Deer Lake (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Deer Lake is a town of 5,200 people (2016) in Western Newfoundland. It is the gateway to the Great Northern Peninsula and the closest major town to Gros Morne National Park.
Understand
The town is the gateway to the Great Northern Peninsula, owing to an important highway interchange on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is the closest major community to Gros Morne National Park and is home to the Deer Lake Regional Airport.
History
The first European settlers in the area arrived from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia in 1864. They came as loggers and trappers, and later took up farming.
In 1922, a work camp was set up to support the International Pulp and Paper company. The camp became the town of Deer Lake. A townsite was constructed in 1925 and included a railway terminal, churches and a small hospital.
The airport was built in 1955 as the principal airport for western Newfoundland. It and is one of the town's major employers.
A hydroelectric plant was established on the Humber River in 1925 to provide electricity to a pulp and paper paper mill in Corner Brook.
Get in
By car
Deer Lake is on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), about 50 km north of Corner Brook.
By bus
- DRL-LR, ☏ +1 709-263-2171, drl@eastlink.ca. Operates a route daily between Port aux Basques and St. John's with numerous stops including in Stephenville, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte, Gander, and Clarenville. Travel time Deer Lake from Port aux Basques is 4.5 hours, from Corner Brook is 1.25 hours, from Grand Falls-Windsor is 3 hours, from Gander is 4.5 hours, from Clarenville is 6.75 hours, and from St John's is 9.75 hours.
- Newhook's Transportation, ☏ +1 709 726-4876. Another bus service from Port Aux Basques to St. John's.
- Norpen Bus Service, ☏ +1 709 457-2024. Operates a once per week bus route between from Corner Brook and Englee (in the Great Northern Peninsula) including stops in Deer Lake and St. Barbe.
- Star Taxi, ☏ +1 709 634-4343. Shuttle from the Deer Lake Airport. $22 per person to Corner Brook, $20 to Pasadena.
Airport
- 🌍 Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF IATA), ☏ +1 709-635-3601, info@deerlakeairport.com. Daily flights to Deer Lake from Halifax and Toronto year-round, and from Montreal in the summer. Local flights from Churchill Falls, Goose Bay, St. John's Stephenville, and Wabush.
Airlines
- Air Canada, ☏ +1-514-393-3333, toll-free: +1-888-247-2262. Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Operates daily flights to Gander from Halifax (1.75 hours).
- PAL Airlines, toll-free: +1-800-563-2800, reservations@palairlines.ca. One of the largest regional airlines operating in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and to Ottawa. Operates flights to Gander from Goose Bay (1.5 hours).
- Westjet, toll-free: +1-877-952-0100. Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in Calgary and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.
See
- St. Paul's United Church. A wooden church dating from 1955.
- The Main Street offers a scenic view of the lake.
- Roy Whalen Museum and Valley Crafts, 44 Trans-Canada Highway, ☏ +1 709 635-4440. A local museum filled with antiques, artifacts and information. The gift shop offers a large variety of souvenirs.
Do
- Sir Richards Squires Memorial Provincial Park, Highway 422 (at the end of a 30-km gravel access road). On the scenic Humber River, it's a popular place for salmon angling. 157 campsites with a picnic table, fireplace, garbage can and space for your vehicle. There are no electrical outlets. There are pit toilets and drinking water taps throughout the park. The park has a wheelchair accessible comfort station complete with flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities. Trailer dumping station is also available. Two short trails, which begin at the day-use parking lot, lead to Big Falls.
- Deer Lake Beach, Nicholsville Road. A small beach with a scenic walk along the shore.
Buy
- Alexander's Gift Shop, 1 Upper Nicholsville Rd, ☏ +1 709 635-4044. Home decor, some women's clothing.
Eat
- Canton Restaurant, 6 Commerce St, ☏ +1 709 635-8118. Tu-Su 11AM-10PM. Canadian Chinese food, but you're in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, so you wouldn't expect authentic Cantonese food, would you?
- Jungle Jims, 3 Upper Nicholsville Road, ☏ +1 709 635-5054. Su-Tu 11AM-9PM, W,-Sa 11AM-10PM. Wings, burgers, wraps, steaks, pastas, etc.
- Moo Lu Choo's Beachhouse, 137 Nicholsville Rd, Joe Butt's Lookout - Deer Lake Beach. Daily 10AM-10PM. It's not a Chinese restaurant. It's burgers and fries by the beach near Joe Butt's Lookout.
Drink
- Hideaway Pub, 2 Church St, ☏ +1 709 635-5658. Friendly local pub with snack menu and a local beer.
Sleep
- Old Rocky Brook Road Bed & Breakfast, 33 Old Rocky Brook Rd, Reidville, ☏ +1 709 636-4879. Free Wi-Fi and a daily breakfast. A garden, a firepit, laundry facilities, a shared lounge offering a library and piano. From $139.
- Driftwood Inn, 3 Upper Nicholsville Rd, ☏ +1 709 635-5115, toll-free: +1-888-635-5115. 24 rooms. From $119.
- Holiday Inn Express Deer Lake, 38 Bennett's Ave, toll-free: +1-877-660-8550. Free hot breakfast and an indoor pool with an 80-foot waterslide. Free high-speed internet access and fitness centre. From $118.
Go next
Heading north on Highway 430 will bring you two UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- The entrance to Gros Morne National Park, with great hiking and some breathtaking landscapes, is about 25 km away.
- L'Anse aux Meadows, the site of the first Viking landing in the New World, is several hours drive to the north near St. Anthony (a little over 400 km away).
| Routes through Deer Lake |
| Port aux Basques ← Corner Brook ← | W E | → Grand Falls-Windsor → Gander |
| Great Northern Peninsula ← Gros Morne National Park ← | N S | → END |