Once a thriving fishing town at the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula, Trepassey was named the foggiest place on earth by the
Guinness Book of World Records. If you're lucky enough to get a clear day, there's plenty to see: Caribou herds abound in the area, and humpback whales often feed offshore. (The Trepassey Motel and Restaurant is a good place to get the latest tips on where to find both.) Amelia Earhart took off from Trepassey on her first trans-Atlantic flight in 1928. The Trepassey Museum has interesting artifacts about Earhart, the cod-fishing industry and various shipwrecks that lie off these beautiful but treacherous shores.
Nearby, Cape Race Lighthouse has been an important marker for mariners since 1856. It was there that distress signals were received from the stricken Titanic. Also in the area is Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve. There, on slices of huge rocks, are impressions of marine creatures that lived more than 620 million years ago. There are approximately 20 different deepwater marine fossils at the site, and they are the only known examples on Earth. In the opposite direction, 15 mi/25 km west of Trepassey, is St. Vincent's, where migrating whales stop to feast on capelin. Relax on the cobblestone beach and watch the whales lunge out of the water, sometimes just 20 ft/6 m offshore. Trepassey is 70 mi/110 km south of St. John's.
