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St. John's International Airport (YYT) → Cape Spear

St. John's Airport (YYT) to Cape Spear

Drive time
34 min
Distance
23.5 km
Routes
40 · 11

Conservative model estimate, St. John's International Airport (YYT) to Cape Spear — no stops, dry roads. Many of Newfoundland's provincial routes carry no speed limit in the open map data, so the router assumes a slow default: a driver who knows the road will beat this. Source: OSRM driving profile, terminal door to Cape Spear, checked 2026-09-05.

Drive it with your own nav:Organic Maps →OsmAnd →Apple →Google →Waze →The first two run on OpenStreetMap and don't track you — the same map this site is built from.

Or take the whole route with you: Download the GPX → — the measured drive plus every stop as a waypoint, for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or any Garmin, no account and no signal needed once it's on the device.

No one has sent a recording of this drive yet.Be the first — send the track →

This is one of the shorter drives on the site, and a good deal of it is city street. It leaves the terminal on Route 40, comes down through St. John’s to Water Street — past the old railway station the Railway Coastal Museum now occupies — and picks up Route 11 for the run out through Blackhead to the headland.

What is at the end is a National Historic Site, and Parks Canada describes it plainly: Canada’s most easterly point of land, the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador, and a site built around the lives of nineteenth century light-keeping families. The same headland carries the remains of a Second World War coastal defence battery, and the province names Cape Spear among its shore spots for watching whales.

It is close enough to fit around a flight rather than plan a day around. The one thing worth reading before you go is Parks Canada’s safety page, which calls the terrain and coastline treacherous, names high winds and irregular tides, and asks visitors to stay on the designated trails.

Driving route from St. John's International Airport (YYT) to Cape Spear: 23.5 km, about 34 min, via Routes 40 · 11.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Tiles by OpenFreeMap. Route line computed with OSRM.

Faded on the map: the other measured drives from St. John's International into this same region, each its own page — Portugal Cove ferry terminal (15 min), Witless Bay (46 min), Brigus (1h 9m), Harbour Grace (1h 24m). Where a faded line leaves the solid one is where that drive forks from this one.

Worth stopping for

  1. Railway Coastal Museum

    The drive passes this building on Water Street: OpenStreetMap tags it historic=train_station and building=train_station, at 495 Water Street, under the name the Railway Coastal Museum. The map records a former station and the museum's own address; it does not record what is inside, and this page does not either. Season and admission are the museum's own to state on its own site, not ours to copy.

    Stopping here adds about 2 min and 0.3 km to the drive.

    navigate: Organic · OsmAnd · Apple · Google · Waze

  2. Blackhead One Room Church and School Museum

    In Blackhead, on the road out to the cape, OpenStreetMap maps a building tagged tourism=museum under this name, with a Facebook page as its only contact detail. That is the whole of what the map knows about it — no operator, no description, no dates. Whether it is open when you pass is the community's to say.

    Stopping here adds about 2 min and 0.4 km to the drive.

    navigate: Organic · OsmAnd · Apple · Google · Waze

  3. Cape Spear Lighthouse Museum

    The end of the drive. OpenStreetMap maps a lighthouse on this headland as man_made=lighthouse, its light character, height and range taken from the NL List of Lights. Parks Canada's page for Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site describes the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador and the 19th century light-keeping families it interprets, and its activities page lists hiking, an interpretive trail, whale watching, bird watching and the remains of a Second World War coastal defence battery. What it costs and when the exhibit is open are on Parks Canada's own pages, linked below.

    Stopping here adds about 3 min and 0.3 km to the drive.

    navigate: Organic · OsmAnd · Apple · Google · Waze

What has been recorded near here

Species reported within 50 km of Cape Spear and shared to GBIF, the international record of species occurrences. The useful column is when — the months the reports cluster in.

  • Northern gannetseabirdMorus bassanusReports cluster in July, June, August5,064 reports on record
  • Atlantic puffinseabirdFratercula arcticaReports cluster in July, August, June4,203 reports on record
  • Humpback whalewhaleMegaptera novaeangliaeReports cluster in July, August, June3,560 reports on record
  • Minke whalewhaleBalaenoptera acutorostrataReports cluster in July, June, August77 reports on record
  • Fin whalewhaleBalaenoptera physalusReports cluster in July, May, September31 reports on record

What this is not

  • Not how many there are. A report means somebody looked, saw and wrote it down. A busy harbour with tour boats reports more than an empty coast with the same animals in it.
  • Not a sighting you are promised. Nothing here says you will see one.
  • Not complete. Only species we ask GBIF about appear, and only where somebody reported them.

