Day Trips From St. John’s Newfoundland Get Better Around the Next Bend

Somewhere after Broad Cove, Route 70 climbs above the water and the plan starts coming apart in the best possible way. A seaside village appears across the hills. Then another bay opens up. Then cliffs. Then fishing boats. Then a roadside pullout that absolutely requires five minutes and somehow steals twenty. Among day trips from St. John’s Newfoundland, this is the one that turns “we’ll just keep going” into the theme of the day.

St. John’s deserves several days of its own. Stay downtown, walk the hills, eat well, and leave time for the city’s LGBTQ life. But Newfoundland changes once St. John’s falls behind in the rearview mirror. The houses spread out. The roads begin following the bays. The Atlantic keeps disappearing and returning. One rental car can add a completely different side of the province without changing hotels once.

The circle heads toward Clarke’s Beach and Carbonear, north through Small Point/Broad Cove and Old Perlican, then down the Trinity Bay side toward Dildo and Spread Eagle before returning through Whitbourne. It borrows part of the Baccalieu Coastal Drive and stretches it into a roughly 375-kilometer, 10-to-12-hour day. The towns give the route its anchors. The good stuff keeps happening in between.

Newfoundland Coastal Day Trip At A Glance: St. John’s → Clarke’s Beach/Carbonear → Small Point/Broad Cove → Old Perlican → Route 80 → Dildo → Spread Eagle → St. John’s. Allow 370–380 km, about 5–5.5 hours of actual driving and a full 10–12 hours with stops. A rental car is essential.

Why Day Trips From St. John’s Newfoundland Are Better With No Rush

Putting the pedal to the medal would take all the fun out of this road trip.

Route 70 and Route 80 are full of places that make the camera come out before anyone has time to ask what the town is called. Bright houses sit on rolling hillsides. Working harbors appear below the road. Tiny beaches flash between communities. A fishing stage, an old building or a ridiculous road sign can suddenly become the most photographed thing in the car.

That freedom is what makes this such a satisfying road trip from St. John’s. There is enough structure to know where the day is heading, but enough room for Newfoundland to interrupt it.

For the city side of the trip, Irma Gerd’s favorite things to do in St. John’s Newfoundland adds a local LGBTQ perspective before the keys hit the ignition.

Start With a Few Gay Breadcrumbs Along Conception Bay

The first stop of the day should be something cute and gay. Some Good Market in Clarke’s Beach is LGBTQ-owned and stocked with homemade preserves, art, knitted pieces, puzzles, handmade cards, children’s books and work from Canadian makers. It is one of those places where a “quick look” is usually a lie.

Next door, the Newfoundland Distillery Company is another easy stop. Passengers with a designated driver can consider a tasting; everyone else can browse the shop and take in the Conception Bay setting. If you are stopping to do a tasting, get the tasting flight because its delicous.

Just a few minutes down the road is Carbonear and Dark Star Coffee Roasters, a gay-owned and operated café inside the old Carbonear Telephone Exchange on Water Street. A latte and pastery are the perfect compliment to the morning part of this roadtrip. There is still a lot of road ahead, and caffeine has never hurt a good gay road trip.

To make the most of these stops, plan to leave St. John’s late morning. These are small independent businesses and they open later in the morning, so if you leave too early in the morning, you’ll miss them. The coastal drive still works even if one door happens to be closed.

Small Point and Broad Cove Start Serving the Scenery

Small Point–Broad Cove–Blackhead–Adam’s Cove has one of those wonderfully long Newfoundland names and a coastline that makes the car slow down almost on instinct.

Broad Cove is especially photogenic. Bright, colorful homes sit across green rolling hills, the road traces the land and the ocean takes up the rest of the view.

The area also has an LGBTQ connection through Come Home Queer, a rural gathering centered on LGBTQ culture, history and community. Elsewhere along the drive, occasional Pride flags and rainbow symbols add little flashes of recognition. One rainbow-painted log building beside the road stands out like a gay breadcrumb left in the landscape.

Nobody needs to turn rural Newfoundland into a rainbow theme park to acknowledge that LGBTQ people live, organize and make community here too.

Route 70 Keeps Flirting With the Camera

After Broad Cove, the drive gets greedy.

Route 70 moves through a string of communities along Conception Bay, and each bend seems to offer another reason to pull over. A village spreads across a hillside. A harbor comes into view. Boats sit near shore. The road climbs. The Atlantic opens up again.

One roadside pullouts between Broad Cove and Old Perlican sit high above the cliffs with wide views over the coast. These are exactly the kind of stops that gets missed when a day has been planned down to the minute.

Then, five minutes later, there may be another one. Or you’ll find yourself along the ocean shore at a tiny beach.

Antique shops and little roadside businesses appear along the route too. There will not be time for all of them. Pick the ones that make you curious. Bring a charged camera battery. Better yet, bring two. The drive is stunning.

Old Perlican Is Where the Clock Gets Less Important

Old Perlican sits near the northern end of the Route 70 and Route 80 loop and works well as a short reset.

A brief run beyond town toward Daniel’s Cove puts the Atlantic right in front of you. On a warm summer day, a five-minute photo stop could easily become a sandwich on the beach or a few brave steps into the water. Newfoundland will happily remind your ankles that the North Atlantic is not a hot tub.

There is also a small park near Main Street with flags from across Canada, the kind of unassuming roadside find that makes a day like this more fun.

Keep watching the water, but leave whales to luck. Travelers who want to deliberately get onto the ocean can save another day for whale watching near St. John’s with Gatherall’s.

Route 80 Gets a Little Camp

The mapped loop turns south from Old Perlican and follows Route 80 along Trinity Bay through names that become part of the entertainment.

