Viking Trail Bike Ride – Deer Lake to St Anthony
Biking the Viking Trail from Deer Lake to St Anthony, Newfoundland is for those of you who have an adventurous spirit and don’t mind some hard, even challenging cycling. The 600 kilometre (373 mile) trip up Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula is a fantastic bike ride. The Viking Trail primarily follows the rocky, barren coast through a series of sparsely populated but picturesque fishing villages with names like Sally’s Cove, Cow Head and Brig Bay.
There is one long cycling day (100 km+) on the Viking Trail where there isn’t much of anything but trees and rock, so I would recommend carrying high protein snacks and taking lots of water.
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Location map of the Viking Trail bike trip
Highlights of the Viking Trail bike ride
Rugged, coastal scenery, unexpected moose encounters, Gros Morne National Park, whale watching, L’Anse aux Meadows, seafood, music, outdoor theater, exceptionally friendly people
Distance: 523 km (325 mi) plus an additional 72 km (45 mi) to visit L’Anse aux Meadows. If you cycle in Labrador add at least another 30 km (19 mi) – more if you’re up for it.
Where: Start in Deer Lake and finish in St. Anthony near the tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula
Time Needed: A minimum of 7 days, ideally 10 days to allow for side trips off the Viking Trail
When: June through to September
How: Best to join a tour unless you take your own bike and figure out a shuttle back from St. Anthony’s
Cost: It’s possible to camp along the way; there are numerous B&B’s, some motels and hotels
Tour companies: Atlantic Canada Cycling or Freewheeling Adventures
The Viking Trail bike ride to St Anthony, Newfoundland
The Viking Trail bike ride up to St Anthony in Newfoundland offers so much more than just rugged coastal beauty. At the top of the list are the people of Newfoundland who in my experience rank as some of the friendliest and most generous on the planet.
Where else in the world does a complete stranger offer their car to you so you can drive to dinner in the rain instead of cycling?
And then there’s the option of doing a number of unique and highly worthwhile side trips. That’s why 10 days is ideal for this bike ride.
Although you cycle through Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – it merits more of your time. The park showcases one of the best examples of plate tectonics in the world along with an unrivaled landscape of great natural beauty.
At a minimum take a boat ride up the fjord or hike to the top of Gros Morne Mountain.
How about a day trip to Labrador so you can explore by bike?
Allow another day to ferry over to Labrador from St. Barbe. Whale sightings are common and the biking, though hilly, is also very beautiful, rugged and treeless. And besides when are you likely to return to Labrador?
The last must do side trip is a visit to L’Anse aux Meadows at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. It too is a UNESCO world heritage site. What you see are the wood framed sod house remains of an 11th century Viking settlement – evidence of the first European presence in North America. If your timing is good you may see an iceberg float by too.
Here’s what to pack on a multi-day cycling trip.
Viking Trail bike ride 10-day itinerary suggestion
Day 1: Start in Deer Lake and cycle 89 km (55 mi) across the rocky barrens to beautiful Trout River.
Day 2: Take a boat to Norris River, perhaps spend half a day kayaking, and continue 42 km (26 mi) on to Rocky Harbour.
Day 3: Get off the bike explore Gros Morne National Park on foot. Climb Gros Morne Mountain.
Day 4: Bike 50 km (31 mi) north to Cow Head but allow time to do a boat tour of the fjord at Western Brook Pond.
Day 5: Bike 101 km (62 mi) on the Viking Trail along the coast to Hawkes’s Bay.
Day 6: Cycle 86 km (54 mi) to St. Barbe. Don’t miss the visit to the Port au Choix National Historic Site along the way.
Day 7: From St. Barbe take the ferry with your bike to Labrador and come back in a day. Look for whales on the crossing. Enjoy some hilly riding in Labrador.
Day 8: Pray that the wind is at your back as its 125 km (78 mi) across a desolate stretch of the northern interior barrens to Pistolet Bay. It’s even further if you don’t plan to camp.
Day 9: Bike 72 km (45 mi) to L’Anse aux Meadows and back to Pistolet Bay.
Day 10: On the final day it’s an easy 30 km (19 mi) to St. Anthony and from there a shuttle is required to get back to Deer Lake.
There are variations to this Viking Trail itinerary depending on what company you choose and whether you plan to camp, but the one day you cycle across the barrenlands is a tough one, no matter who you go with.
Chances are you’ll see moose along the way. They pop out of the woods quite unexpectedly – in fact one fellow in our group was followed down the highway by a moose but never even knew it!
By cycling the Viking Trail and exploring this barren yet beautiful section of Newfoundland you will come away with a new appreciation of the land, the history and the people.
More reading on great things to do in Newfoundland
- Hiking the Skerwink Trail Near Trinity, Newfoundland
- What to Do on a Trip to Fogo Island, Newfoundland
- The Complete East Coast Trail Hiking Guide
- Things to Do in Trinity, Newfoundland
- Kayaking in Iceberg Alley near Twillingate
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Just arrived in St Anthony after 10 days and 870km of cycling starting in Sydney NS. What an incredible experience. Not a lot of hiking but saw lots of scenery and met so many nice helpful people. We have yet to see a live moose but it is hunting season. We would 100% recommend this ride!
