Mount Pearl, NL Outdoor Activities

Crosswinds fresh off the Atlantic, scenic views of the province’s capital, and rolling woodlands. These scenic assets at Bally Haly Golf have enticed golfers since the course debuted more than a century ago with just nine holes. Today, a full-fledged 18-hole course wends its way among small ponds and streams, designed to make the most of the sloping terrain—which rarely gives players the chance to strike their shot from a flat lie, unless they’ve sent their caddie ahead with a clothes iron. After mastering the pine-lined fairways and tricky greens, golfers relax at a recently renovated clubhouse with indoor curling facilities and a refurbished deck. The clubhouse restaurant refuels players with seafood and steak paired with beer or wine, as they tell tales of winning spitting contests with the camels that lurk in sand traps.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 5,966 yards
• See the course layout

Happy shrieks drift through the brushy pines of Marine Park’s 1,000-acre estate, wafting from campgrounds and the slate-blue waters of Herring Cove Pond. On the private beaches, warm-skinned guests cut through the afternoon sun on rented paddleboats or scream down 40-foot-tall waterslides. Lodgers park RVs or set up tents on secluded campsites equipped with fresh water from an artesian well, or use a mini-golf course for practice or attempts to trick Tiger Woods into thinking he has become a giant.

Corporate Concierge Services Inc.’s professional, uniformed drivers man a fleet of luxury Lincoln Town Cars, stretch limousines, executive SUVs, and passenger vans and coaches. In addition to providing customers with transportation and concierge services, Corporate Concierge Services Inc. showcases St. John’s, NL—the oldest city in north America—in daytime and evening City & Shore Adventure tours. Featured in USA Today, the tours traverse historic sites and properties as well as the area’s picturesque landscapes. Tour-goers also learn about the _Titanic_’s fateful journey, and may have the opportunity to touch an iceberg, helping contribute to a chain reaction in which all icebergs stop fearing humans.

In 1985, brothers Joe and Loyola O’Brien saw the impending end of the fishery they worked at fast approaching. Witless Bay had been their passion and lifeblood for many years, and they weren’t ready to give up. Instead of hanging their heads and turning in their sea legs, they found a new way to court this fickle mistress. They repurposed their knowledge of Newfoundland’s natural wonders and continued their life on the high seas guiding boat tours of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

Today, a band of knowledgeable guides carries on their efforts, delighting sightseers with guided bird- and whale-watching tours. They elucidate facts and salty stories as guests soak in unobstructed views of waterfalls, sea caves, and icebergs from the decks of their small fleet. As their ships sail past island shores populated by frolicking puffins, guests keep their eyes peeled for massive humpback whales, orcas, and dolphins that may sidle up to ask for directions.

The four small islands that make up the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve accommodate the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America. The protected sanctuary is also home to millions of other seabirds, including Northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, and razorbills—the bird that bears use to shave. In the surrounding waters, more than a dozen different whale species—including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes—swim among icebergs, sea stacks, and caves.

Up to 75 passengers can catch unobstructed glimpses of these sights from the M.V. Mary Vincent's two observation decks. On two-hour, Canadian Coast Guard–certified tours held from May to September, the crew sails past the reserve as a guide enthralls guests with tales of the HMS Sapphire, which sank in Bay Bulls' waters in 1696. Due to Newfoundland's unpredictable weather, Mullowney's Boat Tours encourages visitors to dress warmly and pack a raincoat.