Cape Spear

Cape Spear is the easternmost land in North America excluding Greenland, so the sun reaches it first on the continent, which is why people drive out for sunrise. The 1836 lighthouse is the oldest surviving in Newfoundland and is restored to the 1830s with the keeper's family quarters built around the light tower itself, an arrangement used on early Newfoundland stations. Gun emplacements and tunnels from a second world war coastal battery sit on the headland, built to defend the approaches to St. John's harbour. Whales pass close in summer and icebergs drift by in spring. The seas here are heavy.

History

The Beothuk lived in the region, and Mi'kmaq came to harvest food there for part of the year, though nothing suggests they gave the cape any special meaning as a land's end. The Portuguese named it Cabo da Esperança, cape of hope, which became Cap d'Espoir in French and then Cape Spear (Wikipedia, Cape Spear).

What to look for

• The easternmost point - the first land in North America to see the sunrise.
• The 1836 lighthouse - Newfoundland's oldest, with quarters around the tower.
• The wartime battery - gun emplacements and tunnels from the 1940s.
• The whales and icebergs - passing close in summer and spring respectively.

When to go

May to September for the lighthouse interior and whales; icebergs come in late spring. Sunrise is the classic reason to come and is very early in June. Fog is frequent.

Things to know

Rogue waves reach the rocks below and the warnings are serious. Fog can hide everything for days. The lighthouse interior is seasonal.

Nearby

St. John's lies northwest; Witless Bay is south.

Key facts