Gander International Airport (YQX) → Cow Head
Gander Airport (YQX) to Cow Head and northern Gros Morne
The drive from every airport and ferry ↓
- Distance
- 421.7 km
- Drive time
- In your maps app ↗
Use another map app
Apple Maps · Google Maps · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
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Faded lines are other drives from Gander International into this area: Rocky Harbour (375 km), Woody Point (371 km). Each splits off where its line leaves this one.
Stop 1: Loggers' Life Provincial MuseumDetour
A reconstructed 1920s logging camp on the west side of Grand Falls-Windsor, mapped right beside the driven line. Central Newfoundland ran on the woods for a century, and the museum shows that work.
Stopping here adds 4.3 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: Loggers' Life Provincial Museum ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeStop 2: Indian River
A green space mapped essentially on the driven line. OpenStreetMap records it as a nature reserve but not who runs it, and it is not on ParksNL's list. Treat it as a place to pull over, not somewhere with facilities.
Stopping here adds 0.1 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: Indian River ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeStop 3: Newfoundland Insectarium
An insect museum in Deer Lake. Check its hours before detouring with kids in the car.
Stopping here adds 0.2 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: Newfoundland Insectarium ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeStop 4: Gros Morne Visitor Information Centre
Parks Canada's visitor centre, on Route 430 a few kilometres before Rocky Harbour. Sort out park entry here and ask what is open and passable.
Stopping here adds 0.8 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: Gros Morne Visitor Information Centre ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeStop 5: SS Ethie wreck site
The mapped historic wreck site of the coastal steamer that went ashore in 1919, steps from the highway.
Stopping here adds 0.3 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: SS Ethie wreck site ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeStop 6: Western Brook Pond trailhead
The trailhead for the walk in to Gros Morne's most photographed water, the landlocked fjord on half the province's postcards. Parks Canada and the boat operator describe the walk and the tour. The parking is right off the highway.
Stopping here adds 0.3 km to the drive.
Directions →Show on map: Western Brook Pond trailhead ↑Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
Scan with your phone to open this page there. Then tap Keep for offline before you lose signal.
⛽ Fuel and gravel, road by road ▾
- Route 1 →Whole road: 54 fuel stations mapped, longest gap 119 km. Unpaved mapped: none; 68% has no surface tag, so unknown.
- Route 430 →Whole road: 17 fuel stations mapped, longest gap 97 km. Unpaved mapped: none; 44% has no surface tag, so unknown.
Drive measured Oct 19, 2026, Gander International Airport (YQX) to Cow Head. Your maps app gives the time on the day. How we measure
Add to a trip →Staying here? Days out ↓Keep for offline ↓Airport info: Gander International Airport →
421.7 km. From Gander airport to Cow Head, on Routes 1 and 430.
When you get to Cow Head
- Where to eat near Cow Head → — 4 places the open map records, alphabetically, with addresses and phone numbers.
- Out Door Theater → — the venue here, with what you can reach and be back from between games.
Sunrise and sunset at Cow Head, by month
| Month (the 15th) | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| January | 8:13 am | 4:46 pm |
| February | 7:32 am | 5:38 pm |
| March | 7:36 am | 7:25 pm |
| April | 6:29 am | 8:13 pm |
| May | 5:35 am | 8:58 pm |
| June | 5:11 am | 9:31 pm |
| July | 5:28 am | 9:25 pm |
| August | 6:10 am | 8:41 pm |
| September | 6:56 am | 7:36 pm |
| October | 7:41 am | 6:31 pm |
| November | 7:33 am | 4:38 pm |
| December | 8:12 am | 4:20 pm |
Worked out for the 15th of each month at this spot, in local time. The weather line at the top has today's.
Places to eat on the way
28 near the start: where to eat in Gander →
42 places to eat within 2 km of this drive, in the order you pass them.
The longest stretch with nothing mapped on it is 128.7 km — after Eddies Restaurant, until Big Stop Restaurant.
