These might be the cutest birds you’ll ever see in the wild!
The Elliston Puffin Viewing Site on Newfoundland’s Bonavista Peninsula gives visitors a chance to see Atlantic puffins remarkably close to shore—and you don’t need to take a boat tour to do it.
We first visited Elliston in May 2024. It was cold and windy, and while we could see puffins gathering on Bird Island just offshore, it was still early in the season and none ventured particularly close to the viewing area.
When we returned during our Newfoundland road trip in June 2026, it was a completely different experience.
Across the narrow gap, Bird Island was filled with puffins, with birds scattered across the rocky slopes and others constantly flying overhead or coming and going from the water. Even better, some of the puffins had crossed over to the cliffs on the visitor side, allowing us to watch them from surprisingly close range.
Returning to Elliston in 2026
We stopped at Elliston after visiting the Dungeon near Bonavista as we continued exploring the Bonavista Peninsula.
We found a good-sized parking lot directly across the street from the puffin viewing-site entrance. Parking was free during our June 2026 visit, you can find directions to the parking area here on Google Maps.
From there, it was just a short walk to the beginning of the trail.
There is no admission fee to visit the puffin viewing site, although donations are accepted.
The walk itself isn’t long, but the coastal terrain deserves some attention. During our first visit, one particularly narrow section following a warning sign for a dangerous crossing felt somewhat exposed.
That had changed considerably by 2026. Large planter boxes had been placed along the sides of the narrow section, gravel had been added to improve portions of the previously rough dirt trail, and we also found new stairs and handrails along some of the steeper sections.
Those relatively simple improvements made the walk feel much easier and safer than we remembered from our first visit.
Keep an Eye Out for the Puffin King
There’s something else to watch for before you even reach the puffins.
As the trail follows the coastline, look for a distinctive rock formation known as the Puffin King. Once you know what you’re looking for, it’s pretty easy to see where the name comes from.
It’s a fun little diversion on a walk where most people understandably have their eyes focused on what lies ahead—the puffins.
Seeing the Puffins
The main puffin colony is on Bird Island, separated from the viewing area by a narrow stretch of water. Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism describes Elliston as offering the closest land-based view of puffins in North America.
Bring binoculars if you have them. They’re great for getting a closer look at the colony on Bird Island, but some of the puffins may also fly across the narrow gap and land surprisingly close to the viewing area.
During our 2026 visit, we watched puffins resting along the cliffs, socializing with one another and zipping overhead. Some remained by themselves while others gathered in small groups, and it seemed like there was almost always something going on.
We spent more than an hour at the site and never really tired of watching them.
There were plenty of other visitors, but it didn’t feel overly crowded. Some people sat while they watched, but most stood or wandered between different vantage points. Ropes had been placed roughly 10 feet back from the edge of the area where the puffins were gathering, and most visitors respected the boundary.
Elliston Puffin Gallery
Unfortunately, we did see a few people cross the ropes. There’s really no reason to do that. When wildlife comes this close on its own, giving it a little space seems like a pretty reasonable tradeoff.
When Can You See Puffins in Elliston?
Atlantic puffins spend much of their lives at sea and return to land each year to breed and nest.
According to Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism, puffins generally begin returning to Elliston around mid-May and start leaving sometime between mid-August and the first week of September.
Our two visits were a good reminder, however, that simply arriving during “puffin season” doesn’t guarantee the same experience. Wildlife operates on its own schedule, and the amount of activity you’ll see—and how close the puffins come to the viewing area—can vary.
Early morning and late afternoon can also be particularly active times as birds return from feeding at sea.
Newfoundland’s Provincial Bird
The Atlantic puffin isn’t just one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most recognizable birds—it’s the province’s official bird.
It received that designation in 1991, and according to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 95 percent of all North American Atlantic puffins breed around the province’s coasts.
Their colorful bills certainly make them photogenic, but they’re even more entertaining to watch. On land they can appear almost comical, while in the air they zip past surprisingly quickly.
That’s also why the short videos we took became some of our favorite memories from the visit.
Why Bird Island?
There’s an interesting connection between the puffins and the landscape around Elliston.
The Elliston Puffin Viewing Site is part of the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark, which includes a number of geological sites around the Bonavista Peninsula. Over time, erosion helped separate portions of the coastline, creating offshore islands such as Bird Island.
These offshore islands provide nesting seabirds with some protection from predators on the mainland.
Learning a little about why the landscape looks the way it does—and why the puffins choose places like this to nest—adds another layer to the experience.
It’s also a nice connection to some of the other places we explored around the Bonavista Peninsula, including the Dungeon and Tickle Cove Sea Arch.
Elliston: The Root Cellar Capital of the World
Puffins may be Elliston’s biggest attraction, but they’re not the only reason to look around while you’re there.
Elliston is also known as the “Root Cellar Capital of the World,” with more than 130 root cellars scattered throughout the area. Some have been used for generations to store vegetables through Newfoundland’s long winters.
You’ll see them along roadsides and tucked into hillsides around the community—small wooden doors leading into earth-covered storage spaces that helped keep food cool during the summer and protected from freezing temperatures during the winter.
Elliston Root Cellars
The parking lot for the puffin viewing site is right next to a couple of the root cellar structures, making it easy to take a peek inside before or after your walk to see the puffins.
We stopped to look at several during our visits, and they’re an interesting reminder of how people adapted to life in Newfoundland long before modern refrigeration.
What to Know Before Visiting
Even though the walk to the viewing area is fairly short, wear shoes suitable for an uneven coastal trail.
It’s also worth bringing an extra layer of clothing. Newfoundland’s coastline can turn cool and windy quickly—as we learned very well during our May visit.
Bring binoculars if you have them, along with a camera or phone with some zoom. Binoculars are especially useful for watching the larger colony on Bird Island, while a zoom can help with photos of puffins that remain across the water.
And perhaps most importantly, stay behind the ropes and let the puffins decide how close they want to get.
Was the Elliston Puffin Viewing Site Worth the Stop?
For us, absolutely. When our travels brought us back to the Bonavista Peninsula in 2026, Elliston was one of the places we wanted to visit again.
Our first visit in 2024 gave us our first look at Elliston and its puffin colony. Returning in June 2026 gave us the experience we’d hoped for, with puffins gathering nearby, flying overhead and seemingly providing another photo opportunity every few seconds.
There’s something special about being able to see wildlife this closely without boarding a boat or joining a tour.
And after spending more than an hour watching them, we came away thinking exactly what we thought when we arrived:
These might be the cutest birds you’ll ever see in the wild!
For current visitor information, see the Elliston Puffin Viewing Site at Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism.
Planning a Trip to Newfoundland? Save This for Later!
If seeing puffins up close is on your Newfoundland wish list, save this post to Pinterest for future reference. Elliston is a wonderful stop along the Bonavista Peninsula, and we’ve shared what we learned from visiting twice.
