1 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
From the bridge
2 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
A familiar Canadian sign
3 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
Manicougan reservoir
4 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
Northern River
5 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
Peaceful Lake
6 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
Typical landscape
7 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
View from the top of Manic V Dam
8 of 8
William Ennis
So This is Labrador, NFLD
Story & photos by William Ennis
I stood at the railing watching the large flow of water surging and frothing below me. Farther out, the blue water of the river flowed out of sight behind an evergreen clad, rocky prominence of the ever-present Canadian Shield.
“So this is Labrador,” I mused.
It was impressive. Perhaps Sylvia and I were the only humans within a few hundred kilometres. What a nice thought! This trip had its birth after studying a map of Eastern Canada. There were many roads along the edge of the St. Lawrence River, but north of that, there is only a tiny road that stretches across the vast northland to the Atlantic Ocean. That was a challenge.
The trip started in Quebec at Baie Comeau on the St. Lawrence River where aluminum is refined using power from the Manic reservoirs and power plants. The road north is hilly and crooked as it seeks to find a route through the hills. At the Manic V power plant the road turns to gravel at the foot of a 10-13% hill. If you take the power plant tour, you see a great panoramic view across the reservoir to the north.
From higher points, you can see glimpses of the unique Manicouagan Impact Crater and Reservoir. It was a 5 km wide meteor that struck here 200 million years ago. By the time the action finished, it formed the fourth largest impact crater in the world, 104 km by 138 km. The hole created would have been deep, but the earth rebounded from the crater to form a high centre with the edges collapsing into the void.
The gravel road is quite good as you pass the ghostly remnants of the town of Gagnon, which closed when the local mine was exhausted, and on past Fire Lake Mine, an extensive iron ore complex that eventually yielded over 200 million tons of ore. At Fermont, the pavement resumes. The road is very crooked, and you cross the railway tracks nine times. This is the railway that carries iron ore southward. At one crossing there is room nearby to park for the night. It may be wilderness country, but there are not many boondocking sites.
At Labrador City, you can make arrangements at the Visitor Centre for a mine tour. In town, there is a decent mall to stock up with food, as well as places to fuel up before hitting the Trans Labrador Highway.
This road is not for you if you aren't comfortable with a sign that says the next services are 258 km. The highway has been paved from the Quebec border to Goose Bay, which takes away some of the worries, but it also takes away some of the adventure. The government has 80 satellite phones for your use. You pick up one of them at the trip's beginning and return it at the other end. A means of communication may provide a little extra comfort to anyone nervous about such a long wilderness trip. You start out in the Labrador Trough, which is a region of iron deposits stretching from Ungava Bay in the north for 1000 km almost to the St. Lawrence River.
Churchill Falls is another gas and food stop. Also, if you book ahead, you might get a tour of the Churchill Falls generating station, a monster hydro project. For many years the Churchill River, which drains much of central and western Labrador, was thought to be a prime candidate for hydroelectric power. After 1949, with the push of Newfoundland Premier, Joey Smallwood, the project became a reality. Unfortunately, one of Canada's most impressive waterfalls virtually vanished as the water was contained in a reservoir almost 6,000 square kilometres in size. The generating station is in a huge chamber 300 metres below the surface. A sight worth seeing is the gigantic spillway with its giant steps carved out of the rock.
For the next few hundred kilometres the highway passes through the northern forest, with occasional breaks at rivers, sometimes wild and turbulent, while others are merely placid streams. Here and there the forest parts to reveal sparkling lakes. This natural beauty is what you are seeking if you drive this road. It's hilly, but not mountainous and in a land of rock and trees, it is something completely unexpected to drive through an area of sand dunes.
The one major drawback on this road is that there are very few places to stop, either off the road to rest, or maybe to fish at a river. A few boondocking spots would be convenient, but it hasn't happened yet. The temptation to stop and overnight in such a beautiful area is high. If you see a place that looks far enough off the road to be safe, do it, because the next one may be a long way away. We did stop in the parking lot of a burned out lodge. It was a nice spot, and close enough that we could walk to a nearby raging river.
The land route used to end at Goose Bay, and you had to take a several hour ferry trip before landing and driving south along the east coast of Labrador. Recently, the government finished a gravel route connecting Goose Bay and the East Coast route by looping southward around the Mealy Mountains. Mealy Mountain National Park Preserve will cover 10,700 square kilometres.
We now need to return to Labrador to drive this new section, and maybe visit the new park. Those who have reached Goose Bay will likely want to try this section of road, and then follow the east shore highway southward to reach the ferry to Newfoundland, and then later take a ferry across to Nova Scotia.
The route is quite a trip across Labrador and will be one you will likely remember for years as one of the best trips you've ever taken. Go armed with the knowledge that it is wild country with very few facilities along the way, and you will enjoy it.
For your information:
Satellite phones
- http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2011/tw/0207n02.htm
- http://www.destinationlabrador.com/guide/files/travel_trade/free_satellite_phone_loan_program.pdf
Mealy Mountains
Destination Labrador
Labrador's embracing adventure and history will divide your life into two periods: before your visit, and after. From traditional Inuit ceremonies to the shores where Vikings claimed this continent, it's a land draped in culture. The thrill of adventure awaits. Cast a line into still water and challenge nature to fight for your newest trophy. From awesome panoramas to historic and UNESCO World Heritage sites, Labrador's grace is impossible to ignore. When you return home with more questions than answers, you'll know that Labrador has challenged you forever.