Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park

Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park
Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie
IUCN category II (national park)
Location Lac-Pikauba, Charlevoix Regional County Municipality / Mont-Élie, Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada
Nearest city La Malbaie
Coordinates 47°56′00″N 70°31′00″W / 47.93333°N 70.51667°W / 47.93333; -70.51667Coordinates: 47°56′00″N 70°31′00″W / 47.93333°N 70.51667°W / 47.93333; -70.51667
Area 224.70 km (139.62 mi)
Established June 28, 2000
Governing body SEPAQ
www.sepaq.com/pq/hgo/fr/

The Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park is a provincial park in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. Centering on the Malbaie River Gorge, it is the centerpiece of the UNESCO Charlevoix biosphere reserve. Despite its name, it is not in Canada's national park system, nor administered by Parks Canada. It is administered by the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq). The park can be reached via a local road, 30 kilometers (19 mi) northwards from Route 138 in Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs.

The park was created in 2000 and has a total area of 224.7 km². The 9.2 km² Grands-Ormes Ecological Reserve is an enclave within the park.

The park lies within the Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion.[1]

Recreation

Activities available in the park include hiking, riverboat cruises, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, cycling, rabascaw, birding, ice climbing, and camping.[2]

There are three camp sites in the park, one of which can only be reached by canoeing or biking.

The park contains seven hiking trails totaling 32.9 kilometers (20.4 mi), including one that is 10.5 kilometers (6.5 mi) long with an 800 meters (2,600 ft) elevation gain. On these trails, hikers can reach the top of the Montagne des Érables, the highest summit in the park, at an elevation of 1,048 meters (3,438 ft).[3]

The 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) bike trail takes visitors through the gorge along the Malbaie River, while a short hike leads to the chute du Ruisseau Blanc (White Stream Waterfalls) 45 meters (148 ft) high, which is fed from one of the many high altitude lakes and suspended valleys.

Cars are not allowed in the park. There is a parking at the gate, where one needs to register and pay to get access to the park. From there, visitors may take a bus that will get them to some points in the park, and to the Draveur Service Center.

See also

References

  1. Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.
  2. "Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie - Parcs Québec - Sépaq". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. "Montagne des Érables". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2 Aug 2014.
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