ABOUT PISTOLET BAY PROVINCIAL PARK: Pistolet Bay Provincial Park is located a little below the village of Raleigh and the Burnt Cove Ecological Reserve on Route 437. The rest of the Great Northern Peninsula can be accessed from here. Two other campgrounds are located on this peninsula: one is basically a seasonal campground with fewer campsites for the transient campers, not that well-maintained, and right off the busier Route 430 on the way to St. Anthony; the other is closer to L’Anse aux Meadows and is basically an open parking lot in a convenient location to the Viking attractions. We enjoyed staying an entire week at this Park in 2023 and five nights in 2019.
Opening and closing dates are dependent upon the weather. In 2019, they were scheduled to open May 22, but due to the heavy snowfall still on the ground, they didn’t open until the middle of June. In 2023, the Park was open from early June to supposedly mid September. The Park is well-maintained and clean. There are some potholes in the campground road. There are 30 campsites, all without any hook-ups. Water is available at the comfort station along with a dump station, showers, laundry, and restrooms. We did have an internet/wi-fi/phone signal. The day use area was located in a different place than the campground. It had a playground and a large lake for canoeing & kayaking. We paid $123.59 Canadian currency for 7 nights, including tax and fees. The campsites were nice and each had a fire pit and a picnic table. Many were large enough for our RV, tent, & tow car. Most sites were fairly private; there were varying degrees of trees & bushes between them. 2019’s campsite, #29, was completely surrounded by woods and very private, but possibly too shaded since we now have the solar panels. In 2023, we had Site #16, it was open yet private and the solar panels worked well. Other possibilities include sites #15, #25, and #27. We would definitely camp here again.
Pistolet Bay Provincial Park: There is no street address. The Park is located on Route 437 before reaching Raleigh, NL (12 km off Route 430). The phone numbers are (709) 454-7570 – in season, or (709) 637-2040 – off season. Website www.parksnlca. E-mail info@parksnl.ca.
- 2019 – 08/25-08/30
- 2023 – 08/25/09/01