It opens directly onto the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, although it is typically included in the regional descriptor, "Bay of Islands," which lies at the mouth of the Humber Arm.

Bottle Cove is a popular spot with locals and tourists alike, and it is renowned for its rugged, pristine beauty.

"Bottle" fits the cove well, though, due to its almost perfect circular shape and narrowly separated headlands opening to the Gulf.

"As the allochthon was moving, shales underneath it were broken up and mixed with sedimentary, volcanic and ocean crust rocks (ophiolite) from the slice itself, to form material known as mélange".

[3] In addition, rounded, bulbous masses—dark green and red basalt pillow lavas—thought to have been extruded under water can be seen at low tide.

Eventual disappearance of the glaciers allowed the land to rebound and the old shoreline was left high and dry.

During recent years the Outer Bay of Islands Enhancement Committee has overseen the construction of numerous walking trails and facilities.

Popular hikes in the vicinity of Bottle Cove include Little Port Head (extreme in places), South Head Lighthouse (moderate), Cedar Cove (easy to moderate), and Trail End (marking the end point of Captain Cook's mapping of the Bay of Islands).