By Skipper Bob Bartlett | Trinity Bay, Newfoundland | Born and raised on the Bonavista Peninsula
Trinity, NL offers whale and iceberg tours, sea kayaking, ATV tours, the Skerwink Trail, Kevin Toope’s historical walking tour, the Trinity Museum, Rising Tide Theatre, and local dining and shops; all walkable in a town of just over 200 people. Main season runs late May through September, with June offering the best combination of wildlife and weather.
Most places that call themselves historic have a museum, a plaque, and a gift shop. Trinity has those too.
It also has professional theatre, one of the best hiking trails in the province, whale watching with a 98% sighting rate, and cocktails made from 10,000-year-old iceberg water. For a town of 200 people, it’s a lot to absorb.
Here’s where to start.
On the water
Our whale and iceberg Zodiac tours run daily from Trinity Harbour with a maximum of 11 passengers and a 98%+ whale sighting rate. Humpbacks, fin whales, minkes, dolphins, and in June the real possibility of icebergs alongside. If you do one thing in Trinity, it’s this.
If you want to be lower and closer to the water, our sea kayaking tours take you around Trinity Harbour at sea level. There is a particular feeling you get when a whale surfaces near a kayak.
For the interior of the peninsula, our ATV tours cover bog, wilderness, and coastal trail systems you can’t reach any other way. And our full-day UNESCO Geopark bus tour covers the geological and cultural highlights of the whole peninsula: Port Union, Elliston, Bonavista, Keels, Tickle Cove.
If you’re coming from St. John’s without a car and want everything taken care of, our A Time in Trinity four-day package includes transportation from St. John’s, three nights accommodation, the whale tour, the Geopark bus tour, Kevin Toope’s walking tour, the Skerwink Trail, and a lobster boil. The easiest way to see Trinity properly.
History and culture
Kevin Toope’s Historical Walking Tour
Do this tour. I say that to every guest who asks me what to do after a morning on the water. Kevin is a third-generation fisherman and retired teacher who has been running this tour for over 26 years. He covers 500 years of history in about two hours, less than a kilometre on level ground, through stories, photographs, and his own family history woven throughout. It runs five days a week at 10am from the end of Clinch’s Lane. $15 per person. The tour turns a pretty coastal town into something you carry with you.
Trinity Museum & Historical Sites
The Trinity Museum is an 1880s saltbox home with roughly 2,000 artifacts covering the fishing, sealing, commercial, and domestic life of the town. A new audio tour is worth using. The Trinity Historical Society also manages the Lester-Garland House, Hiscock House, Blacksmith Forge, and the Cooperage. Pick up a self-guided walking map at the museum and allow a couple of hours to do it properly.
Rising Tide Theatre
Rising Tide has been a professional theatre company since 1978. That is not a small thing. This is not a community theatre, this is a serious, award-winning company that happens to be based in a town of 200 people on the Bonavista Peninsula. The plays reflect Newfoundland: the culture, the hardship, the humour, the sea. Shows run Tuesday through Sunday from late June through September.
Eat, Drink & Shop
The Twine Loft
The dining room of the Artisan Inn, built directly over the water and recommended by Where to Eat in Canada. They serve cocktails made from vodka and gin distilled from 10,000-year-old Newfoundland iceberg water while you sit above a harbour where whales are actively feeding. Book well in advance, many guests reserve months ahead!
Dock Marina Restaurant & Gallery
This is the one I send guests to after a tour when they want fresh grilled cod and a cold beer and don’t want to think about it too much. A restored historic fishing premises in the heart of Trinity, family-friendly, takeout available. The art gallery inside is worth a look.
Sweet Rock Ice Cream & Aunt Sarah’s Chocolate Shop
Both made right here in Trinity, both steps from the historic sites. You will walk past one or both of these on every loop through the town. Resistance is futile!
Trinity Crafts
If you want a souvenir, buy something made by someone who actually lives here. Trinity Crafts carries work by local Newfoundland artists. The difference between that and something with a flag printed on it in a factory is not subtle.
Get Outside
The Skerwink Trail
A 5.3-kilometre loop along the headland above Trinity. Rated one of the best hikes in Newfoundland and free. The views from the clifftop looking down into the bay are the kind that make you stop walking and not say anything for a while. In June, you’ll likely see icebergs in the water below. Allow two to three hours for the full loop at a relaxed pace and wear proper footwear.
Gun Hill Trail & Fort Point
Gun Hill is a shorter, steeper climb with a panoramic view of Trinity Harbour – worth doing before a tour to see the whole picture from above before you’re down in the middle of it. Fort Point is a flat 10-minute walk to the tip of the harbour where cannons once defended the town. The views back are some of the best in Trinity.
Where to stay
Our Trinity Eco Lodge is a restored 19th century seaside building steps from the whale watching departure point. Six rooms, each named for a whale species. Hot breakfast included. Shannon and the team will point you toward spots the tourists don’t always find.
Trinity is one of those places that earns the word ‘special’ without trying. Come for the whales. Stay for everything else!
Ready to book? Call Skipper Bob at (709) 464-3712 or the lodge at (709) 436-3011.
