Wabush



Open pit iron mine in Wabush (Labrador), on the North of Knoll Lake

Wabush is a town in western Labrador, close to the Quebec border, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is known for its gold mining industry and its regional airport.

Wabush and Labrador City are a pair of towns forming Labrador-West. Dedicated primarily to iron ore mining, their burgeoning population of 9,350 people makes them the largest metropolitan area in otherwise sparsely-populated Labrador, rivalled only by Happy Valley-Goose Bay (with 7,750 people). The bulk of this population is in Labrador City, with Wabush (established 1955) as a de facto suburb of 1,860.

Understand[edit]

View of Wabush in early fall, 2007

The town of Wabush is located between Little Wabush Lake (west side) and Wahnahnish Lake (east and southeast side).

Labrador City, Goose Bay and Cartwright use Atlantic time, the same time zone as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Get in[edit]

By car[edit]

Route 500 at Labrador City

Labrador City and Wabush are just across the Québec-Labrador border on the Trans-Labrador Highway; this border is 25 km from Fermont, Quebec. From the intersection of route 138 in Baie-Comeau, take Quebec Route 389 (northbound) on 582 km up to the Labrador border (route 510 in Labrador City), with only one intermediate point (Relais Gabriel) to stop for fuel or lodging. Quebec 389 is a gravel road from the Manic 5 hydroelectric dam to Fermont (RCM of Caniapiscau). The road improves on becoming Route 500 in Labrador, continuing as asphalt through Goose Bay, Port Hope Simpson and Red Bay to Forteau.

From the Québec-Labrador limit, the distance to be traveled on Route 500 is 243 km to Churchill Falls, which has a gas station, hotel and some services, and another 288 km beyond there to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which is the next city with a hospital.

By plane[edit]

Airport[edit]

  • 1 Wabush Airport (YWK IATA) (airport located in the northern part of the village of Wabush), +1 709-282-5412. It handles flights from other airports in Labrador such as Goose Bay (1.25 hours) and the island of Newfoundland and cities in Quebec including Montreal (3.75-4 hours including multiple stops on the flight). Wabush Airport (Q3502288) on Wikidata Wabush Airport on Wikipedia

Wabush is across Little Wabush Lake from the rest of Labrador City. Rental cars are available at the airport.

Airlines[edit]

Canadian airlines operating to Wabush:

By rail[edit]

  • Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (Transport ferroviaire Tshiuetin), 148 boul. des Montagnais, Uashat, Quebec, +1 418 960-0982. This independent native-run railway runs a train from Sept-Îles to Schefferville through the tiny waypoint (not even a hamlet) of Emeril east of Labrador City. Trains heading north for Schefferville depart from Emeril at approximately 3PM (Quebec time) on Mondays and Thursdays, while trains going south to Sept-Îles depart from Emeril on Tuesdays and Fridays at around noon (Quebec time). There are no inhabitants, onward public transit or services at this point, which is about 45 minutes from Labrador City by road. This is the last passenger rail service in the province. The line is isolated from the rest of the North American system; there are no onward rail connections at Sept-Îles. The service is kept in operation by native groups as the only means to reach Schefferville, a community on the Québec side with no road access. Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (Q7849632) on Wikidata Tshiuetin Rail Transportation on Wikipedia

Get around[edit]

Taxis in Wabush are metered; as of 2013, fares started at $5.50 plus $1.85/km or $0.48 per minute of waiting time:

See[edit]

Do[edit]

  • 1 Bill Chaplin Arena, Bond Street.
  • 2 Grenfell Park, 116, Grenfell Drive. Recreative park.
  • 3 Wabush Playground, Bond Street. Playground.

Buy[edit]

Eat[edit]

Drink[edit]

Sleep[edit]

  • 1 Wabush Hotel, 9, Grenfell Drive, +1 709-282-3221, fax: +1 709-282-3061. 3-star chalet-style hotel built in 1960 as the Sir Wilfred Grenfell Hotel; 65 rooms and three suites, Grenfell restaurant, Canadian/Chinese dining room/lounge, barber, massage clinic, fitness room, high-speed Internet.

Tourist lodge[edit]

  • 2 The Ptarmingan's Nest, 28, Snow's Drive. Tourist lodge.
  • 3 The West Side Rentals, 15, Grenfell Drive, +1 709-280-6683. Tourist lodge.

Connect[edit]

Go next[edit]

Routes through Wabush
Baie-ComeauFermont  W  E  Churchill FallsHappy Valley-Goose Bay


This city travel guide to Wabush is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.