Trail · from St. John's (YYT)

North Head Trail

Fort Amherst's lighthouse and buildings at the foot of the cliffs across the Narrows, seen from North Head.Photo: Nilfanion · source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mapped path: 1.6 km one way; One way, with a lift waiting at the far end; 3.2 km if you walk it back.
Climbing: 55 m; Every up added together; the highest point is 140 m.
To the trailhead: 8.8 km

Type of trail

Point to point

A trailhead at each end: walk it one way with a car or a lift waiting, or turn round and walk it back. Signal Hill to the Battery; most walk back the same way.

Source: Parks Canada, “1.7 km one way”.

easyRated one way, for the path walked one way: 1.6 km and about 55 m of climbing. How

Access: the rating measures effort only. The map records the surface as gravel 1.6 km. Step-free access isn't recorded; ask the park before you go.

Drive: 8.8 km from the St. John's (YYT) terminal to the trailhead — not the town. OSRM driving profile, terminal door to the trailhead, checked 2026-10-06.

The trail itself: 1.6 km, 55 m of climb — the line is coloured by elevation, green at 20 m up to red at 140 m.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Tiles by OpenFreeMap. Route line computed with OSRM.

The trail, measured

North Head Trail: the mapped path is 1.6 km with 55 m of climbing, from 20 m up to 140 m.

to ~8% grade8–15%steeperheight exaggerated ~2×

Every cited segment →

OpenStreetMap way/38105000 + way/520617734 + way/520617735 + way/520617738 + way/520617741 + way/520617744 + way/520617748 + way/520617752 + way/520617756 + way/520617759 + way/520617763 + way/520617767 + way/520617770 + way/520617774 + way/520617778 + way/520617780 + way/520617783 + way/520617787 + way/520617791 + way/520617793 + way/520617794 + way/520617795 + way/520617796 + way/520617797 + way/520617798 + way/520617799 + way/520617800 + way/520617801 + way/520617802 + way/520617803 + way/520617804 + way/520617805 + way/520617806 + way/520617807 + way/520617808 + way/520617809 + way/520617810 + way/520617811 + way/520617812 + way/520617813, members of relation/2199386 (East Coast Trail, operator The East Coast Trail Association); elevation from AWS Open Data Terrarium tiles (z14), sampled ~30 m, ascent over a 3 m noise threshold; measured 2026-10-06.

A line that ends at a different height from where it starts is a loop, not an out and back.

Check today's conditions before you go →

Open in Google Maps →

Use another map app

Apple Maps · Google Maps · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze

Take it on your phone or watch

Only useful with a hiking app or a GPS watch. Just heading to the start? Use the directions above.

Save the track for a hiking or watch app (GPX)

Garmin: import it as a Course in Garmin Connect, then send it to your watch.
Apple Watch: open it in a route app that runs on the watch, such as WorkOutDoors or Footpath.
Suunto, COROS, Polar: import it as a route in the watch's app, then sync.
Phone, offline: open it in Organic Maps or OsmAnd and download the map area before you lose signal.

Just a file: no account, nothing tracked.

No recorded track yet.Walked it? Send yours →

Getting here

8.8 km from St. John's to the trailhead.

The measured drive is YYT → Signal Hill — 4 stops on it, with the road numbers, the surface and where to eat along it.

What has been recorded near here

Wildlife people have reported within 10 km of North Head Trail trailhead, and the months they saw it. Tap a name for everywhere else on our drives it turns up.

Northern gannetseabirdMorus bassanusReports cluster in July, June, October2,729 reports on record
Atlantic puffinseabirdFratercula arcticaReports cluster in July, August, June974 reports on record
Humpback whalewhaleMegaptera novaeangliaeReports cluster in July, June, August174 reports on record
Minke whalewhaleBalaenoptera acutorostrataReports cluster in June, July, May23 reports on record

Reports, not counts: busy harbours report more. No sighting is promised, and the list covers only the species we look up. Source: GBIF, the international record of wildlife sightings, checked 2026-10-07.

Eating, when you come off

Places to eat within 25 km by road of the trailhead, nearest first. 3 of 24 have a confirmed position.

The Battery Cafe1 Duckworth St · (709) 722-91671.4 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
Bivver&, Cavendish Square, Duckworth St · (709) 758-78601.7 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
Memorial Cafe71 Duckworth St · (709) 722-82561.7 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
Classic Cafe East73 Duckworth St · (709) 726-44441.7 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
Bellissimo Bistro & Espresso Bar123 Quidi Vidi Rd · (709) 221-30481.8 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
Rumpelstiltskin's2O Hill O' Chips · (709) 579-60001.8 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
The Little Sparo2 Hill O' Chips · (709) 758-42521.8 kmunconfirmed — go by the address
Toslow108 Duckworth St · (709) 400-66551.8 kmunconfirmed — go by the address

No opening hours: the map data for these places has none. Phone ahead. Built 2026-10-11.

No photo yet. Walked it? Send yours.

Getting to the trailhead — St. John's (YYT) to the start of the North Head Trail: 8.8 km by road.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Tiles by OpenFreeMap. Route line computed with OSRM.

1.6 km of path, walked point to point, with 55 m of climb in total. The trailhead is 8.8 km by road from St. John’s airport. The numbers come from the map. If you walk it, tell us how the path was on the day: mud, washouts, a missing bridge.

The full drive from St. John's (YYT), with stops and moose notes →

Measured October 6, 2026. Trailhead: OpenStreetMap way/38105000 — the path's mapped start.

Hear when iceberg season looks worth the trip