After our boat tour to see the icebergs near St. Anthony, Tom and I started making our way back west along the Viking Trail. But, what would be a drive along the Viking Trail without visiting the place for which it was named? We took a slight detour off the Viking Trail (Route 430) and onto Route 436 to visit L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.
Boondocking near L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Tom and I were too late to adequately explore L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site the same day as our boat tour, so we found a great place to boondock just a few minutes from the entrance to L'Anse aux Meadow. The boondocking site, listed in our iOverlander app, was on a dirt road just off Route 436. The road ended on a bluff overlooking the coast and L'Anse aux Meadows.
You can view a few photos from our boondocking site on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Exploring L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
The historic relevance of L'Anse aux Meadows was only first discovered and excavated in 1960. It became a National Historic Site in 1975 and in 1978 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only known "Viking" settlement in North America and the earliest evidence of European explorers to the Americas.
Tom and I started our visit to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site at the visitor Center. It's a beautiful building with modern facilities, a gift shop, and many exhibits explaining the history of the site. A theater within the visitor center plays a short movie providing an overview and guided tours are offered frequently throughout the day. The exhibits, movie, and tours are presented in both French and English. The site also includes many walking trails and even replicas of the buildings in a recreated basecamp complete with costumed interpreters.
After exploring the visitor center, watching the movie, and taking the tour, Tom and I took Aly on a long walk on the Birchy Nuddick Trail. It loops through bogs, along the coast and through the visitor center.
You can view a few photos from our visit to L'Anse aux Meadows on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Camping at Viking RV Park
While visiting L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, a storm rolled in. Temperatures were expected to drop to near freezing overnight with significant rainfall. Tom and I decided to hunker down at the nearby Viking RV Park until the storm passed. The RV park itself wasn't anything special but it was conveniently located for visiting L'Anse aux Meadows. On a warm day, easy access to water could be nice and a small restaurant at the entrance sells delicious fresh-baked treats!
You can view a few photos from our campsite and campground on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
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