From GBIF, queried 2026-09-14 — their record, not a copy of it.

When you get to Cape Spear

Doing it electric

Fast chargers on this drive
none
Longest stretch without one
23 km
the YYT door → Cape Spear, of 23 km driven
Nearest fast charger to Cape Spear
25.7 km
32 min by road, at St. John’s

Source: NL Hydro's published fast-charging network map, exported 2026-09-13 — sites within 3 km of this route's measured line, the km read along it, the drive to the nearest site priced by OSRM. NL Hydro lists these as 62.5 kW DC with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs on a ChargePoint account; whether one is free or working right now is the app's to say. Level 2 chargers in towns are not counted.

Every route compared →NL Hydro: plan your road trip →

Paved or not, per the map

Mapped as unpaved
none
Mapped as paved
86%
17.2 km of 23.5 km driven
No surface tag on the map
14%
2.8 km the map does not describe either way

Why it matters: Hertz Canada’s published rental terms — the one set of Canadian rental terms we could read in full, quoted not recommended — list “use off paved roads or on roads which are not regularly maintained” as misconduct that voids the damage waiver. Read the agreement you sign before leaving the lot. The terms themselves. Source for these figures: OSRM driving profile, stored route query, with node annotations; OpenStreetMap surface tags via Overpass, checked 2026-09-13. A road with no tag is unknown, not paved; what any road is like today is on 511.

Eating on the way — measured, not recommended

170 places to eat that the open map data records within 2 km of this drive, in the order you would pass them. No stars, no prices, no opinions, and no opening hours — distance along the road is the one thing measured here that a directory cannot give you.

The longest stretch with nothing mapped on it is 13.1 km — after Mary Brown's, to Cape Spear. That is the figure worth planning around.