Heart’s Content. Heart’s Desire. Heart’s Delight.

Very romantic.

Then Dildo enters the chat.

Spread Eagle is still coming.

Gay men do not need that joke unpacked. The group chat will take care of itself.

A little camp belongs on a road trip, especially when it arrives courtesy of official road signs. Pull over safely, take the selfie and carry on.

Dildo Deserves More Than a Drive-By

Yes, that sentence writes itself.

Dildo is the longest stop on this Newfoundland road trip, partly because everyone wants the photo and partly because the town turns out to be worth lingering in.

The waterfront curves around Dildo Cove with boats, homes and hills filling the view. Park the car and get out and walk around the village. See if you can spot the Dildo Hollywood-style sign on the hillside above.

Dildo Brewing Company makes a natural late-lunch stop. BBQ chicken pizza fits the occasion nicely. Beer flights may tempt, but whoever is driving still has a long ride back to St. John’s, so leave the tasting to the passengers.

Captain Dildo gets a photo too, obviously.

Then buy a postcard, write it over lunch and take it to the post office to ask about having it stamped from Dildo.

Gay travel does not always need to be sophisticated. Sometimes the right souvenir is knowing someone will open their mailbox days later and see Dildo, Newfoundland staring back at them.

The name gets the first laugh. The harbor, the views and the easy conversations with other visitors and locals are what make it hard to rush away.

And Then Newfoundland Gives You Spread Eagle

A road trip that goes from Dildo to Spread Eagle sounds like a story that started after two martinis, yet here it is on the map.

The detour runs through the Old Shop area toward Spread Eagle Road. There is no major attraction at the end. This is a quiet residential coastal area, so keep the visit short and respectful. Follow current signage, stay off private property and keep the car out of anyone’s way.

Nearby, Old Shop Pond can add one last small surprise. Shoes off, ankles into the water, mussels below and the immediate realization that Newfoundland seawater remains aggressively committed to being cold.

That is road-trip camp with a side of actual coastal life.

Curiosity Is the Whole Point

The best version of this scenic drive through Newfoundland leaves some blanks in the day.

Pull over at the lookout and rest stops. Turn around for the rainbow-painted building. Walk toward the harbor. Follow the road down to a beach. Stop at a little shop because something in the window made you curious.

Most of these detours only take five or ten minutes. A few will steal longer. That is why the drive needs the whole day.

Sometimes a beautiful village spread along the ocean is enough. Sometimes a funny sign is enough. Sometimes getting your feet wet, finding a postcard or chatting with someone in Dildo becomes the part you remember.

If this is your kind of trip, subscribe to HomoCulture for more gay travel stories and road-trip ideas.

Keep the Practical Stuff Simple

Allow roughly 375 kilometers, with about 5 to 5.5 hours of cumulative driving. Ten to 12 hours gives enough room for shopping, lunch and photography. An 9 a.m. start works well, although business hours may affect when the first stops happen.

Start with a full tank. Bring water, a snack, a wind-resistant layer and comfortable shoes. For photography, pack a spare battery or power bank, charging cable and lens cloth.

Check NL 511 before leaving for current road conditions, construction and incidents. Summer gives the best daylight window for a long coastal day.

Then stop watching the clock and plan to arrive back in St. John’s after dark.

Plan More of Newfoundland and Labrador

This loop samples only part of the Avalon Peninsula. Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism’s Baccalieu Coastal Drive gives the wider route for travelers who decide one Newfoundland coastal drive is clearly not going to be enough.

Back in St. John’s, Irma Gerd’s local recommendations can fill another day, while HomoCulture travel updates can keep the next idea coming.

Newfoundland Coastal Road Trip FAQ

What Are the Best Day Trips From St. John’s Newfoundland?

The best day trips from St. John’s Newfoundland depend on the kind of day you want. For travelers with a rental car and 10 to 12 hours, this Routes 70 and 80 loop combines coastal scenery, small communities, LGBTQ-owned businesses, Dildo and Spread Eagle in one full-day drive.

Can You Visit Dildo Newfoundland as a Day Trip From St. John’s?

Yes. Dildo Newfoundland is roughly 100 kilometers from St. John’s by the direct route. Building it into this larger coastal loop adds far more scenery and gives the drive more room for discovery.

How Long Does This Newfoundland Road Trip Take?

Allow approximately 10 to 12 hours with sightseeing, including roughly 5 to 5.5 hours of actual driving.

Do You Need a Rental Car for This Newfoundland Day Trip?

Yes. A rental car gives travelers the freedom to reach small coastal communities, pullouts, beaches and roadside stops.

Is Carbonear Newfoundland Worth Visiting?

Yes, especially when paired with nearby Clarke’s Beach. Some Good Market, the Newfoundland Distillery Company and gay-owned and operated Dark Star Coffee give the beginning of the route a strong local and LGBTQ connection.

Is Old Perlican Newfoundland Worth Visiting?

Yes as part of the larger loop. Old Perlican works as a natural pause near the northern end of the drive, with nearby Daniel’s Cove for another ocean stop.

The Kind of Road Trip You Grin About Later

The car eventually points back toward St. John’s, but the day has already become much bigger than a number on the odometer. Maybe it was Broad Cove spread across the hillside. Maybe it was a Pride flag beside the road, a ridiculous town sign, bare feet in freezing water, pizza overlooking Dildo Cove or one more cliff that demanded one more photo. Newfoundland keeps giving you reasons to stop, look, laugh and keep going around the next bend. By the time St. John’s comes back into view, there is a good chance you will realize you have been grinning for most of the day. Driven this part of the Avalon Peninsula? Leave a comment with the little beach, roadside stop, shop or gloriously named community everyone else should know about.