Hotels in Stephenville, Newfoundland

A little about Stephenville...

Stephenville (2005 est. pop.: 8,000) is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, located near the head of St. George's Bay. Stephenville serves a direct population of 25,000 people from surrounding areas. Its Airport serves a catchment population of 90,000 people from Port Aux Basques to the south, to the north of St. Anthony.

The town functions as a local service centre for the southwestern part of the island, with a 40 bed modern hospital (built in 2003), schools, stores, and banks. The town also includes a harbour, named Port Harmon, which was used for exporting of newsprint, up until the closure of the Abitibi-Consolidation paper mill in October, 2005. The provincial community college system, College of the North Atlantic, is headquartered in Stephenville and maintains a campus there for students from the southwestern region of the island. A provincial minimum security jail is also located in the town. The town also has an 18-hole links style golf course that was expanded from a 9-hole course in 1999, which was orinigally built by the USAF.

Stephenville is surrounded by the ocean, lakes, rivers, forests and mountains that exemplify the best of the Newfoundland outdoors. The climate is conducive of a lifestyle that includes outdoor activities. The 1.2 billion-year-old Long Range Mountains are on the north, east and south. The highest geographic point on the island of Newfoundland, Cabox in the Lewis Hills, is within hiking distance. The Indian Head Range, with Trapper Jœ's Lookout, Jœy's Lookout, Jeannette, Indian Head and the Mine Pond Hiking Trail are all within a few minutes of downtown Stephenville.

Harry's River, Fox Island River, Southwest Brook and Barachois Brook flow out of the mountains near Stephenville. All offer excellent kayaking, canœing and salmon fishing.

The many coves and inlets around the perimeter of Bay St. George and the Port au Port Peninsula have much to offer. The towering cliffs, numerous pebble beaches and sandy coves are a paradise for beachcombers, bird watchers and rock hounds. The seascapes are magnificent.

The forests, hilltops, valleys, bog lands and mountain ridges abound with wildlife: moose, caribou, black bears, foxes, beaver, otter, mink, arctic hare and numerous varieties of birds.

Whaleback Nordic Ski Park has over 40 kilometers of trails, with 2 kilometers lighted for night skiing.

The Stephenville Dome, constructed for the 99 Canada Winter Games' short track speed skating, offers hockey, figure skating and recreational skating.