Driving the Trans Labrador Highway

Driving the Trans Labrador Highway and Quebec Route 389 is not especially difficult under typical summer conditions, but it is not an ordinary drive and some special care is advised. That said, driving on the Trans Labrador can be a lot of fun if you have the right vehicle and the right attitude. Here are a few observations from my experience, and some other information I've obtained through the Internet and elsewhere. The route What to drive When to drive Travel times and distances Fuel    Accommodations Fishing Human habitation Hazards The future

The route: The road from Goose Bay, Labrador to the ordinary civilized world in Baie Comeau, Quebec, consists of two routes: Labrador Route 500 (the Trans Labrador Highway proper) and Quebec Route 389. The Geological Association of Canada has a very informative web site called the Geological Highway Map of Newfoundland and Labrador, with a page of Stops of Interest on the Trans-Labrador Highway. It's obviously a great resource for geology buffs, but it also includes useful information on hikes along the route and on the road itself. (I wish I'd seen the page before my trip, because I missed a few things.) What to drive: Many people successfully complete this trip in ordinary sedans, but I can't recommend it. The road surface, especially between Goose Bay and Churchill Falls and between Mt. Wright and Fire Lake, is unpredictable at best, so good ground clearance is a must. Construction zones were like obstacle courses, with large rocks and treacherously loose sand. We didn't need to use four-wheel-drive in the Cherokee, but it was reassuring when driving in the rain on the awful gravel road south of Mt. Wright. Any truck or sport utility vehicle would be a good choice, with the safest choice probably being a Chevy truck, since that's what everyone there drives -- parts and repairs should be easy to come by. (One possible plus for driving a regular car: it might be more comfortable and sure-footed at high speeds over washboard gravel than our Cherokee was.) Be sure you have a good spare (not one of those compact things), and bring some basic tools, windshield washer fluid, oil, and anything else that will give you peace of mind. When to drive: We did the trip in July, well after the spring thaw and well before the snowy season. The bugs -- primarily black flies -- are horrible at this time of year, so early autumn might be a better choice, but the tradeoff is that autumns can be cold, rainy, and quite short. During the spring thaw the road east of Churchill Falls may be totally impassable (a team of writers from Car and Driver couldn't complete the trip in the SUVs they were testing). The Trans Labrador is a popular snowmobile route in the winter. Travel times and distances: The entire route from Goose Bay to Baie Comeau on the St. Lawrence can be driven in two days, but they'll be long days and you'll miss a lot -- why go up there if you're not going to stop and see anything? Goose Bay to Churchill Falls, a distance of 180 miles, took us over six hours. We averaged around 40-45 mph when we were moving, but we stopped a lot for construction, taking pictures, and just being in Labrador. Take your time on this segment, and don't miss the plant tour in Churchill Falls. The locals say you can drive the 149 miles from Churchill Falls to Labrador City in under 2.5 hours, but an average speed of over 60 mph seems unrealistic (but not impossible). We averaged 50-55 mph on this segment, and made the trip in a little over three hours. Outside of Lab City the truck traffic is heavy and the road surface is terrible with some massive potholes, so be careful. The 25 mile paved road from Lab City to Mt. Wright is a quick 30 minute drive, followed by the horrible 40 miles to Fire Lake. Steep grades, sharp turns, and lots of railroad crossings make this segment slow going -- plan on at least an hour and possibly much longer. I'm sure there's a speed limit on the 55 mile paved road from Fire Lake to Gagnon, but it's hard to imagine a police officer patrolling such an isolated stretch of road. An easy 45 minutes. On the 105-mile gravel road from Gagnon to Manic Cinq and the final 125-mile paved segment to Baie Comeau, plan on speeds around 50-55 mph and allow five hours total (add a couple hours for the Maniq Cinq tour). Fuel: Many sources I consulted recommended carrying extra fuel. We didn't, and I don't think many people will need to. The longest distance between gas stations is about 180 miles, well within the range of most vehicles (our thirsty Cherokee can go well over 300); if your vehicle can't easily travel that distance on a tank of gas you should probably get one that can, because the little bit of gas