  • Starbuckscafékm 0.1 · 1631 m off the road
  • Wing'N Itrestaurantkm 0.1 · 1419 m off the road
  • Mr. Subfast foodkm 0.1 · 1607 m off the road
  • Corarestaurantkm 0.1 · 1486 m off the road
  • Pita Pitfast foodkm 0.1 · 1620 m off the road
  • Parkside Pizzafast foodkm 0.1 · 1506 m off the road
  • Jade Gardensrestaurantkm 0.1 · 1899 m off the road
  • Sun Sushirestaurantkm 0.1 · 1888 m off the road
  • YellowBelly Brewery and Public Housepubkm 0.1 · 202 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 0.1
  • Newfoundland Chocolate Companycafékm 0.1 · 173 m off the road
  • Booster Juicefast foodkm 0.1 · 165 m off the road
  • Freshiirestaurantkm 0.1
  • Quesadafast foodkm 0.1 · 1497 m off the road
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 0.1 · 1835 m off the road
  • Second Cupcafékm 0.1 · 1739 m off the road
  • Montana'srestaurantkm 0.1 · 1800 m off the road
  • Starbuckscafékm 0.1 · 1733 m off the road
  • Harvey'sfast foodkm 0.1 · 1599 m off the road
  • Milestonesrestaurantkm 0.1 · 1570 m off the road
  • KFCfast foodkm 0.1 · 1671 m off the road
  • A&Wfast foodkm 0.1 · 1882 m off the road
  • Subwayfast foodkm 0.8
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 0.8
  • The Rockrestaurantkm 0.8
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 2.9 · 1440 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 2.9 · 1529 m off the road
  • Pizza Houserestaurantkm 3.1 · 1129 m off the road
  • Ches's Fish and Chipsrestaurantkm 3.2 · 1180 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 3.3 · 1206 m off the road
  • Greco Pizzafast foodkm 3.3 · 1200 m off the road
  • Booster Juicefast foodkm 3.3 · 1200 m off the road
  • Rustler'srestaurantkm 3.3 · 1187 m off the road
  • Domino'sfast foodkm 3.3 · 1185 m off the road
  • Mustang Sally'srestaurantkm 3.3 · 1185 m off the road
  • Jungle Jim'srestaurantkm 3.4 · 1220 m off the road
  • Wendy'sfast foodkm 3.4 · 1192 m off the road
  • Peter's Pizza Restaurant & Loungerestaurantkm 3.4 · 1201 m off the road
  • Mr. Subfast foodkm 3.5 · 1156 m off the road
  • Pizza Expertsfast foodkm 3.5 · 1154 m off the road
  • Sun Sushirestaurantkm 3.5 · 1157 m off the road
  • A&Wfast foodkm 3.5 · 1225 m off the road
  • Old Town Pizzeriarestaurantkm 3.6
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 3.6
  • Dairy Queenfast foodkm 3.7
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 4.3 · 1203 m off the road
  • East Side Mario'srestaurantkm 4.4
  • Burger Kingfast foodkm 4.6 · 947 m off the road
  • Pizza Expressrestaurantkm 4.7 · 619 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 4.8 · 535 m off the road
  • Breen's Delicafékm 4.9 · 406 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 4.9 · 453 m off the road
  • Piattorestaurantkm 5.1 · 263 m off the road
  • Wedgwood Cafe & Cateringrestaurantkm 5.1 · 429 m off the road
  • Desi Mealrestaurantkm 5.3 · 399 m off the road
  • Pizza Supremerestaurantkm 5.3 · 404 m off the road
  • Sequerra's Restaurantrestaurantkm 5.3 · 395 m off the road
  • Bitterspubkm 5.4 · 1461 m off the road
  • Jumping Beancafékm 5.4 · 336 m off the road
  • Big Bite Pitafast foodkm 5.7 · 947 m off the road
  • MajesTeacafékm 5.7 · 941 m off the road
  • Robin's Donutsfast foodkm 5.9 · 1957 m off the road
  • Gracie Joe'srestaurantkm 6.3 · 957 m off the road
  • Breezewaypubkm 6.5 · 1888 m off the road
  • Ziggy Peelgoodfast foodkm 6.5 · 977 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 6.5 · 897 m off the road
  • Donati'sfast foodkm 6.5 · 862 m off the road
  • Pop's Dinerrestaurantkm 6.5 · 926 m off the road
  • NJ's Kitchenrestaurantkm 6.5 · 884 m off the road
  • Jumping Beancafékm 6.5 · 1811 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 6.5 · 1967 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 6.5 · 1839 m off the road
  • Booster Juicefast foodkm 6.5 · 1834 m off the road
  • Manchu Wokfast foodkm 6.5 · 1828 m off the road
  • Pizza Delightrestaurantkm 6.5 · 1819 m off the road
  • Just Friesfast foodkm 6.5 · 1815 m off the road
  • Smitty'srestaurantkm 6.5 · 910 m off the road
  • Noodle Namirestaurantkm 6.5 · 889 m off the road
  • Subwayfast foodkm 6.5 · 1074 m off the road
  • Quintana'srestaurantkm 6.5 · 1036 m off the road
  • Big Ben's Pubpubkm 6.5 · 1026 m off the road
  • The Georgetown Pubpubkm 6.7 · 356 m off the road
  • Beavertailsfast foodkm 6.8
  • Georgestown Cafe and Bookshelfcafékm 6.8 · 335 m off the road
  • The Parlourrestaurantkm 6.9 · 186 m off the road
  • Hungry Heartcafékm 7
  • Coffee Matterscafékm 7.1 · 500 m off the road
  • Bannerman Brewing Co.pubkm 7.1 · 527 m off the road
  • Pirestaurantkm 7.3 · 225 m off the road
  • No.4 Restaurant & Barrestaurantkm 7.3 · 162 m off the road
  • Peaceful Loftrestaurantkm 7.4
  • Bamboo Gardenrestaurantkm 7.4
  • Bagel Caferestaurantkm 7.4
  • Sun Sushi & Bubbled Tearestaurantkm 7.4 · 198 m off the road
  • Get Stuffedrestaurantkm 7.4 · 182 m off the road
  • Fixed Coffee and Bakingcafékm 7.4 · 204 m off the road
  • Smitty'srestaurantkm 7.4 · 380 m off the road
  • Portobello's Restaurantrestaurantkm 7.4 · 438 m off the road
  • International Flavoursrestaurantkm 7.4 · 839 m off the road
  • Classic Cafe Eastcafékm 7.4 · 559 m off the road
  • J Korean Restaurantrestaurantkm 7.4 · 174 m off the road
  • Zachary's Restaurantrestaurantkm 7.4 · 566 m off the road
  • Chatters Coffeecafékm 7.4 · 462 m off the road
  • Fat Nanny'scafékm 7.4
  • Shalimarrestaurantkm 7.4
  • Ship Pubpubkm 7.4
  • Battery Cafecafékm 7.4 · 807 m off the road
  • India Gaterestaurantkm 7.4
  • Saltwaterrestaurantkm 7.4
  • Newfoundland Chocolate Cafecafékm 7.5 · 1387 m off the road
  • Oliver'srestaurantkm 7.6
  • Water St.Varietycafékm 7.6
  • Smoke's Poutinefast foodkm 7.6
  • Biancarestaurantkm 7.6
  • The Fifth Ticketrestaurantkm 7.6
  • 3 Sisters Vietnamese Subsfast foodkm 7.7
  • Duke of Duckworthpubkm 7.7
  • Cojones Tacos & Tequilarestaurantkm 7.7
  • Sushi Islandrestaurantkm 7.9
  • Ziggy Peelgoods French Friesfast foodkm 7.9
  • Jumping Bean Coffeecafékm 7.9 · 463 m off the road
  • Yellowbelly Brewerypubkm 8.1
  • The Kegrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Afghan Restaurantrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Piatto Restaurantrestaurantkm 8.1 · 151 m off the road
  • The Republicpubkm 8.1 · 155 m off the road
  • The Sprout Restaurantrestaurantkm 8.1 · 156 m off the road
  • Jack Astor'srestaurantkm 8.1
  • O'Reilly'spubkm 8.1
  • Trapper John's Museum & Pubpubkm 8.1
  • Rob Roy Pubpubkm 8.1
  • Green Sleeves Pub & Restaurantpubkm 8.1
  • Formosa Tea Houserestaurantkm 8.1 · 527 m off the road
  • Celtic Hearthrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Bridie Molloy’spubkm 8.1
  • Merchant Tavernrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Chinchedrestaurantkm 8.1 · 175 m off the road
  • Carribean Cornerrestaurantkm 8.1
  • LIVrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Frugal Steinsrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Saltwaterrestaurantkm 8.1
  • Black Cat Pizzeriarestaurantkm 8.1 · 526 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 8.1 · 529 m off the road
  • Ches' Fish & Chipsfast foodkm 8.1 · 580 m off the road
  • Fat Bastard Burritofast foodkm 8.2
  • Downtown Pizza fast foodkm 8.2
  • Kelly's Pubpubkm 8.2
  • Shamrock City Pubpubkm 8.2
  • Christian'spubkm 8.2
  • Adelaide Oyster Houserestaurantkm 8.2
  • Gahan Housepubkm 8.2
  • Subwayfast foodkm 8.2
  • Chinched Bistrorestaurantkm 8.5
  • Humphreys Restaurant and Pubrestaurantkm 8.5
  • Fiddlers Pubpubkm 8.5
  • Fabulous Foodsrestaurantkm 8.5 · 1033 m off the road
  • Leo's Fish and Chipsfast foodkm 8.5 · 622 m off the road
  • The Station Loungepubkm 8.9
  • RJ Pinoy Yumrestaurantkm 9.5 · 1446 m off the road
  • No Name Pizzafast foodkm 9.5 · 1402 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 9.6
  • Subwayfast foodkm 9.8 · 1311 m off the road
  • Ziggy Peelgoodsfast foodkm 9.8 · 1349 m off the road
  • Mr. Subfast foodkm 9.8 · 1408 m off the road
  • The Cove Climbing Cafécafékm 9.8 · 604 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 9.8 · 1374 m off the road
  • Burger Kingfast foodkm 9.8 · 1410 m off the road
  • KFCfast foodkm 9.8 · 1452 m off the road
  • The Big R Restaurantrestaurantkm 10.3 · 1430 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 10.3 · 1732 m off the road