@Jen Thanks for your very upbeat comment. Bummer about the moose but if you’re in Newfoundland for a bit chances are still very high you’ll see one.
Hi Leigh! A you in Calgary? I just notice your comment on K-country. My husband and I and another couple are heading to Nfld to cycle this trail over Canada Day this year!
@Natalie I live in Calgary but am in Morocco. This is a fantastic trail – and if you can afford a few extra days take the ferry to Labrador and climb Gros Mountain.
Thanks for the input! I appreciate it! I think creating the route will be a big group effort, but I know there are lots of folks who would like to be away from pavement (where possible), carrying all their gear, etc. This stretch of pavement (The Viking Trail) connects the T’Rail with the ferry over to Labrador. Nice to know it’s a quiet stretch! All the best to you in your adventures and thanks again for sharing your experiences!
Hi Leigh! Thanks for the writeup! Trying to piece together a “cross Canada” route that is mostly on gravel. The section from Deer Lake to St. Barbe along the Viking trail looks to have great scenery, but the road looks to have no shoulder. Any comment on traffic volume and cycling safety here?
@Tom It’s been a while since I cycled this but I do remember that not once did anyone have issues with cars coming close. It’s not that busy a road. One fellow had a moose following him but he didn’t even know it. I’d have no worries personally. Your trip sounds epic!! There’s now a 80 km section of mountain biking trails – the High Rockies Trail in Kananaskis country.
Hi, I’m considering this route in July but have found little info from prior cyclists as to the logistics of finding food along the way – seems there’s little in the way of grocery stores and/or diners. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance, Simon
@Simon There aren’t a lot of places as you can appreciate just by looking at the number of towns but there are enough spots to load up everyday. The longest stretch across the top to St. Anthony’s is perhaps the most difficult and you probably need all the food you get before starting that bare section. Newfoundlanders are also incredibly helpful, kind and hospitable and no doubt would help you along the way.
600 km is quite a ride. Do you have the right to put up a tent anywhere you choose or in dedicated camps only?
@Mette You can camp on crown land but fresh water might be an issue so most people camp in dedicated spots on this sort of bike ride. We did take 10 days and had a few big days but lots of manageable ones too.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful place I hadn’t heard of. We’d love it- of course we’d do the auto version. I’d love to see the Viking houses. There’s a potentially older site with European presence. Mystery Hill in Salem, NH, a site with a stone circle that is believed to be of European origin has been dated to somewhere between 2000 BC and 180 AD.
@Billie The western arm of Newfoundland is truly spectacular and with two national parks and lots of culture to complement the scenery + great food I don’t think you’d be disappointed.
I didn’t know you are a big fan of cycling as well. Words can’t describe how much I enjoy riding my bike on a regular basis. Great landscape, I’m so jealous of your biking adventure!
@Agness I’ve just spent the last three days on my bike exploring Nova Scotia including 100 kms today and have another big day planned for tomorrow. I LOVE biking but haven’t done as much as I normally do just because life has been so busy.
I love the picture of the moose! I have never done long distance biking, so I guess I better start increasing the frequency and distance of my bike trips to the market if I ever hope to do a ride like this.
@Jennifer This was a ride one needed to be prepared for – either that or get in the van and that’s not always fun. But the reward for this ride was particularly good.
Leigh, these are some of my favorite places!! Lane still wears his Cow’s Head tee shirt (I think that’s where the rainy weather elicited the comment “Isn’t it a beautiful day!”) and Gros Morne was so beautiful (the boat ride into the fjord) and L’Anse aux Meadows was so evocative (I still think of the spindle whorl they found and how far from home the woman who owned it was). We drove and hiked the area, since we are wimps – it would be amazing as a bike trip. And we didn’t get to Labrador, so I guess we need to return.
I hope you had a wonderful time and thanks for the great memories and nudge to plan a return trip!
@Cindy Isn’t the west coast of Newfoundland superb? I loved the Vow Head sign and plan to return to Gros Morne next summer to see it in more depth. I can’t imagine actually living in L’Anse aux Meadows though it was during a “warm” spell. And I think it’s worth a trip to Labrador if even for a day.
OMG, Leigh, does this bring back fantastic MEMORIES! Not to mention meeting great and adventurous friends! That was one of the nicest trips. Would love to do something like that again with you and John! Let’s make plans!
Sandy
@Sandy I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen you and another trip would be great. I will never forget the moose chasing Bob – and the fact that he was totally unaware of it.
Very cute picture of a moose. They are disappearing from Quetico and Minnesota, so I am glad to see they are still in abundance elsewhere.
@Ted You can go to Newfoundland and be guaranteed moose sightings. They actually make night time driving VERY dangerous.