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The Quebec parks are protected areas aimed at the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and natural and cultural resources of the Quebec.
Understand
the Quebec includes different types of protected areas. Some are at the federal level and others at the provincial level. As of November 11, 2013, the protected areas in Quebec covered a total area of 152 371 km2, that is to say approximately 9% of the territory of the province. In all, they are more than 2,500 sites which are designated according to about twenty different designations.
Note that Quebec names its provincial parks "national park of Quebec", but that these should not be confused with the national parks of canada which are designated at the federal level. The territory of Quebec includes two national parks and a national park reserve designated at the federal level while it includes 26 parks nationals designated at the provincial level. The province also has six provincially designated national park reserves, all located in the Nunavik.
Administration
The national parks of canada are managed by Parks Canada, an agency of the federal government, while the national parks of Quebec are managed by the Société des establishments de plein air du Québec (SÉPAQ), an agency of the provincial government. SÉPAQ also manages tourist centers, wildlife reserves, the Quebec aquarium and the former site of the Quebec zoological garden. For its part, Parks Canada also manages national historic sites of Canada. the Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park is jointly managed by Parks Canada and SÉPAQ.
Listing
National Parks of Canada
- 1 Forillon National Park (in Gaspesie) – Park protecting a representative element of the cliffs, the sea and the mountains of the Monts Notre-Dame. It includes many colonies of seabirds as well as some rare arctic plants in these latitudes.
- 2 Mauricie National Park (in Mauricie) – Park protecting a representative element of the Laurentians. It includes black bears, moose and common loons.
- 3 Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve (on the North Coast) – Limestone archipelago off the North Coast famous for its natural monoliths carved by the sea and for its rare plants. It includes many colonies of seabirds as well as seals, dolphins and whales.
Quebec national parks
A fall of the Nastapoka River in the tursujuq national park
- 4 Aiguebelle national park (In Abitibi-Témiscamingue) – Park protecting a representative sample of the clay belt ofAbitibi as well as the Abijévis hills.
- 5 Anticosti National Park (On theAnticosti Island) – Park sheltering close to 133 species birds, several herds of white-tailed deer, numerous harbor seals, not to mention the countless caves and canyons dotting it. The park is made up of four sectors scattered across theAnticosti Island. It includes the Vauréal fall, high 76 m.
- 6 Bic National Park (At Bas-Saint-Laurent) – Park comprising a cut-out section of the coast of the St.Lawrence Estuary with a dozen bays and rugged terrain culminating at Pic Champlain in 346 m altitude. One-third of the vascular plant species of Quebec are found there, including several subarctic and alpine-arctic plants. It is home to the highest concentration of American porcupine in theNorth America. It also includes harbor seals, common eiders and raptors. It also includes some thirty archaeological sites relating the history of the Amerindian occupation of the territory.
- 7 Saguenay Fjord National Park (At Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean) – Park located on the Saguenay River including the cliffs of the Saguenay Fjord as well as the surrounding forests. It is the terrestrial extension of the Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park. Its purpose is to protect the terrestrial environment of the fjord, which is considered to be a representative and exceptional element of the natural region of the Saguenay Fjord. The park is renowned for long hiking.
- 8 Frontenac National Park (In Chaudière-Appalaches) – Park located on the outskirts of Grand Lac Saint-François protecting and making accessible an element representative of the natural region of the chains of theEastern Townships, of the Beauce and of Nice hunt. It houses more than 153 species birds and near 30 species of mammals. The park is divided into three sectors.
- 9 Gaspésie National Park (In Gaspesie) – Park located in the center of the Gaspé Peninsula including part of the Chic-Chocs and McGerrigle mountains and protecting a representative sample of the Gaspé massif and the exceptional elements of Mont Albert, the caribou of the Gaspé, the Atlantic salmon in the Sainte-Anne river and the old forests. He owns more than 25 peaks peaking at over 1 000 m, including Mont Jacques-Cartier, and is also home to a herd of mountain wood caribou of around 160 individuals genetically distinct from other herds of woodland caribou in the Quebec. The park also includes one of the largest concentrations of moose in Quebec. It offers multiple trails for all categories of hikers. The park is included in the important area for the conservation of birds of the Monts-Chic-Chocs.
- 10 Grands-Jardins National Park (In Charlevoix) – Park constituting one of the central areas of the Charlevoix World Biosphere Reserve. It is home to populations of moose, caribou, bears, wolves and lynx. The park is also included in the area important for the conservation of birds of Charlevoix.
- 11 Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park (In Charlevoix) – Park constituting one of the central areas of the Charlevoix World Biosphere Reserve. The park is also included in the area important for the conservation of birds of Charlevoix.
- 12 (In Gaspesie) – Park located on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula and including the famous Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island, which is home to the largest northern gannet colony in the world. The park has also been designated as a migratory bird sanctuary.
- 13 Îles-de-Boucherville National Park (In Monteregie) – Park located on the St. Lawrence including a string of islands. It is recognized for its cycling network, its kayaking circuits and its public golf course. It includes white-tailed deer, red foxes, and gray squirrels.
- 14 Jacques-Cartier National Park (In the region of Capitale-Nationale) – Park located in the Jacques-Cartier river valley with more than 100 km of hiking trails. It includes one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in Quebec where the Jacques-Cartier River passes, known worldwide for kayaking. It also includes a dense boreal forest on the highlands of the park.
