Pistolet Bay Provincial Park is located on route 437, 12 kilometres off route 430 on the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. The park encompasses 897 hectares of delightfully varied vegetation.
Please note this map is for illustrative purposes only. The park boundary may not be accurately portrayed.
Natural History
Pistolet Bay Provincial Park is part of the lowlands of the Long Range Mountains and contains stratified rocks that were deposited during the Cambrian and Ordovician periods (approximately 500 million years ago). The most recent event in geological history was the glaciation which occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch. The area was covered by glaciers as much as 1 kilometre thick in places until they retreated about 10,000 years ago. Pistolet Bay Provincial Park also has a diverse ecoenvironment with many types of plants, trees, and shrubs as well as an abundance of wildlife ranging from large terrestrial mammals to small animals and birds. The nearby Strait of Belle Isle provides opportunities to view marine mammals and seabirds.
Park Activities
Camping
The park has 30 campsites each with a fireplace, picnic table, a garbage can, and a place to park your vehicle. Many sites are suitable for recreational vehicles. Drinking water taps and pit toilets are conveniently located throughout the park. The park has a wheelchair accessible comfort station complete with flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities. Trailer sewage dumping is also available.
Day Use
A day use or picnic area is equipped with picnic tables, garbage cans, a drinking water tap, pit toilets, and swimming change houses.
Swimming
A swimming section has been roped off on the beach in the day use area for your safety. Caution: The swimming zone is unsupervised. There is water safety equipment readily available if needed.
Canoeing
Pistolet Bay Provincial Park offers a tremendous opportunity for the canoe enthusiast who can take a major excursion on a nearby lake system.
Fishing
Brook trout are the most common angling species within the park boundaries. There are rules and regulations concerning angling so check with park staff before wetting the line.
Area History
The Pistolet Bay area was known to Basque and French fisherman in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The rich cod fishery supported large numbers of vessels in the summer months. The earliest inhabitants of the region were the Maritime Archaic people who lived in the area around 4000 years ago. The next group of people to inhabit the region were the Groswater Palaeo-Eskimo. They lived in the area about 2000 years ago to 1100 years ago. The first authenticated site of European occupation in North America is situated close by at L’anse aux Meadows where the Norse established a settlement in 1000 A.D.
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