Deer Lake Airport (YDF) → Rocky Harbour
Deer Lake Airport (YDF) to Rocky Harbour and Gros Morne
- Drive time
- 55 min
- Distance
- 72 km
- Routes
- 1, 430
Free-flow estimate, Deer Lake Airport (YDF) to Rocky Harbour — no stops, dry roads.Source: OSRM driving profile, terminal door to town centre, checked 2026-08-28.
Deer Lake is the western door into Newfoundland, and for most people who use it, Gros Morne is the reason. Getting into the park is one highway out of the airport and then Route 430 — but the park has two sides and they part company at Wiltondale. Route 430 carries north up the shore to Rocky Harbour; the Tablelands, Woody Point and Trout River are down Route 431 on the south side of Bonne Bay, about an hour from the airport. This page covers the northern leg.
It is a short drive by the standards of this island — under an hour to Rocky Harbour, where most visitors base themselves. What follows is the route, the time it actually takes, and the two or three things worth knowing before you turn the key.
Worth stopping for
Newfoundland Insectarium
A museum a couple of minutes from the airport, essentially at the start of the drive. Seasonal opening — check hours with the museum before building a stop around it.
Stopping here adds about 1 min and 0.2 km to the drive.
Gros Morne Visitor Information Centre
Parks Canada's visitor centre, on Route 430 a few kilometres before Rocky Harbour. The place to sort out park entry and ask what is actually open and passable that week.
Stopping here adds about 2 min and 0.8 km to the drive.
Before you go
These change. We link the people who keep them current rather than copying numbers that go stale here.
Park entry and what's openChanges through the year
Gros Morne is a national park, so entry, fees and which sites and trails are operating are all Parks Canada's to set, and all move with the season. Check before you drive rather than at the gate.
Check it now →Crossing Bonne Bay on footSeasonal, roughly midsummer into the autumn
The park's two arms are separated by the fjord, and by road Woody Point is about as far from Rocky Harbour as it is from the airport. A seasonal passenger shuttle crosses Bonne Bay between Norris Point and Woody Point — named here because it is the only such link, not as a recommendation. It carries people, not cars, so it changes the day only if you are willing to leave the vehicle behind. The operator publishes the season, the times and the fare.
Check it now →MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn
The province puts it plainly: the likelihood of injury in a moose collision is twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. Route 430 is unlit highway at speed. If your flight lands late, this is the fact that should shape the drive.
Check it now →Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April
Check conditions before leaving Deer Lake, not once you are out on the coast.
Check it now →
Questions people actually ask
How long is the drive from Deer Lake Airport to Rocky Harbour?＋
About 55 minutes, covering 72 km from the airport terminal to Rocky Harbour. That is a free-flow estimate on dry roads with no stops. It is a short drive by Newfoundland standards. In summer an afternoon arrival still gets you to the coast in daylight; from late autumn it does not, and the moose note below matters more than the distance.
What route do I take from YDF to Gros Morne?＋
Out of the airport onto the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 1) for a short stretch, then north on Route 430 — the Viking Trail — which carries you the rest of the way to Rocky Harbour and on up the coast.
Should I fly into Deer Lake or Gander for Gros Morne?＋
Deer Lake, and it is not close. Rocky Harbour is 72 km and about 55 minutes from Deer Lake Airport. From Gander it is 375 km and about 4 hours 43 minutes — most of the width of the island. If Gros Morne is the trip, fly into YDF.
Do I need a rental car?＋
Plan on one. This is 72 km of highway to a small coastal community, and the park itself spreads along tens of kilometres of Route 430 — the distances inside Gros Morne are as real as the drive to reach it.
Every distance, drive time and coordinate on this page was checked against its source on August 28, 2026. Origin: OpenStreetMap way/180061286 — passenger terminal. Destination: OpenStreetMap node/1551157400.