Hiking Adventure in St. John’s NL

Our #1 choice for a hiking adventure in St. John’s, NL? North Head Trail on Signal Hill. It’s short, steep, scenic and a must-do for any hiker looking for a trail to explore in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. 

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Hiking adventure in St. John’s

What can you do to fill a day in St. John’s beyond a self-guided historic walking tour? You can head out for a stroll through Pippy Park. Or you can check out the Fluvarium for an underwater view of Nagles Brook. How about a tour of The Rooms (museum and art gallery). Maybe you’ll want to explore the Johnson Geo Centre? 

Our #1 choice? Go for a hike up Signal Hill on the North Head Trail!

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The North Head trail

This 3.4-kilometre (2.1 mi) loop trail can take anywhere from around an hour if you hoof it to a half day or more. Why the time difference? Think about including a picnic lunch, a tour of Cabot Tower, exploration of the Queen’s Battery, and time at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre! There are also incredible views of St. John’s Harbor and the rugged Newfoundland coastline along the way. You will want to take your time.

It’s a popular hike for locals and tourists, fitness enthusiasts and sightseers, dogwalkers and keen families – but it’s not new. This route may have been in use along the narrows to the North Head as far back as the 1500s.

Today’s North Head trail is one of the best hikes in St. John’s. It climbs 150 m (~500 ft) from the harbour to the top of Signal Hill. It includes numerous wooden walkways and staircases – the longest set of stairs having a cardio-blasting 102 steps! There’s even a short section with a chain (for extra confidence) on a somewhat narrow, rocky ledge.

How to access this premier St. John’s hike 

We did this hike in a counterclockwise direction. After parking our rental vehicle in the small gravel parking lot slightly uphill and across the road from the Johnson Geo Centre we walked around the small “Deadmans Pond.” We took time to read the interpretive signs about St. John’s harbour. It was an active port that would see as many as 40 European fishing vessels every spring as early as the 1500s.

Continuing downhill we followed the wooden staircase passing through a few cliffside homes to the harbour. From here we turned left on Battery Road, continuing down past the black-and-white mural depicting the cod fishery. Staying on the same road, we eventually come to the Chain Rock Battery – an historic defensive location at the narrows of the harbour.

Across the channel from Fort Amherst Lighthouse, the official North Head trail begins to climb up along the rocky slope. Keep an eye in the distance for Cape Spear Lighthouse. Wooden stairways and a short piece of chained pathway allow for easy access if you take your time. Red Adirondack chairs provide welcome respite from the climb – as well as great photo ops!

Sidetracked!

Reaching the summit of the hill, we took a slight detour, turning right off the parking area for a picnic lunch. There are a couple tables at the stone foundation remains of the 1835 Signal Hill Canteen. The site also provides an opportunity for whale watching. And we even saw one with binos!

Heading back to the parking lot, we wandered up to Cabot Tower, down to the Queen’s Battery and followed the old roadway to the Visitor Centre. From here we followed today’s paved road back down to our vehicle.

Visiting Cabot Tower 

Depending on your time, it’s worthwhile stepping inside the stone walls of Cabot Tower after you summit Signal Hill. The tower’s cornerstone was laid on June 23^rd, 1897. Without planning, we were visiting exactly 126 years later!

The hill was used for signalling from the early 1700s. Flags were hung to tell merchants which ships were coming into the harbour. This gave them time to prepare the docks. Later harbour pilots and customs officials also watched for the signals. A wireless station, owned by the Canadian Marconi Company, operated in Cabot Tower from 1933 to 1960. 

Today the tower holds a main floor gift shop, a second-floor communications museum and provides access to a rooftop deck with spectacular views over the city. 

All about Marconi at Signal Hill 

Cabot tower’s communication display highlights the work of Guglielmo Marconi. Although the building he used is no longer in existence, Marconi was on Signal Hill when he received the first trans-Atlantic wireless signal on December 12, 1901. The letter “S” was sent in Morse Code from Cornwall, England. 

Marconi received a Nobel Prize for his work in physics and communication in 1909. He also was on the receiving end of the first trans-Atlantic transmission of a human voice heard at Signal Hill in 1920.

Exploring the Queen’s Battery and Visitor Centre 

After visiting the tower, you’ll want to head down to the Queen’s Battery. Named in honour of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. Furthermore, it was built in the late 1700s as part of the harbour defense system of St. John’s. The reconstructed stone barracks replaced an original wooden guardhouse that was behind the guns on the lower level. 

The barracks had two rooms and attached wooden porch. Originally thirteen lived in the larger of the two rooms; an officer had the smaller one to himself.

From here an old road turned path finally leads down to the visitor centre. The film inside brings to life all that you’ve seen on the hill above. In other words, it’s a worthwhile stop on your hike if you have time.

When You Go on this Hiking Adventure in St. John’s

Be sure to pack plenty of layers as wind is common up on Signal Hill! If you need more ideas on what to pack for your NL adventures, check out this post.

An important note not previously mentioned is that the only washroom on this hike is at visitor centre near the lower parking lot.

For more information on other St. John’s hiking trails check out the Parks Canada Signal Hill National Historic Site hiking page.

If you love hiking, you’ll also enjoy adventures on the Bonavista Peninsula in eastern NL as well as these posts from across Canada:

• Exploring the Past at Mount Robson Provincial Park
• Hiking in Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon Canada
• Backpacking in the Yukon: Bock’s Lake
• Hiking the Chilkoot Trail: Dyea to Lindeman Lake Section