(click here to find Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse)
From the Trans Canada in Deer Lake, take Route 430 (Viking Trail) to Rocky Harbour. You have 2 options to reach the lighthouse. The main exit for Rocky Harbour is Harbour Drive. Take this down into town until you come to Main Street which runs along the harbour. Turn right and follow it around the cove to the north. The lane for the lighthouse will be on your left.
The second option is to stay on Route 430 for a few more kilometers until you get to the signs for The Lighthouse. It's at the top of a very long hill. Turn left at this point, onto Main Street. Not far from the highway you will come to the entrance on your right.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
The site consists of the actual lighthouse, hiking trails and an interpretation centre. The parking lot is a short distance from the lighthouse. There is a washroom and beside the lot there is a clearing with a picnic area. The walk up to the lighthouse is a gravel lane. The staff provide detailed information about the building of the lighthouse, the families that staffed it and the living conditions during that time. There are also guided tours at various times that you can join.
They have a tide clock, which is something pretty cool that we had not seen before. Most museums in Newfoundland will have photos of the Royal Family and Joey Smallwood, Newfoundland's Premier in 1949 when they joined Canada. Joey was the last living Father of Confederation.
Click here if you'd like to learn more of the history of Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
The hiking trails near the lighthouse tend to be narrow and steep in places. They give you some of the best views and photo opps. You can head in a number of directions, providing you with views of Bonne Bay and Rocky Harbour. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is to the west and sunsets can be spectacular here.
(click photos to enlarge, click caption for mapped location)
