This little corner of the island, which stretches from Channel-Port aux Basques on the southwest corner of Newfoundland to the Viking site at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, is anything but small.

With ancient mountains, fjords, and thousands of miles of coastline, it’s more like a small country. This wild and rugged kingdom sports abundant breathing room and a unique geological history going back 1.25 billion years, as well as a relatively young human history – a mere 4,500 years old – that is still being uncovered today.

Headliner Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers more than 100 kilometres of hiking trails for leisurely strolls and challenging treks through rock formations thrown up from the earth’s core in a spell of tectonic upheaval. A climb to the top comes complete with panoramic views of the spectacular mountainous landscape and glacier-carved fjords.

One stop at the National Historical Site at Port au Choix and you’ll see how Maritime Archaic and Dorset peoples depended on the very same natural resources thousands of years ago that sustain life today.

Stumble across the very first European settlement of the new world at L’Anse aux Meadows. This Viking village, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a reconstructed complex of sod huts that gives you a true day in the life of Nordic visitors a thousand years ago – half a millennium before Columbus.

In fact, history buffs are inundated with many sites and museums and the stories they have to tell across this region. Stories about people like Sir Wilfred Grenfell, a medical missionary who brought health care to remote villages. You’ll find an entire interpretation centre dedicated to his life in St. Anthony.

And while you’ll be tempted to spend many an hour in the belly of a museum soaking up the history in northern Newfoundland, you may want to consider a breather outside. Because this is exactly where you’ll find the longest iceberg season on the island. Most years, giant bergs grace these shores well into August, long after they’ve melted elsewhere.

Find your joie de vivre on the Port au Port Peninsula, where the descendants of French fishermen who pursued their livelihoods for centuries retain their distinct language and culture. The wonderfully undulating city of Corner Brook makes a great base as you trek across the wild west. And anglers will delight in the city’s most celebrated landmark – or perhaps watermark – the mighty Humber River, for its unparalleled salmon fishing.

Just five minutes east and you’ll be standing at the base of Marble Mountain looking up at a 1,700-foot vertical drop. The area is also a haven for backcountry snowmobiling in the winter and golfing in the summer.

From Corner Brook, you can let the drama prevail at summer theatre festivals in Cow Head or Stephenville. Or, head down to the sandy shores of Burgeo to enjoy a day at the beach where you can sea kayak around the unspoiled coastline in complete serenity.