Newfoundland T’Railway Provincial Park Trail

The old Newfoundland Railway bed cuts a 883-kilometer path across the island’s wild interior, following the same route trains once carried loggers and fishermen between St. John’s and Port aux Basques. This converted rail trail crosses dozens of rivers and lakes, passes through ghost towns like Gaff Topsails, and traverses the Topsail Barrens where caribou herds still migrate. The gravel surface is mostly gentle grades engineered for steam engines, but washouts and bridge gaps require detours onto rougher access roads.

Any vehicle with decent ground clearance can handle most sections, though 4WD helps in muddy spots and stream crossings. Best traveled May through October when ice is off the rivers. Fuel up in Corner Brook or Grand Falls-Windsor as services are sparse across the interior. This isn’t technical driving, but it’s one of Canada’s most remote trans-provincial routes, offering solitude and access to some of the best brook trout fishing on the continent.