All 42, in the order you pass them — open the list
- Riverside Dinerfast foodkm 25.1 · 600 m off the road
- Irvingrestaurantkm 83.6
- Tim Hortonscafékm 83.6
- Furey's Trailway Take-Outfast foodkm 83.7 · 425 m off the road
- KFCfast foodkm 96.7 · 488 m off the road
- Greco Pizzafast foodkm 96.8 · 383 m off the road
- Taiwanrestaurantkm 96.8 · 1240 m off the road
- Juniper Kitchen and Bistrorestaurantkm 96.8 · 1259 m off the road
- Sarah's Dinerrestaurantkm 96.9 · 1171 m off the road
- A&Wfast foodkm 97.4 · 967 m off the road
- Subwayfast foodkm 97.5 · 379 m off the road
- McDonald'sfast foodkm 97.6 · 409 m off the road
- Tim Hortonscafékm 97.6 · 519 m off the road
- Wing'n Itrestaurantkm 97.6 · 1245 m off the road
- War Wick'srestaurantkm 97.6 · 1338 m off the road
- Tai Sun Restaurantrestaurantkm 97.6 · 403 m off the road
- Donnini's Pizza & Donairrestaurantkm 97.6 · 422 m off the road
- Burger Kingfast foodkm 97.7 · 721 m off the road
- Dairy Queenfast foodkm 97.7 · 266 m off the road
- Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 97.8 · 846 m off the road
- Badger Diner & Motelrestaurantkm 126.5
- Red Hawk Dinerrestaurantkm 126.7
- Eddies Restaurantrestaurantkm 177.5
- Big Stop Restaurantrestaurantkm 306.2 · 349 m off the road
- Tim Hortonscafékm 306.3 · 1623 m off the road
- Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 306.3 · 508 m off the road
- Pizza Delightrestaurantkm 306.3 · 1584 m off the road
- Subwayfast foodkm 306.3 · 1839 m off the road
- A&Wfast foodkm 306.3 · 1744 m off the road
- Wingn' itrestaurantkm 306.3 · 1148 m off the road
- Tim Hortonfast foodkm 306.3 · 393 m off the road
- Funland Resortrestaurantkm 313.3 · 937 m off the road
- food truckfast foodkm 372.5 · 952 m off the road
- Fisherman's Landingrestaurantkm 372.9 · 577 m off the road
- Earle‘srestaurantkm 372.9 · 1940 m off the road
- SunSet Cafécafékm 372.9 · 635 m off the road
- Jackie‘sfast foodkm 372.9 · 1648 m off the road
- Anchor Pubpubkm 372.9 · 566 m off the road
- Oceansrestaurantkm 372.9 · 554 m off the road
- Buoy & Arrowrestaurantkm 372.9 · 348 m off the road
- Treasure Box Crafts & Cafecafékm 372.9 · 715 m off the road
- Whale‘s Back Grub Hubrestaurantkm 392.1
Not ranked or complete, and nobody pays to be here. No opening hours: phone ahead. Open map data, swept 2026-10-18. How we measure · Add a missing place
New place to eat, or one that's missing? This list comes from OpenStreetMap, so nobody can pay to be on it. Add it to the map yourself (about twenty minutes on a phone), or email us the details and we'll put it on the map.
Short drives from Cow Head
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeOr any of these: nearest first, measured by road from Cow Head.
- Old Mail Roadtrail · 2.4 km out and back · easy4.5 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Steve's Trailtrail · 1 km out and back · easy16 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Coastal Trail (Gros Morne)trail · 5.8 km out and back · easy38 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Berry Head Pond Trailtrail · 2 km loop · easy41 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Lobster Cove Head Lighthouselighthouse45 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Baker's Brook Falls Trailtrail · 9 km out and back · moderate47 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Rocky Harbourtown48 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze - Norris Pointtown58 kmDirections →
Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
Distances by road, measured on OpenStreetMap October 16, 2026, from where this route ends. Your maps app gives the time on the day. How we measure
Doing it electric
- Fast chargers on this drive
- Gander km 3, Bishop’s Falls km 86, South Brook km 178, Deer Lake km 307, Rocky Harbour km 373, Cow Head km 420
- Longest stretch without one
- 129 km
- South Brook → Deer Lake, of 421 km driven
- Nearest fast charger to Cow Head
- at Cow Head
Coming in 2026 (NL Hydro, 2026-10-22): Gander (km 3) and Deer Lake (km 303). Not counted until it opens.
