Our home base for visiting the region was the town of Trinity, Newfoundland. Roughly three hours north of St. Johns, this historic town boasts jaw-dropping coastal scenery and is known for its period buildings, whale watching, and as a burgeoning food destination. The town is quite popular in the main summer tourist season, but when we arrived in late September it was pleasantly quiet.

Our accommodation was at the Artisan Inn, which is a locally owned collection of buildings and vacation homes in the historic town centre. We stayed in a waterfront house that looked over the bay and our nights there transported us back in time. There was an obvious pride of ownership as the house was maintained to keep its traditional charm (with a mix of modern amenities).

If you're looking to take in the coastal beauty of the area, the famous Skerwink Trail is a must-do. Noted as one of the top hikes in North America, this 5.3 km loop is a Rolodex of rugged cliffs, hidden coves, and stunning ocean vistas. Early fall turned out to be a wonderful time of year to do it.

The grasses were still green and just starting to turn, the weather was sunny with a slight fall crisp in the air. The 5-km hike could be considered moderately challenging and took us roughly two hours. However, the time seemed to fly by with the sensory overload of coastal scenery. The area is a photographer's dream with the opportunity to photograph seabirds, eagles, icebergs, and whales, depending on the season.

While the area is known for whale watching, we opted for another type of maritime adventure while we were there. We joined Bruce Miller of Rugged Beauty Boat Tours in New Bonaventure for an afternoon on the water. While there is an inescapable natural beauty on Bruce's tours, they take more of a historical focus, providing much-welcome context to the spectacular scenery.

Bruce focuses on the Outport communities (rural coastal settlements only accessible by boat) that predominated the coastal landscape of Newfoundland. He explained how these communities were tied to the cod fishery and how they were impacted by the resettlement movement as people moved to the city centres in search of work.

Before we went out on the water, Bruce gave a first-hand account of the Newfoundland cod fishery based on stories from when he was a boy. He took us through a traditional "stage" (a structure that connects land with sea, where a cod fisherman's catch is processed) and walked us through salt cod processing.

We then hit the water in Bruce's boat and proceeded to visit three separate Outport townsites. Seeing these locations firsthand, paired with historical photos and with the knowledgeable commentary of someone who lived through the resettlements, brought the entire experience to life. We ended with a stop at a remote coastal cabin that Bruce owns for tea and biscuits and some more tales from his life.

For me, that afternoon with Bruce is something I will never forget and is easily in my top three things I've ever done in Canada.

Even though Trinity is a small place, we were pleasantly surprised by the dining options in the region at large. There is something for all tastes and budgets, from hearty vegetarian and vegan eats to fine dining on local fare at the Twine Loft in Trinity, or, for something more casual, gourmet pizza and moose burgers with a view at the Bonavista Social Club at Upper Amherst Cove. Port Rexton has the Two Whales Coffee shop, as well as a stellar brewery scene (and an awesome trivia night) at Port Rexton Brewing.

We never had to go too far to find good food and drink, and that's important when travelling to Newfoundland in the fall. We had multiple residents tell us to take plenty of precautions when driving in the dark or twilight hours during the season because Newfoundland is home to one of the densest moose populations in North America. With roughly 120,000 on the island -- that's one moose for every five people -- and fall being mating season, the moose are particularly mobile, especially during the twilight hours. The radio station has an hourly moose report, which we found both helpful and most amusing.