Deer Lake (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Deer Lake is a town of 5,200 people (2016) in Western Newfoundland. It is the gateway to the Great Northern Peninsula and the closest major town to Gros Morne National Park.

Understand
The town is the gateway to the Great Northern Peninsula, owing to an important highway interchange on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is the closest major community to Gros Morne National Park and is home to the Deer Lake Regional Airport.

History
The first European settlers in the area arrived from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia in 1864. They came as loggers and trappers, and later took up farming.

In 1922, a work camp was set up to support the International Pulp and Paper company. The camp became the town of Deer Lake. A townsite was constructed in 1925 and included a railway terminal, churches and a small hospital.

The airport was built in 1955 as the principal airport for western Newfoundland. It and is one of the town's major employers.

A hydroelectric plant was established on the Humber River in 1925 to provide electricity to a pulp and paper paper mill in Corner Brook.

By car
Deer Lake is on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), about 50 km north of Corner Brook.

Airport

 * Daily flights to Deer Lake from Halifax and Toronto year-round, and from Montreal in the summer. Local flights from Churchill Falls, Goose Bay, St. John's  Stephenville, and Wabush.

Airlines

 * Operates daily flights to Gander from Halifax (1.75 hours).
 * Operates flights to Gander from Goose Bay (1.5 hours).

See

 * The Main Street offers a scenic view of the lake.
 * The Main Street offers a scenic view of the lake.

Go next
Heading north on Highway 430 will bring you two UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
 * The entrance to Gros Morne National Park, with great hiking and some breathtaking landscapes, is about 25 km away.
 * L'Anse aux Meadows, the site of the first Viking landing in the New World, is several hours drive to the north near St. Anthony (a little over 400 km away).