What this list is not

  • Not a recommendation. Nothing here is endorsed, reviewed or rated. It is in the order you drive past it.
  • Not complete. Somewhere unmapped does not appear. This is never "all of them".
  • Not open hours. We publish none, because the open data holds none. Never assume a kitchen is serving.
  • Not necessarily still trading. A place that closed stays in the data until somebody removes it.
  • Not for sale. No one can pay to appear here, to rank higher, or to have a rival removed.

Open map data is incomplete — somewhere unmapped does not appear here, and this is never "all of them" or "the good ones". A place that closed is also still on the map until somebody removes it, which is why no hours are shown and nothing here says a kitchen is open. From OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (which includes data from Meta, Foursquare and AllThePlaces); swept 2026-09-12. Map the one that is missing → and every site built on the open map gains it, this one included.

Before you go

These change. We link the people who keep them current rather than copying numbers that go stale here.

  • MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn

    The province states the likelihood of injury in a moose collision is about twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. This is one of the shorter drives on the site and much of it is city street, but it does not end in the city — the last stretch runs out to an open headland, and that is the part to think about if you are driving it near dusk.

    Check it now →

  • Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April

    A short drive is not automatically an easy one in winter, and the far end of this one is coastal rather than urban. Check the province's road conditions before you go, the same as on any route here.

