Cape Spear Lighthouse near St. John's, Newfoundland in Canada.
Coming from Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, I was especially excited to touch the easternmost point of North America. It’s called Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada (or just Cape Spear) and is only a 15-minute drive southeast of St. John’s.
The road out (just follow Water Street west and you’ll see the Cape Spear signs) seems to meander inland, but eventually makes its way east to the easternmost point. Again, the interpretive centre was closed at this time of the year but we still wandered around happily with (surprisingly) quite a few others with the same idea.
The lighthouse here was actually “the second light to offer aid along any of Newfoundland’s rocky coasts,” according to the official government website. Now, it has been restored to what it would have originally looked like in 1839 (it began operation in 1836). It is considered the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Walking Paths at Cape Spear, Newfoundland, North America's easternmost point.
The wind blew fiercely today at Cape Spear, which I think is par for the course here, but it’s worth it to stick around and explore. There are paths that take you further than the easternmost point photo op, which we wandered on. Because the wooden path is open, you can also walk off it and down to the rocks below, with forceful waves crashing among them. Obviously, use your common sense here, as it can be quite dangerous if weather conditions change.
Also neat are the underground remnants of bunkers that you can walk through. They’re just rooms cut into the ground and have been left for visitors to investigate. Kept from World War II, there was actually a defence battery built and troops stationed here. This occupation from 1941 to 1945 was the reason the underground passages were made, which lead to magazine and equipment rooms, canteens, mess halls and barracks.
Cape Spear's Easternmost Point Sign in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
What I Liked:
- The fierce wind is very atmospheric, exactly like the bitter cold found on Nova Scotia’s easternmost point at the Fortress of Louisbourg. Somehow, it’s just fitting.
- Unlike most of the other roads in Newfoundland, the one to Cape Spear is smooth sailing.
- If you’ve come this far east, it’s sort of sacrilegious not to visit the easternmost point in North America, no?
Lori Henry is a freelance Travel, Health and Hockey writer based in Vancouver, Canada.
