've picked up a park tour guide with events listings. Gros Morne has some of the best hiking trails in the country. (See our "Hikes" page.) There are hikes for all ages and all levels of fitness. If you're young and in great shape (or old and in great shape) you might want to climb Gros Morne itself. It's uphill of course, with one VERY tuff section. The entire hike will take you about six hours. All the hikes in the park are good, some better than others. Again, look at our "Hikes" page to see the specifics and see our recommendations. While staying and camping in Gros Morne you may want to eat at Fisherman's Landing in Rocky Harbour, or at the Seaside Restaurant in Trout River (one of our favourite places). If you're staying on the North side of the park, Trout River will be about an hour and a half drive in each direction, but it's a spectacular drive and well worth the trip. There's a boat tour in Trout River particularly interesting for those with a geological bent. There's a more spectacular boat tour in Western Brook at the end of an easy half to forty minute hike. The latter is about twenty minutes from Rocky Harbour.
DAYS THREE and FOUR:
You'll have plenty to do in these two days. Too much probably. You won't have enough time to go to St. Anthony and see the Viking villages at Lanx Aux Meadows. If you try it, it will be an early morning start, a frantic day, and a late night drive back. Not impossible, but we wouldn't recommend it. Go to Saint Anthony only if you have an extra two days (seven in total). Even then it will be rushed. So enjoy the Rocky Harbour/Trout River area for these two days.
DAY FIVE:
Leave around noon for a leisurely trip back to the boat for your night crossing. It's a relaxed six hour drive from Gros Morne to Port Aux Basques. You could actually do it in about four if you're a crazy driver. By the time you stop for a couple of meals you'll get to the boat before dark.