NL Hydro fast chargers within 3 km of the drive. Check the app for one that's working. Exported 2026-10-22. How we measure
Paved or not, per the map
- Mapped as unpaved
- 0.1 km
- an unclassified road (0.06 km, 0.1 km from Cow Head)
- Mapped as paved
- 34%
- 133.2 km of 421.7 km driven
- No surface tag on the map
- 66%
- 258.7 km: surface not recorded
In a rental car: Hertz Canada’s terms say “use off paved roads or on roads which are not regularly maintained” voids the damage waiver. Check your own agreement. Hertz’s terms ↗. Source for these figures: OSRM driving profile, stored route query, with node annotations; OpenStreetMap surface tags via Overpass, checked 2026-10-19. Today's road conditions: 511.
Before you go
These change, so we link to the people who keep them up to date.
MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn
The province says the likelihood of injury in a moose collision is twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. This is 421.7 km, much of it unlit two-lane highway; plan the drive for daylight where you can.
gov.nl.ca →Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April
Conditions at one end of the island say little about the other. Check before you set off.
511nl.ca →
Renting a car? Book the car when you book the flight.
Summer rentals sell out, says NL Tourism, and in June 2026 BNN Bloomberg reported St. John's airport agencies booked for nearly all of summer.
Both checked October 7, 2026.
Rental counters at Gander, with numbers →Arriving without a car
Not renting? Here's who Gander International Airport Authority lists at the terminal.
No rideshare here.
The Airport Authority's transport page lists no rideshare service (checked 2026-09-15).
Taxi
Busy Bee Cabs, which the Airport Authority says runs a 24-hour service available curbside in the Domestic Arrivals area.
Coach
DRL Coachlines runs the island's one scheduled coach, once a day each way, between St. John's and the Marine Atlantic terminal at Port aux Basques. It stops at Gander Airport itself (the restaurant), and at Lewisporte, Grand Falls-Windsor, Deer Lake and Corner Brook among others. It reaches no island and no national park. Tickets are bought on the bus, cash only. The Airport Authority says a wheelchair-accessible bus needs 48 hours' notice. Times and fares are DRL's: drl-lr.com.
Limousine
Nobel Limousines, listed by the Airport Authority.
Avis, Budget, National and Enterprise are listed at the airport. The Authority says accessible vehicles with wheelchair accommodation or hand controls are limited and need 48 hours' notice.
Source: Gander International Airport Authority,2026-09-15. Check there for fares and times.
Questions
How far is Cow Head from Gander airport?＋
421.7 km from the terminal to Cow Head.
What route do I take?＋
Routes 1 and 430. Your maps app has the turns.
Do I need a car?＋
Plan on one. Buses between these towns are few, and the drive is the way most people make it.
No recorded track yet.Drove it? Send yours →
Put this map on your site
Run a place to stay, a tour or a town page on this drive? Add this map to your site. It shows your guests the drive and its distance. It is free, needs no account, and we keep the figures current.
<iframe src="https://fromtheairport.xyz/embed/yqx-cow-head"
width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy"
title="Driving route: Gander International Airport (YQX) to Cow Head"></iframe>?lat=&lon=&label= to the URL to pin your own property on the map.Every distance and coordinate on this page was checked against its source on October 19, 2026. Origin: OpenStreetMap way/154350645 — Terminal. Destination: OpenStreetMap node/1550469380 — Cow Head place node.