Labrador Straits Loop

Route 510 hugs the Strait of Belle Isle from Blanc-Sablon to Red Bay, where 16th-century Basque whalers rendered blubber in stone ovens still standing on the beach. The 90-kilometer coastal run passes L’Anse aux Meadows turnoff — the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America — while icebergs drift past your windshield from April through July. Pinware River crossing at kilometer 35 floods during spring runoff, turning the ford into a lottery.

Easy driving on maintained gravel with some rough sections past Battle Harbour turnoff. Any vehicle handles it, though high clearance helps in the washouts. Summer only — ferry service to Newfoundland shuts down October through April, trapping you on the Quebec side. Stock up in Blanc-Sablon because services are sparse and expensive. You’re driving through 1,000 years of maritime history where Inuit, Vikings, and Basque whalers all left their mark on the most isolated coastline in North America.