East Coast Trail

A community-linked coastal trek where you can mix wilderness paths with resupply stops and city comforts.

Time to Hike: Most walkers tackle it as a multi-week end-to-end hike or as a series of multi-day sections, using communities as natural break points.

Best Time to Go: The main hiking season is late spring to autumn, when services in coastal communities are easiest and daylight is long. Weather can change fast on the Atlantic, even in summer.

Getting there: The trail runs from Topsail Beach to Cappahayden on the Avalon Peninsula near St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador. Most international travellers fly into St. John’s and use local transport or taxis to reach their chosen start.

Costs: Costs depend on whether you use local accommodation most nights (common) or camp at designated spots when available. Budget extra for transport between communities if you are not hiking continuous end-to-end.

Difficulty: Hard overall: many paths involve steep climbs and descents on rugged coastal terrain, and some sections use fixed ropes. You can choose easier day hikes, but an end-to-end walk is physically demanding and weather-exposed.

The East Coast Trail (ECT) is a developed, 336 km long coastal footpath in Newfoundland and Labrador, created from 1994 onward and now made up of 25 linked wilderness paths passing through more than 30 communities. It follows the Atlantic edge of the Avalon Peninsula, running from Topsail Beach north to Cape St. Francis, then south through St. John’s and onward to Cappahayden.

What makes the ECT distinctive is the combination of serious, cliffy coastal hiking with frequent access to outports for food, beds and local culture. You pass a string of historic sites and landmarks including Signal Hill in St. John’s, Cape Spear (the easternmost point in North America, not including Greenland), and Ferryland with the 17th-century Colony of Avalon.

Nature is a constant companion: the trail is known for seasonal views of icebergs and opportunities to spot seabirds and whales, plus a run of historic lighthouses along the coast. The individual paths range from a few hours to a full day, which makes it easy to build an itinerary that matches your fitness and logistics.

• Stage 1: Topsail Beach to Portugal Cove (17.2 km) - The Long Shore Path starts the trail with coastal walking near the edge of the St. John’s suburbs, but still feels wild in places.
• Stage 2: Portugal Cove to Bauline (14.5 km) - Piccos Ridge Path is high and exposed, with long open stretches and a reputation for being strenuous.
• Stage 3: Bauline to Cape St. Francis (17.5 km) - White Horse Path stays rugged and steep with wet crossings; it is one of the tougher northern links.
• Stage 4: Cape St. Francis to Torbay (about 31 km) - Combine Biscan Cove Path, Stiles Cove Path and Father Troy’s Trail to move through a sequence of bays and headlands from Cape St. Francis via Pouch Cove and Flatrock to Torbay.
• Stage 5: Torbay to Quidi Vidi Village (about 19.5 km) - A varied run using Silver Mine Head Path, Cobblers Path and Sugarloaf Path into Quidi Vidi Village, with big cliff scenery and frequent viewpoints.
• Stage 6: Through St. John’s to Fort Amherst (city linking stage) - The official route threads past Signal Hill and around the harbour to Fort Amherst, mixing urban walking with coastal viewpoints.
• Stage 7: St. John’s to La Manche (middle section, multi-day) - South of St. John’s the trail commits to longer, more remote coastline with fewer quick exit points and a stronger wilderness feel.
• Stage 8: La Manche to Cappahayden (southern section, multi-day) - The final push beyond La Manche Provincial Park continues along the Avalon coast to the trail’s southern end at Cappahayden, linking small communities and headlands.

The ECT is primarily a late spring to autumn trek, when days are longer and it is easier to find open services in the small coastal communities you pass through. Summer tends to be the simplest time for end-to-end logistics.

Expect fast-changing Atlantic conditions at any time: wind, fog and rain can make exposed clifftop walking feel more serious, and wet rock and mud increase slip risk. Build buffer days into an end-to-end plan so you can sit out poor weather on the more exposed paths.

Most international walkers arrive via St. John’s International Airport and base themselves in St. John’s to sort food, maps and transport. From there, you can reach the northern start at Topsail Beach or the southern end at Cappahayden by road transport (local services, taxis, or pre-arranged shuttles), then hike back toward the city or away from it.

Many people plan the walk around St. John’s as the central hub: it is on-route and makes a logical resupply and rest stop if you are attempting a continuous end-to-end hike. Direction is flexible, but the mapped trail sequence runs from Topsail Beach to Cappahayden.

Check with the East Coast Trail Association and local parks for any rules or permits for camping or specific sites; use designated camping spots where provided.

If you plan to camp, use designated camping spots where provided and check local guidance for any site-specific rules in places such as La Manche Provincial Park or other managed areas you pass through.

Most walkers use local accommodation in the coastal communities along the route, especially around St. John’s and other road-accessible outports on the Avalon Peninsula. This style suits the ECT because the trail repeatedly intersects towns and access points, and many individual paths are day-hike length.

There are also some designated camping spots along the trail, but camping is not continuous end-to-end. If you want maximum flexibility on multi-day sections, consider mixing booked beds with occasional camping where it is explicitly provided, and plan each section around the communities you can reliably reach.