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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
[edit]
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
[edit]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
[edit]By car
[edit]Deer Lake is on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), about 50 km north of Corner Brook.
By bus
[edit]- 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.
By plane
[edit]Airport
[edit]- 1 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
[edit]- 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.
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]
- 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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- Alexander's Gift Shop, 1 Upper Nicholsville Rd, ☏ +1 709 635-4044. Home decor, some women's clothing.
Eat
[edit]- 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
[edit]- Hideaway Pub, 2 Church St, ☏ +1 709 635-5658. Friendly local pub with snack menu and a local beer.
Sleep
[edit]- 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.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]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 |