is a car needed in newfoundland

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muskoka guy

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we are planning a three week trip from muskoka ontario to newfoundland in july 2013. last year we towed our touring motorcyles on a trailer for a tour of the maritimes.  we were thinking of taking the bikes again but i am reading that the moose are very abundant there and i dont know if i want any bike vs moose incidents. another possibility was to rent a car when we get there to tour around but after looking on internet it would appear that only st johns has car rentals which is at the far side of the island if we take the shorter ferry. my question is do you really need a car or is getting around in the motorhome a problem. all the trip journals i have read in the library have had a toad in tow. i have a 2012 toyota matrix car which i suppose i could put on a tow dolly if i had to. would it be worth the extra gas to tow the car behind the mh. any input would be appreciated. thanks barry
 
    There are car rentals available in places like Cornerbrook, Gander, or Deer Lake, but not likely in places like St Anthony.  As for moose collisions, a friend of ours bought a Hummer to visit family in Newfoundland as most cars or SUV are too low to be of any help in a collision with a moose, they are so tall in the legs that they often go through the front window when hit.
  OTOH, my opinion would be to bring the Matrix if at all possible.  Weather is very changeable, so you might find it cold and wet on a bike, bugs are another consideration as time of the summer they are quite thick, and lastly many of the drives that you want to take are remote from the campgrounds, for example if you cross from the Northern Peninsula to Quebec/Labrador.
  Enjoy your trip, plan on going late June or early July if you want to see iceburgs, expect to spend twice the allocated time as you will fall in love with the people, countryside and all of the great food.

Ed
 
thanks for the replys . looking forward to the trip. i have meet many newfies (newfoundlanders). years back work was scarce and many came to ontario looking for work. i read there are currently 30.000 newfoundlanders in fort mcmurray alberta, working the tar sands. i can say i have never met one i didnt like. great people. i thought the car rental would save gas in the long run not having to tow. the flies were not something i considered. they can be bad here in muskoka in the early part of summer.
 
    We we lived in Sunridge, just north of you we always considered the mosquito to be the Provincial bird, and Tom S that isn't one that you'd ever want to try photograph.

ed
 
probably making a stop not far from Halifax this summer. we have friends who live in voglers cove nova scotia.  we have been there twice in the last four years. very nice area. sundridge is not far from me here in huntsville. unfortunately the new four lane highway has now bypasses sundridge and i think it is having a fairly negative impact on the local businesses
 
Loved Newfoundland, we had a truck and fifth wheel so not a problem.  If you take bikes make sure your ready for cold weather even in the Summer. It can get nasty there anytime of year. We saw a few moose but its mainly a concern during the evening, not as much in the day time as long as your not traveling to fast and watching the road ahead.
 
We were in Nfld last Sept, and moose are definitely a problem, especially after the sun starts to go down.  You can get a gizmo that attaches to your grill and emits a high pitched noise, keeping them off the highway. You will most definitely need a car - some roads in the small towns are cobblestone, and some are extremely narrow with sharp hairpin turns. 
 
We've been to Newfoundland twice and found a car useful when parked for a couple of days, especially if you go to St.John's which is the oldest city in North America and has small winding streets.  You don't want to be driving an RV there for sightseeing!

If you go to Labrador and have mosquito hats take them and wear them!  I've been bitten by a lot of nasty bugs but I have to say the Labrador black flies were the worst.  They left huge and extremely itchy welts that seemed to last forever.  Don't forget to take "stuff" to counteract it you get bitten in spite of precautions.

ArdraF
 
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