- 15 Kuururjuaq National Park (In the Northern Quebec) – Park protecting the valley of the Koroc river as well as part of the Torngat mountains. It includes Mont D'Iberville, the highest mountain in Quebec.
- 16 Lac-Témiscouata National Park (At Bas-Saint-Laurent) – Park located east of Lake Témiscouata divided into two sectors comprising a territory representative of the natural region of the Notre-Dame Mountains. In addition to bordering Lake Témiscouata, one of the region's most beautiful lakes, the park has several smaller lakes and is crossed by a large canoeable river, the Touladi River. It includes the largest whitetail deer ravage of Bas-Saint-Laurent. It also includes a high concentration of Amerindian archaeological sites among the oldest in the Quebec. Gray Owl also lived in this territory for several months.
- 17 Miguasha National Park (In Gaspesie) – Park protecting a fossiliferous site. It is recognized as a natural site of Unesco World Heritage.
- 18 Mont-Mégantic National Park (In Eastern Townships) – Park comprising a territory representative of the natural region of the border mountains. It is adjacent to the Samuel-Brisson ecological reserve. It includes Mont Mégantic and the Mont-Mégantic Observatory, the most efficient astronomical observatory in Canada. Part of the park is recognized as being an important area for the conservation of birds and the park also includes exceptional forest ecosystems.
- 19 Mont-Orford National Park (In Eastern Townships) – Park including Mount Orford, top of 853 m, and Mont Chauve, from 600 m. It also includes Fraser and Stukely lakes.
- 20 Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park (In Monteregie) – Small park including Mont Saint-Bruno, one of the Montérégiennes hills, culminating in 218 m and recognized for its great wildlife and floral wealth.
- 21 Mont-Tremblant National Park (In the Laurentians) – Second largest national park in Quebec and the oldest. It protects a territory representative of the natural province of the southern Laurentians.
- 22 Monts-Valin National Park (At Saguenay) – Park comprising the highest point of the region, the Dubuc peak, and several peaks over 900 m altitude as well as the canyon of the Sainte-Marguerite river. It preserves and enhances a representative sample of the Monts Valin.
- 23 Oka National Park (In the Laurentians) – Park home to one of the largest heronries in Quebec as well as the historic site of the Oka Calvary.
- 24 Opémican National Park (In Abitibi-Témiscamingue) – Park ensuring the protection of a landscape characteristic of the southern Laurentians.
- 25 Plaisance National Park (In Outaouais) – Park located on the north shore of the Ottawa River protecting part of the marshes of this river. It is also an important migratory stopover for the Canada geese. It includes the important area for the conservation of birds of the Plaisance wildlife reserve.
- 26 Pingualuit National Park (In the Northern Quebec) – Northernmost park in Quebec. It protects a sample of arctic flora and fauna in addition to a meteoric crater, the Pingualuit crater, from 3,4 km of diameter. It is an approximately 1.4 million years and one of the best preserved on the planet in addition to being one of the youngest in Quebec.
- 27 Pointe-Taillon National Park (At Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean) – Park located on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean protecting a representative sample of the lowlands of Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean. In addition to having one of the most famous beaches on the lake, the park protects the marshes located between the Péribonka River and the lake. There are no roads in the park, the best way to explore it is by bike or hiking. The park has several peatlands typical of the boreal forest as well as an abundant population of moose and beavers.
- 28 Tursujuq National Park (In the Northern Quebec) – The largest protected area in Quebec.
- 29 Yamaska National Park (In Monteregie) – Park located on the shores of the Yamaska Nord river and around the Choinière reservoir.
Marine park
Beluga in the St. Lawrence River near Tadoussac
- 30 Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park – Marine protected area located at the mouth of the Saguenay River fjord. It is contiguous by its terrestrial portion to the Saguenay Fjord National Park. It includes marine mammals. It partly overlaps with the Charlevoix World Biosphere Reserve.
Quebec National Park Reserves
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The George River with the Pyramic peak to the right in the Monts-Pyramides National Park Reserve
- 31 Assinica National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area protecting one of the most important habitats of endangered species such as the woodland caribou, a forest ecotype, as well as the bald eagle from a wildlife point of view. Regarding the flora, two species likely to be threatened or vulnerable were observed in the reserve: the tomentose hudsonia and the bulbous arethusa.
- 32 Baie-aux-Feuilles National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area protecting one of the most important estuaries of Northern Quebec, that of the Leaf River which knows tides of 17 m height. It is also the only region of Quebec where we meet musk oxen.
- 33 Cape Wolstenholme National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area located in the far north of Quebec protecting cliffs and fjords reaching heights of 300 m. It also includes the third largest Thick-billed Murre colony in North America.
- 34 Collines-Ondulées National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area protecting a section of the Labrador Trough. The reserve is also a transition zone between boreal and northern species.
- 35 Monts-Pyramides National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area protecting shorelines left by the Wisconsin glaciation. The reserve also includes part of the George River.
- 36 Monts-de-Puvirnituq National Park Reserve (At Nunavik) – Protected area comprising the Puvirnituq mountains which are a chain of parallel hills formed by the successive folding of the earth's crust.
