Deer Lake Airport (YDF) → Woody Point
Deer Lake Airport (YDF) to Woody Point and the Tablelands
- Drive time
- 58 min
- Distance
- 67.2 km
- Routes
- 1, 430, 431
Free-flow estimate, Deer Lake Airport (YDF) to Woody Point — no stops, dry roads.Source: OSRM driving profile, terminal door to town centre, checked 2026-08-30.
Gros Morne has two arms and they part company at Wiltondale, about half an hour from the airport. Most visitors follow Route 430 north to Rocky Harbour without ever learning that the Tablelands — the exposed mantle rock the park is famous for — are down the other turn.
This is that other turn. Route 431 west along the south shore of Bonne Bay to Woody Point, and on to Trout River where the road stops. It is an hour from Deer Lake, and it is not somewhere you visit from Rocky Harbour: the bay is in the way and the drive around is the same hour again.
Worth stopping for
Discovery Centre
Parks Canada's centre for the south side of the park, near Woody Point. It is the counterpart to the visitor centre on the Rocky Harbour side, and the place to ask what is open and passable on this arm.
Stopping here adds about 4 min and 1.5 km to the drive.
Newfoundland Insectarium
A museum a couple of minutes from the airport, at the very start of the drive. Seasonal opening — check hours with the museum.
Stopping here adds about 1 min and 0.2 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: entry, fees and which trails and sites are operating are Parks Canada's to set and all move with the season. The Tablelands are on this side of the bay, so check this arm specifically rather than assuming the park is one thing.
Check it now →Crossing Bonne Bay on footSeasonal, roughly midsummer into the autumn
A seasonal passenger shuttle crosses the 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 shortens the day only if you are willing to leave the vehicle behind. The operator publishes the season and the times.
Check it now →MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn
The province states that the likelihood of injury in a moose collision is twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. Route 431 out to Trout River is unlit and lightly travelled.
Check it now →Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April
Check before leaving the airport. Route 431 dead-ends at Trout River, so a closure here has no way around it.
Check it now →
Questions people actually ask
How long is the drive from Deer Lake Airport to Woody Point?＋
About 58 minutes, covering 67.2 km — east on the Trans-Canada, north on Route 430, then west on Route 431 at Wiltondale. That is a free-flow estimate on dry roads with no stops.
Is it worth basing in Rocky Harbour and driving over?＋
No, and this is the thing most people get wrong about Gros Morne. Bonne Bay separates the two arms and the road goes all the way around it, so Rocky Harbour to Woody Point is 71.7 km and 59 minutes — no closer than coming straight from the airport, and a minute longer. If the Tablelands and Trout River are your trip, base on this side.
What is the difference between the two sides of the park?＋
They part company at Wiltondale. Route 430 runs north to Rocky Harbour, Norris Point and the fjord boat; Route 431 runs west to Woody Point, the Discovery Centre, the Tablelands and Trout River. Both are Gros Morne, and choosing between them is a real decision rather than a formality.
How much further is Trout River?＋
Another 17.8 km and about 19 minutes past Woody Point, where Route 431 ends. From the airport that is 83.8 km and about 1 hour 15.
Do I need a rental car?＋
Yes. The passenger shuttle across Bonne Bay does not take vehicles, and everything on this arm is spread along Route 431.
Every distance, drive time and coordinate on this page was checked against its source on August 30, 2026. Origin: OpenStreetMap way/180061286 — passenger terminal. Destination: OpenStreetMap node/4205512598.