Page 398 - Benefits-of-Immigration-for-Newfoundland-and-Labrador

Expedition 51°: West very little light pollution in Labrador,
Start: Labrador City so sit back and enjoy the show.
Length: About 534 km There is limited cellphone service
on the Trans-Labrador Highway.

North Coast
Start: Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Length: Multi-day travel by ferry
Labrador City and Wabush were built
in the 1950s near one of the world’s
largest iron-ore deposits.
It’s estimated that there is enough
ore here to last more than a century.
By car, you can also reach the area Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the
from Baie-Comeau, Québec on the jumping-off point for the ferry service
St. Lawrence River via Route 389 - the to Northern Labrador. Each community
Québec-Labrador Highway, also known along the way offers plenty of opportunity
as Expedition 51°. to engage with Indigenous culture,
In Labrador City, stop by The whether it’s embarking on a guided
Gateway tourist information centre. experience, learning about arts and
The Edmund Montague Exhibit Hall culture, or shopping for handmade
traces 3,500 years of human activity products at local craft stores. The boat
in the area. journey itself offers awe-inspiring
Sport fishing in Labrador West – in views, as it passes the Mealy Mountains
fact, in all of Labrador – is some of the and its protected caribou herd to the
best in the world. You can also golf, hike, south. This may have been the place
and ski, but the big winter activity is the Vikings called Markland.
snowmobiling. Cain’s Quest, the world’s The first port is Rigolet, which has
toughest and longest snowmobile Indigenous ties dating back thousands
endurance race, is held here every other of years. The town also has a long
year. This off-trail riding adventure sees history of fur trapping that continues
teams of snowmobilers racing through today. It is also well known for the
deep snow and thick backcountry over production of traditional crafts made
3,100 km in some of the most remote from a special grass that grows in the
areas of Labrador. area. If you’re staying awhile, walk the
The only town along this stretch Seashore Boardwalk – at over 8 km, it’s
of highway east to the Lake Melville the longest in North America. You’ll
area is Churchill Falls, site of one of pass the archaeological excavation
the world’s largest underground of three Inuit winter sod houses
hydroelectric generating stations. before eventually finding yourself
Here, the Churchill River drops more with a perfect vantage point over all
than 300 metres along a 32 km stretch, of Rigolet.
making it an ideal location for the After a short stop here, the boat
power plant built in the 1960s. heads east through Hamilton Inlet
These latitudes are excellent for and turns north for the remote
viewing the northern lights. On clear communities along the north coast.
nights the sky is alive with dancing Most of these are now part of
colours and shifting shapes. There’s Nunatsiavut, the Labrador Inuit

396 |
396 | For more info call 1-800-563-6353 For more info call 1-800-563-6353