    Check it now →

  • Cliffs and coastline at the capeWhenever you are on the headland

    Parks Canada's own safety page for the site is blunt: the terrain and coastline at Cape Spear are treacherous, and high winds, irregular tides and ocean action make a dangerous combination when visitors leave the designated hiking trails. It tells visitors to stay on those trails and off the rocks near the water's edge, and notes that cell coverage can be limited on the site. Read it before you walk out past the lighthouse.

    Check it now →

  • Lighthouse exhibitThe exhibit keeps a visitor season; the grounds do not follow it

    Parks Canada sets the operating season and the fees for the historic lighthouse, and both move. Its page also states that the grounds are open year-round, which is a different question from whether you can go inside — check Parks Canada before you build a visit around the exhibit.

    Check it now →

Arriving without a car

Every distance and time on this page is a drive. If you are not renting, here is what St. John's International Airport Authority lists at this door — operators and numbers, not fares: a tariff is theirs to change, so it is linked and not copied.

Rideshare: it depends who you ask.

The Airport Authority's own ground-transportation pages name City Wide Taxi as “the exclusive provider of ground transportation services for the public” and do not mention rideshare anywhere. Uber publishes pickup instructions for YYT, and the Airport's own account welcomed Uber in 2024. Both things are true and this page will not pretend they resolve: the Authority's pages are what govern the kerb, so check them on the day.

  • Taxi

    City Wide Taxi, which the Airport Authority names as the exclusive provider for the public. Cabs queue outside the Arrivals area and a dispatcher is there to help. The Authority publishes preset fares to named hotels and a meter-plus-surcharge rate everywhere else; what those are is theirs to publish and change.

    (709) 722-7777

  • Public transit

    Metrobus route 14 runs between the airport and the St. John's metro region, including Memorial University. There are two stops at the airport: one near the arrivals area, and one on World Parkway by the Holiday Inn Express. The Authority says Metrobus has committed to a wheelchair-accessible service on this route and can take large, non-folding mobility aids. Schedule and fares are Metrobus's.

St. John's International Airport Authority, read 2026-09-15 — the authority on what operates at this kerb, and the only place a current fare or timetable should come from.

Questions people actually ask

How far is Cape Spear from St. John's Airport?＋

About 23.5 km and 34 minutes, measured from the terminal door to the cape. The numbered roads are Route 40, which OpenStreetMap carries on Portugal Cove Road at the airport end, and Route 11, which it carries on Blackhead Road out to the headland; the stretch between them is city street.

Should I fly into St. John's, Gander or Deer Lake for Cape Spear?＋

St. John's, and not by a small margin. Measured terminal door to the cape it is about 34 minutes from St. John's, 280 minutes from Gander and 508 minutes from Deer Lake. Gander and Deer Lake are a cross-island drive away from this one; if Cape Spear is what you are coming for, St. John's is the airport.

Is Cape Spear really the easternmost point in North America?＋

The claim this page makes is the one Parks Canada makes on its own page for the site: Cape Spear is Canada's most easterly point of land. The wider North America version turns up everywhere, including in OpenStreetMap's own description of the cape, which calls it the most easterly point in America, but it is not what the site's own authority says, so it is not what we say.

What is there to do at Cape Spear besides the drive?＋

Parks Canada's activities page for the site lists hiking, an interpretive trail, a lookout, the museum, whale watching, bird watching, photography and picnicking, and describes exploring the remains of a Second World War coastal defence battery on the headland. Cape Spear is also one of the shore whale-viewing spots the province names.

Will the lighthouse be open when I get there?＋

That depends on the day you go, and it is Parks Canada's answer to give, not ours. The exhibit keeps a visitor season and charges admission; the grounds, Parks Canada says, are open year-round. Both links are in the seasonal notes above — check them rather than trusting any figure written down elsewhere, including here.

Put this map on your site

If you run a place to stay, a tour, or a town page along this drive, this map answers the question your guests already email you: how far are you from the airport? Free, no account, and the measured figures stay current because they are ours to maintain.

<iframe src="https://fromtheairport.xyz/embed/yyt-cape-spear"
  width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy"
  title="Driving route: St. John's International Airport (YYT) to Cape Spear"></iframe>
Add ?lat=&lon=&label= to the URL to pin your own property on the map.

Every distance, drive time and coordinate on this page was checked against its source on September 6, 2026. Origin: OpenStreetMap way/279110348 — aeroway=terminal, St. John's International Airport. Destination: OpenStreetMap node/470734348 — Cape Spear.