It doesn’t quite involve a return to normal operations, but National Historic Sites on the Great Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador reopened this week.
Parks Canada announced the sites at Port au Choix, L’Anse aux Meadows, and Red Bay are operating with limited visitor services due to COVID-19 guidelines.
Here’s a list of available services and facilities at each site:
Port au Choix
What’s Open
- The Visitor Centre will be open for a limited number of visitors at a given time.
- Trails at Philips Gardens, Pointe Riche, and Barbace.
- Maritime Archaic sacred burial site.
- French Rooms Cultural Centre.
- Outhouses and picnic areas at Pointe Riche and Philips Gardens.
What’s Closed
- There will be interpreters on the landscape, but no guided tours at this time.
- Limestone barrens trail is not open.
L’Anse aux Meadows
What’s Open
- The Visitor Centre will be open for a limited number of visitors at a given time.
- Reconstructed large sod hut will be open for a limited number of visitors at a given time.
- Visitors have the opportunity to see inside buildings through one-direction entry and exit.
- There is a limited living history interpretation at the Viking Encampment. Visitors are asked to maintain social distancing.
- Birchy Nuddick Trail.
- Archaeological site. There are interpreters stationed at the archaeological site to speak to visitors and provide information.
- Parking areas and roadway.
What’s Closed
- Guided tours will not be offered at this time.
- Test of Tykir Escape Room, the sod hut and smithy hut are not open.
Red Bay
What’s Open
- Visitor Interpretation Centre: visitors have access to exhibits and washroom facilities, interpreters are available inside to answer questions.
- Scheduled access to view the Chalupa limited to 2-3 hours daily.
- Access to Saddle Island will be available July 20; interpreters will be stationed on Saddle Island starting that date.
What’s Closed
- Guided tours will not be offered at this time.
Trying to #PlanAhead for your upcoming day trip to a #ParksCanadaNL location? The information you need to plan your trip can be found from the comfort of your home: https://t.co/wFtjtJBVgp#ParksSmart #CleanYourHands #PhysicalDistancing pic.twitter.com/ESe8ZHUrAs
— ParksCanadaNL (@ParksCanadaNL) June 27, 2020
Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the Port au Choix (709-861-3522), L’Anse aux Meadows (709-623-2608) and Red Bay (709-920-2142) by phone or going online to the National Historic Site websites before they travel to find out what is open, what they can expect, and how to prepare for their visit.
Terra Nova and Gros Morne National Parks have already reopened, again with some services and sites unavailable.
Meanwhile, Torngat Mountains National Park in Labrador is closed to visitors for 2020; however, beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement and the Nunavik Inuit Land Claim Agreement may continue Indigenous traditional activities while being encouraged to follow the advice of public health experts, including necessary hygiene practices and physical distancing.
