Woody Point, Newfoundland and Labrador: History, Things to Do and Travel Guide
Woody Point is a Bonne Bay town in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Western region, set inside Gros Morne National Park with the Tablelands, the Discovery Centre, a heritage waterfront and lighthouse views close at hand. The route slug may say Bonne Bay, but the community article is about Woody Point and its role on the south side of the bay.
Travellers come here for a different Gros Morne rhythm than the busier north side of the park. Woody Point combines park access, a walkable historic waterfront, small-town services, summer arts energy and views across Bonne Bay toward the mountains.
How Woody Point Started
Woody Point takes its name from a point of land that offered sheltered deep-water anchorage on Bonne Bay. Heritage NL identifies it as the site of the earliest English trading post in Bonne Bay, where Bird and Company, a Dorset firm, traded chiefly in salmon and furs. Local tradition names John Roberts as the first settler of Woody Point around 1849.
The community grew as Bonne Bay settlement increased through the nineteenth century. Herring, cod, salmon, fur trading, the Labrador fishery and local mercantile businesses all contributed to its rise. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Woody Point had become the mercantile and administrative centre for Bonne Bay and the upper St. Barbe coast, with a busy harbour, customs house, courthouse, post office and stores.
A major fire in 1922 reshaped the town. Heritage NL records that the waterfront fire destroyed wharves, stores, sheds, coal buildings, the customs house, government warehouse, post office and courthouse, with 58 buildings lost in total. The Downtown Woody Point Registered Heritage District reflects both the pre-fire commercial era and the post-1922 rebuilding that followed.
What Woody Point Is Like Today
Woody Point, Bonne Bay had 244 residents in the 2021 census. The population is small, but the community carries more visitor weight than its size suggests because it sits inside Gros Morne National Park and near the Tablelands. The town includes waterfront streets, heritage buildings, churches, a war memorial, commercial spaces, homes and access to park interpretation.
Today, Woody Point feels like a park gateway with a lived-in outport core. Water Street and the downtown heritage district give the town its built character, while Route 431 connects travellers to the Discovery Centre, Tablelands Trail, Trout River and other south-side park stops. Summer is the busiest period, with accommodations, restaurants, galleries, performances and boat or road traffic bringing more activity to the waterfront.
The community is also one of the easiest places to see how Gros Morne’s geology and settlement history sit beside each other. A morning can move from the Tablelands to the Discovery Centre and then back to Water Street without turning the day into a long drive.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
Start in the Downtown Woody Point Registered Heritage District. The district includes residences, commercial properties, churches, fisheries premises, a lighthouse, public space and part of the coastline. Walking the waterfront helps connect the fire story, the former commercial centre and the present tourism economy.
Woody Point Lighthouse is another simple but memorable stop. The present lighthouse dates to 1959, while earlier lights served the harbour before it. Heritage sources connect the lighthouse to the town’s fishing and commercial past, and its Crawley Head setting gives a strong view of Bonne Bay.
For Gros Morne planning, the Discovery Centre near Woody Point is the main orientation point on the south side of the park. Parks Canada uses it for exhibits, staff information, a park film, an art gallery and access to the Tablelands experience. The Tablelands Trail is one of the clearest ways to see the exposed mantle rock that helped make Gros Morne a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nearby drives can include Trout River, the Lookout Trail area, Lomond and the north side of Bonne Bay by road when time allows. Photographers should watch the light across the bay from the waterfront, while hikers should leave enough time for trailhead parking, weather checks and the return drive. Keep distance in mind: the bay, mountains and park roads make travel slower than the map can suggest.
Quick Facts
- Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
- Region: Western region
- Municipality type: Town
- 2021 census population: 244
- Official website: Heritage district listing through Heritage NL
- Main travel areas: Downtown Woody Point, Water Street, Woody Point Lighthouse, Gros Morne Discovery Centre, Tablelands Trail, Bonne Bay waterfront
- Key routes: Route 431, Gros Morne National Park roads, Bonne Bay travel routes
Travel Notes
A vehicle is strongly recommended, even if you plan to spend time walking in town. Gros Morne park facilities, guided programs, restaurants, galleries and accommodations are seasonal, so confirm hours before arriving. Park passes, trail advisories, wildlife notices and weather should be checked through Parks Canada. The south side of Bonne Bay is especially rewarding in summer and early fall, but wind, rain and fog can alter hiking plans quickly.