in a typical gas can won't get you very far in the wilderness. Gasoline is expensive on the Labrador peninsula, even by Canadian standards, so the best advice I can give you is to bring plenty of money and/or credit cards. Accommodations: You can legally pull off the road and camp pretty much anywhere along the highway in Labrador. I don't know the rules in Quebec, but there's clearly no problem with staying overnight at Gagnon. Because of the bugs and generally damp weather, a camper/trailer will probably be a lot more pleasant than a tent. You won't find many official campgrounds in Labrador -- there's one between Goose Bay and Northwest River, one about 40 km east of Labrador City, and a third just west of Labrador City. In the Goose Bay area there's a good choice of motels and bed-and-breakfasts; we stayed out in Northwest River in Blake's Bed and Breakfast and loved it. Labrador City/Wabush has a few motels but no B&Bs. In Churchill Falls, the provincial tourist guide and most other sources list only one rather expensive hotel, but ask at the convenience store about the Black Spruce Lodge -- it's small and it looks awful from the outside, but the rooms are cheap and there's a full communal kitchen and a huge living area with TVs and a fireplace. We shared the place with a three guys from Lab City who were on a fishing trip, and learned a lot about the area from them. Fishing: It's the thing to do in Labrador, or so I'm told. There are no scheduled salmon rivers along the TLH, but trout, pike, and ouananiche (landlocked salmon) are plentiful in Labrador (less so along the highway, where the waters have gotten somewhat fished out). A license is required to fish in Newfoundland and Labrador. Nonresidents must be accompanied by a guide (or a direct relative who is a resident) to fish on sheculed salmon rivers anywhere in the province, or to fish for any species beyond 800 meters of a provincial highway (got that?). Call 1-800-563-NFLD to request the provincial hunting and fishing guide. Note: Eating fish taken from areas flooded for the Churchill Falls plant is a risky proposition because of elevated mercury levels. Human Habitation: Outside the communities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Churchill Falls, and Labrador City/Wabush there is virtually no permanent settlement along the TLH. The province leases lots at the bargain rate of $75 per year to people who build hunting and fishing camps where rivers cross the highway, but none of these camps looked like it was a permanent residence. Right outside Goose Bay there are signs for a couple of farms and one or two houses sit right off the road, and a few industrial/construction facilities can be seen along the highway, especially on the outskirts of Labrador City. Along most of the road, though, there is little visible evidence of humanity other than power lines and the road itself. Hazards: While driving, the worst hazard, other than the road itself, is the truck traffic. I mean no disrepect to the truck drivers -- with only one exception they were skillful and courteous -- but the simple fact is that a big truck on a narrow gravel road leaves little room no matter how considerate the driver. If a semi comes at you, get out of the way (assuming that you don't have a steep dropoff to your right, of course). While stopped, the worst hazard by far is the black fly population, which will form mighty swarms around your car or your person within minutes of stopping. Local anglers said they wear lots of "fly dope" (DEET). It doesn't stop the bugs from swarming around your face, but they won't land.  Well, maybe they'll land, but they won't bite. So they say. Head nets are another possible solution, but they look pretty silly and make eating and drinking impossible. Other things to watch out for: bears (keep food out of your tent and out of reach), the weather (it changes quickly, and gravel roads can become especially tricky when wet). The Future: The provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador has announced ambitious plans to extend the Trans Labrador Highway to Cartwright on the Atlantic coast and Red Bay on the Straight of Belle Isle. If these plans are carried out, the potential impact on Labrador travel could be enormous, making it simultaneously more accessible and less extraordinary. The Innu Nation has voiced strong objections to the government's plans, and in November 1998 denounced the environmental impact statement prepared by the province as "pro-highway propaganda" lacking scientific credibility. Construction plans for the Trans Labrador Highway (provincial web site) The Trans-Labrador Highway Proposal (Innu Nation web site)

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