Signal Hill National Historic Site

The views up at Signal Hill & Cabot Tower are amazing. The gift shop on Cabot tower is really small but there’s more to see at the visitor center. For one thing they have yummy Newfoundland chocolate company products there. And a small café as well. If you’re in town as a tourist this is one of the must visit spots.

This is my favourite spot in the city to go when I want to sit and reflect for a little while. Beautiful, overlooking both the ocean and the city, and some great hiking.
The hike is a bit tough if you’re not fit, but definitely doable by anybody!

A MUST to visit every year I visit Canada. It’s minutes from Downtown St. John’s and gives you on of the prettiest views I have ever seen. My favorite time to go here is during the really windy time of year because the wind is really unlike anything you’ve experienced and it’s almost as if it could knock you right off your feet! There’s a guest book to sign when you walk inside so don’t forget to sign and check out where other people have been visiting from also! This is pretty much Newfoundland all wrapped up into a tower. If you’re lucky, you could spot a whale down in the water.

Before you even begin to explore the awesome city that is St. John’s, do yourself a favour and head straight to Signal Hill… you won’t be able to miss it so just find it on the horizon and drive there.
Once you wind your way up its slope you’ll be rewarded with one of the grandest views you’ve ever seen of a city. The beautiful thing about the vista from Signal Hill is it offers something different every time you go so make sure to go there in the morning, afternoon and evening and when it is sunny and when it is overcast. Truly something unique about the light in all those instances making for fantastic photo opportunities.
Looking across the Narrows you can see Fort Amherst guarding the harbour at a lower level and far off in the distance you can actually see Cape Spear (the most easternly point in North America). If you’re lucky you might even be able to see a whale or an iceberg from this vantage point.
For those with a good pair of hiking shoes and the endurance there’s also a walking/​hiking trail that skirts the face of the hill and takes you down into the Battery at the foot of the hill.
Don’t forget to snap a picture of the «how far from here to» sign that you’ll notice in the opening credits of locally shot «Republic of Doyle».

If you’re coming to St. John’s at all, I suspect Signal Hill is already on your to-​do list. If it’s not? Well, then I worry that you just have no idea what you’re doing because Signal Hill is Newfoundland at its finest. Well, the best you’ll get within five minutes of downtown St. John’s, that is.
The winding Signal Hill Road takes you past Deadman’s and George’s Ponds up one side of the incredible narrows of the city. On top, you’ll find Cabot Tower and the most spectacular views the city has to offer. In one direction, the vast Atlantic ocean with a chance of Cape Spear (the furthest eastern point in North America) on a clear day. In the other, the city itself — a view that is electrifying by night.
Of course, you can also pop into Cabot Tower which is open to the public with a shop on the lower level, more historic elements on the higher ones, and a wind tunnel-​y observation deck on the top floor that’ll knock your socks off. Perhaps literally. Other attractions include the changing of the guard which I’ve admittedly never witnessed. This happens a little lower down on the hill next to the visitor’s centre.
If you are of able body and somewhat unsound mind, you can tackle the Signal Hill hike that’s equal parts beauty and beast. I’d rank it pretty high up there on the fitness scale with hundreds of wooden steps, the occasional rock jump, and a surprisingly low amount of ‘stupid tourist safety measures.’ In fact, for most of the hike just one slip would have you in the ocean so watch where you walk. Just remember to take breaks occasionally to take in the cliff-​side views, would you?
The walk, while wonderful, does take anywhere from an hour to an hour-​and-​a-​half. Having done it both ways, I’d recommend starting at the bottom off Battery Road and hiking up along the water, then enjoying the downward climb of Signal Hill on the way back.