Corner Brook

Corner Brook is the largest city in Western Newfoundland with a population of 19,300. It offers many urban amenities and is a great launching point for exploring Western Newfoundland. The city's excellent port is also an attraction for visiting cruise ships, such as the Queen Mary II.

Understand
The Corner Brook area has been home to settlement for over a century and a half, but it has a fishery history going further back. It was surveyed by Captain Cook in 1767 before he went on to survey Australia and New Zealand. The Corner Brook area became a highly developed centre for pulp & paper with one of the largest operations in the world. The city of Corner Brook came into existence in the year 1956 with the amalgamation of four area communities, each still reflected in the areas of Humbermouth, Curling, Westside, and Townsite. In many ways, the city's vibe is best described by former Mayor Charles Pender: "As a regional centre, we have the small town atmosphere with a big city infrastructure where people can live in peace and security and raise a family."

By boat

 * Port aux Basques has year round ferry service connecting with North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
 * Operates a vehicle and passenger ferry enabling travel between Newfoundland and Labrador. During most of the year this ferry operates between St Barbe and  Blanc Sablon, Quebec with a crossing time of 1.75 hours and operating 1-3 sailings daily.   For portions of the winter, the ferry instead travels between Corner Brook and Blanc Sablon with a crossing time of 12 hours.

By car
The city is located on the Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), over 200 km north of Port aux Basques. Newfoundland numbers its exits instead of giving them numbers based on their distance from the highway's starting point, so this is only the fourth exit in 200 km!

This is nearly 700 km west of St. John's. From St. John's, stay on Highway 1 and you'll find the city approximately 50 km south of Deer Lake.

Driving from Stephenville, take Route 460 east for 40 km to the Trans-Canada, then head north on Highway 1 for 50 km to Corner Brook.

By plane

 * The nearest airport with scheduled flights is in Deer Lake.

Get around
Like any city or town, locals will speak of areas not listed on maps. In Corner Brook, they are: Humbermouth, Curling, Westside, and Townsite. These are the communities that were brought together to form Corner Brook, and locals still refer to these areas by name. Be sure to ask people to clarify where these places are when receiving directions.

On foot
Corner Brook is a city on many large hills. What looks easy on a map will in fact feel like a true journey if you are not physically fit and mentally prepared for the landscape. Everything will be relative. Walking around the area is the best way to truly take in the surroundings, but it is not always advisable year-round.

Corner Brook is home to a few walking trails exclusively provided for the use of pedestrians. These trails take you around the Glynmill Inn Pond and connect with Margaret Bowater Park. The trails also provide a nice walk to City Hall, the Sir Richard Squires Building and the downtown, not to mention the beautiful gorge. Going through the Western Newfoundland Model Forest, much of the land has been provided for pedestrian usage by Corner Brook Pulp & Paper Ltd.

By car
If you want some convenience and don't want to constantly feel that you are on the Corner Brook One-Step Physical Fitness Walking Program, a car is a handy way to get around town. While the town looks small on a map, the hills complicate things quite a bit. In the winter, be sure to have snow tires. There is no such thing as all-season tires in Corner Brook. They will not get you very far.

A car will also help you reach the nearby sites just outside of Corner Brook, like Marble Mountain or Gros Morne National Park.

By taxi
There are many taxi services in Corner Brook to choose from. Expect to pay a fare of roughly $15 from one side of town to another. Because there is no public transit running on weekends, a cab may be your only option outside of walking.



Do
In early summer, take a walk or go for a drive along the ocean. Look for whales and dolphins.



Buy
There are many Newfoundland-specific shops in Corner Brook, as there are all over the island, but a good concentration of them are on Broadway. You'll be able to find provincial flags, unofficial Newfoundland tricolour flags, traditional and contemporary music, books and art. Cheeky Newfoundland separatist t-shirts are popular. They usually read: "Free NFLD", or "Newfoundland Liberation Army". You'll also be able to pick up t-shirts and the usual items of the tourist variety at these shops.

If you're looking for non-Newfoundland shops, there are two downtowns (relics of the pre-amalgamation communities) centred on Broadway in the west part of Central Corner Brook, and West Street in east Central Corner Brook. These areas have the charm of small communities and give the visitor a more accurate feel for the Newfoundland culture.

As for the fare of generic malls, you can find those inside Corner Brook and on the outskirts of the city. Inside, there's the Valley Mall and Millbrook Mall, nestled right next to each other in the centre of the city where Main Street becomes Herald. On the outskirts, there's Murphy's Square, a collection of big box retailers, and Corner Brook Plaza, a typical city mall with a second floor in the works.

Eat
Firstly, expect lots of opportunities to eat seafood. Secondly, like Cape Breton, Newfoundland offers plenty of donairs. In Corner Brook, you'll find them at nearly every pizza joint in the city (for example, Greco at 93 West Street). You'll also have no trouble finding the usual fast food culprits in every conceivable nook and cranny.



Drink
There are several bars on Union Street and several more on Broadway.



Go next

 * Drive down the south and north shores of the Humber Arm to take in all of the small Bay of Islands communities. Taking you along the Blow-me-down Mountain Range in the midst of the Long Range Mountains, you will be able to see the Bay of Islands as the ocean opens up in front of you.  On both shores, you'll have about 50 km of road to explore, not to mention countless communities to explore on foot.  Take the Captain Cook's Trail via Route 450 on the South Shore, or take Admiral Palliser's Trail via Route 440 on the North Shore.
 * Drive the Trans-Canada Highway East and take in the Humber Valley. You'll see Marble Mountain, Atlantic Canada's best downhill skiing resort, and take in roughly 50 km of breathtaking views all the way to Deer Lake.  Other attractions along the way: Breakfast Mountain's Old Man in the Mountain, a rock formation resembling a man's face, Steady Brook Falls, a lovely waterfall accessible by trail that leads to a small swimming hole, and Pasadena Beach, an excellent summer swimming destination.