Cape Spear Path is such a classic on the East Coast Trail that I’m surprised I haven’t already written about it. The trail runs from Cape Spear to Maddox Cove and is approximately 11.5km long. I first hiked the trail in full in 2013, but doing an out-and-back trip from Cape Spear to North Head is one of my favourite day trips when I’m home for a visit. It’s ~9km to North Head and back, but it’s really easy and flat hiking, so I recommend it to visitors a lot. 

When I was home in Summer of 2024, I decided to do a re-do of the thru hike with my parents and Brandon. The first time I did it, I hiked from Maddox Cove to Cape Spear, but this time we did it in reverse. I don’t think you can really go wrong, but the Cape Spear side of the trail is definitely easier, so knocking out the Maddox Cove section first has its benefits. The trail from Maddox Cove is mostly in the trees and winds up and down the coast, so it’s a little more tiring. Eventually you pop out of the woods and the rest of the trail is exposed along the coast and incredibly scenic.

Overall, there’s barely any elevation gain in either direction, just a small climb up over the bluff at Herring Cove as the trail continues to North Head. North Head is pretty much the halfway point (distance wise, but maybe not time-wise), so it’s a great place to stop for lunch. My favourite thing is to walk out to the viewpoint and watch for whales. You don’t need to be constrained for whale watching though, it’s rare that I hike this trail and don’t see whales in the summer! On this occasion, we were shocked to see flying tuna jumping out of the water! I’ve never seen tuna in Newfoundland, but on this trip (in early September), I saw tuna jumping on two different occasions (and received a report from my uncle in Twillingate that he saw one too), so it was a very eventful trip!

My other favourite part of Cape Spear Path is the blueberries. Like I said, the trail is completely exposed from North Head to Cape Spear. There’s only low shrubs along the trail, most of which are blueberries! They get a bit picked over close to the lighthouse, but there’s lots of good berry picking close to North Head, so we stopped a few times for snacks along the way. The only downside is that it can get pretty windy along the cliffside. 

So I definitely recommend this trail to locals and tourists alike. It’s a pretty good trail for beginners and if you just hike to North Head and back, it’s a really easy and scenic day. Plus, most tourists plan to visit Cape Spear (the most easterly point in North America) at some point during their visit, so it’s a fun way to tie in some hiking and make a day of it. 

While I do think hiking from Maddox Cove to Cape Spear is a bit easier, the benefit of hiking the other direction is that you can finish your hike with a stop into Petty Harbour to get ice cream at Tinkers! Petty Harbour is a cute little outport community and is home to the most outrageously large ice cream concoctions. You can easily drop a bit of cash here, but it’s worth it for the photo op and the delicious snack! Enjoy your ice cream on the patio after a rewarding hike!