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The East Coast Trail Guide is a digital trail guide and photo book filled with information about Newfoundland’s amazing East Coast Trail, including Cape Spear Path.

A free sample of Newfoundland’s #1 hiking guide is available on Apple Books.

Don’t have Apple Books? There’s lots of trail information on this blog too. Below you’ll find a basic map, a quick trail description, and trail stories and photos from hikes in every season:

Basic map:

Trail description:

Cape Spear Path runs from Blackhead to Maddox Cove.
Check the map for the following details:

  • The trail is 15.4 km in length, excluding access to the north trailhead.
  • The north trailhead is at the end of Blackhead Village Road in Blackhead.
  • The south trailhead is at the end of the Old Maddox Cove Road in Maddox Cove.
  • Check the map for designated parking areas.

Cape Spear is the easternmost point in North America, it’s a National Historic Site that draws a lot of tourists in the summer months. Among other things, people come here to see the sun rise on North America, to visit the lighthouses, to see icebergs float by in spring, and to see whales feed along the coastline in summer.

Cape Spear Path starts with a climb up and over Blackhead, but many people also start it from Cape Spear NHS. From there it continues due south over barren headlands and marshes, providing many boardwalks along the way. Have a good look at the peculiar pitcher plants that grow in all the bogs on the Cape, they’re the provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador. Continuing south you’ll realize that this trail has no significant elevation changes to speak of, it remains quite level for most of the way.

After briefly sidetracking over North Head the trail veers southwest over a long boardwalk, before finally running into the hills. These forested hills are the only significant obstacle before reaching Maddox Cove, be especially careful on wet days when the many exposed roots and rock-steps in this forest are extra slippery.

Trail flyer:

Do you offer accommodation in this area? Here’s a trail flyer you can use to promote the trail. Flyers about other parts of the East Coast Trail can be found on the trail flyers page.

Scenic spots on Cape Spear Path:

  • The top of Blackhead has great views east and west.
  • Cape Spear National Historic Site is great, offering an interesting combination of scenic, natural, and historic appeal.
  • Many small but scenic coves between North Head and Maddox Cove.

Berry picking:

Berries you can find on Cape Spear Path include bakeapples, blueberries, wild strawberries, crackerberries, raspberries, cranberries, marshberries and blackberries.

Featured stories on Cape Spear Path:

Colourful barrens of Cape Spear Path
A beautiful day on Cape Spear Path
Snowy owls at Cape Spear
A hike to North Head on Cape Spear Path

More photos and stories on Cape Spear Path:

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