(click here to find J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park on the map)
This is a really nice park with some interesting features and trails. A wide variety of landscapes make it a great place to spend some time. Camping is also available.
Located on the Cape Ray barrens the park is situated about 15 km from Port aux Basques on HWY 1, the Trans Canada.
When the park is open you stop at the booth inside the park where the nicest people will give you a map and point out what you should see. Mention that you want to see the two waterfalls, Big Falls and Small Falls.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
Using your park map find camp sites 14 and 15. Between the two there is a short path that takes you to the falls. It is a really pretty spot with the most amazing river bed. It is a great example of how the surface of the earth heaved and moved in this entire area. We were there in early June following a good bit of rain so water volume was up and moving quickly.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
When you get back to the main road through the park head down the hill and cross the bridge. There is parking to your left when you cross the bridge. Walk across the road and there is a grass path that takes you up along a small tributary. It is a very short walk to Small Falls. You need to get out on the rocks to get the best view of the falls. It is a very pretty spot, great rock formations and lots of small birds. The colour of the water is a beautiful tea and crystal clear. We met a local couple who try to get there every day.
This same parking lot is a convenient place to leave the car if you want to take the Smokey Cape Trail. It follows the hills that are on the right side as you continue down to tha final parking lot at the dunes.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
Continuing through the park and you will come to an area of sand dunes that line the coast. In the spring endangered birds can be found nesting here and it is critical that you follow signs as to where you can and cannot go. There is a low lookout that provides a view across the small bay to Cape Ray and the lighthouse. From here you can see the surrounding coves and beach coast.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
Hikes of Western Newfoundland by Katie Broadhurst and Alexandra Fortin is an excellent guide if you like to do trails. The book covers Western and Central Newfoundland as far east as Twillingate. They don't cover every trail, that's almost impossible. You'll find information on a good range of trails that you should consider.
You start with the area map where they show the trails that are covered by the book. The pages about each trail include GPS co-ordinates of the trailhead and a good map of the trail. They also tell you the level of difficulty and distances.
We bought a copy ahead of our June 2015 trip to scout out the trails we wanted to do ahead of time. The book is available on Amazon and you can purchase it through this link.
