3 Best Sights in Harbour Grace, Avalon Peninsula

Grates Cove community is 75 km (46 miles) north of Harbour Grace on Route 70. Here is a photographer's dream, with vistas of both Trinity and Conception bays from the flat rocks by the harbor. In iceberg season, you cannot find a wider field of view for the startling magnificence. The fields are covered with the remains of dry stone walls built by the original Irish settlers. Maintained and well-marked walking paths wind through the hills, the community, and along the cliffs. A community-built museum is always open to the public.

This 1,640-foot sandy beach offers a pleasant day for families. With a river nearby, you have a choice of swimming in the very cold ocean water or in the more inviting fresh water. For nonswimmers, there's a 2-km (1.2-mile) hiking trail and beautiful views of surrounding rock cliffs. An on-site kiosk sells refreshments and snacks. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming.

At the edge of Western Bay, at the end of Lighthouse Road, a boardwalk will take you to a windy point with an unmanned lighthouse. If you take a right turn before the boardwalk, you can follow a trail that brings you to a secluded grassland called Bradley's Cove, where 200-year-old root cellars still stand. This trail also affords opportunity to encounter foxes and other woodland creatures sunning themselves on the rocks.