28 July, 2026 0 comments Leave a comment

In my last post, Crossing Western Labrador on the Trans-Labrador Highway, I shared the start of our early spring journey through the vastness of Labrador.

Before continuing east from Churchill Falls, I'd like to share this short video of the magnificent canyon on the Churchill River. Although most of the river has been diverted through the underground hydroelectric generating station, the remaining falls are still beautiful, and the rugged landscape is breathtaking.

Click the image below, turn up your speakers, and enjoy a few minutes of Labrador's spectacular scenery.

After soaking in the beauty of Churchill Falls, it was time to continue east.

HAPPY VALLEY GOOSE BAY

We had an easy three-hour drive on good pavement to Happy Valley Goose Bay and settled in for three nights at Gosling Lake Campground with full services. 

Of course my husband soon found his happy place… helping a fellow Airstreamer fix his heat pump and entry door latch.

Happy Valley Goose Bay is Labrador's largest town, with about 8,000 residents, and has modern services, stores, and restaurants. Goose Bay is home to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Goose Bay, while Happy Valley is the neighbouring civilian community.

We enjoyed our stay, but I still hadn't experienced the authentic Labrador I had been hoping to find. Having toured Newfoundland twice, we'd fallen in love with its unique stories, music, humour, and the resilience of people whose families had lived there for generations. We expected to find something similar in Labrador.

All the towns we had visited since crossing the border were established relatively recently, and, being so far inland, had no historical connection to the fishing industry that had shaped coastal culture so profoundly.

Many of the people we met working in cafés, grocery stores and gas stations were friendly Filipinos. We learned this reflects longstanding labour shortages, with Labrador communities recruiting overseas workers for decades to fill essential roles in healthcare, retail, trades and other services.

Our first glimpse of the Labrador I'd been hoping to experience came during a side trip to North West River and the Labrador Heritage Museum. It was housed in the former Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) store that is pictured here.

Inside was an impressive collection of artifacts from the 1800s and 1900s, including beautifully preserved coats once worn by Indigenous peoples and fur trappers.

Our docent, a former mayor, told us an amazing story. Donald Smith established this HBC post in 1852 and spent 21 years in Labrador trading furs, salmon, sealskins and seal oil while also farming and building roads. He later became Lord Strathcona and drove the ceremonial Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. I was amazed to learn that such an important figure in Canadian history began his career here in Labrador.

THE LONG DRIVE TO RED BAY

Before heading southeast to take Hwy 510 towards the coast, we made sure to have a spare 20 litre (5 US gallon) gas can on board. After filling up at North West Arm, our next fuel stop would be about 550 km (340 miles) away at Port Hope Simpson.

For seven hours we drove through eastern Labrador, passing endless forests, hills, rivers, and lakes. Hour after hour we watched the gas gauge creep lower. Eventually the truck stopped estimating our remaining range altogether and simply displayed: "LOW".

I breathed a sigh of relief as we crested a hill at Port Hope Simpson and the gas station came into view.

We pumped 88 litres (23 US gallons) into our 90.8-litre (24 US gallon) tank. We had arrived with less than three litres remaining, plus our untouched emergency can.

We continued south on Hwy 510 over higher elevations and encountered snow, sleet, rain, wind, and sunshine. Ninety minutes later we reached the windswept coast and the charming UNESCO World Heritage Site of Red Bay. Best of all, a huge iceberg was grounded just offshore!

I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter of my travel story. Please click the Leave a Comment button at the top of this post to share your thoughts.

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