Saguenay Attractions
The Saguenay is the major tributary of the St Lawrence River. Tremendously deep in places (up to 275 m (900 ft)), all sorts of marine life including whales and salmon are found in its tidal, salt water reaches.
The countryside through which the Saguenay Fiord twists and turns (sometimes between cliffs 180-300 m (590-980 ft) high) presents three quite different faces, dense forest giving way in turn to agricultural land and industrial development.
By far the best - and in some parts the only - way to see the Saguenay is by water. There are cruises daily from Chicoutimi between June and September.
History
The Saguenay Fiord was discovered by Jacques Cartier on his second expedition up the St Lawrence in 1535/36. Having largely escaped colonization by Europeans until the mid-19th c. the sunken valley underwent its most dramatic transformation following the Second World War. Exploitation of the Saguenay for hydro-electric power led to the construction of one of the world's largest aluminum plants at Jonquière. Meat processing and paper are other industries which now play an important role in the local economy.
The countryside through which the Saguenay Fiord twists and turns (sometimes between cliffs 180-300 m (590-980 ft) high) presents three quite different faces, dense forest giving way in turn to agricultural land and industrial development.
By far the best - and in some parts the only - way to see the Saguenay is by water. There are cruises daily from Chicoutimi between June and September.
History
The Saguenay Fiord was discovered by Jacques Cartier on his second expedition up the St Lawrence in 1535/36. Having largely escaped colonization by Europeans until the mid-19th c. the sunken valley underwent its most dramatic transformation following the Second World War. Exploitation of the Saguenay for hydro-electric power led to the construction of one of the world's largest aluminum plants at Jonquière. Meat processing and paper are other industries which now play an important role in the local economy.
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Jonquiere, Canada
Jonquière, another industrial town, has a most unusual church, Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, shaped like a wigwam.
Parc national du Saguenay
Parc national du Saguenay consists of three sections: Baie-Éternité, Baie-du-Moulin-à-Baude and Baie-Sainte-Marguerite. Visitors will find cabins, huts, and campgrounds within the park.
The Parc national du Saguenay is known for its beautiful fjord, shorelines, and coastal landscape.
The Parc national du Saguenay is known for its beautiful fjord, shorelines, and coastal landscape.
Parc national du Saguenay
91 Notre-Dame
Rivière-Éternité, QU G0V1P0
Canada
91 Notre-Dame
Rivière-Éternité, QU G0V1P0
Canada
Phone 1 (418) 272-1556
Fax 1 (418) 272-3438
Riviere-Eternite, Canada
From Rivière-Eternité a 9 km (51/2 mi.) footpath leads to the 457 m (1560 ft) high Cap-Trinité with its statue of the Virgin Mary erected in 1881. Of interest in Rivière-Eternité itself is the Parc national du Saguenay Interpretation Center.
Ste-Rose-du-Nord - Musee de la Nature, Canada
Worth seeing is the Musée de la Nature in picturesque little Ste-Rose-du-Nord. It has extensive collections of stuffed animals and wooden artifacts (magnifying glasses, witches broomsticks).
Whale-watching
Every year between the end of July and October hundreds of whales congregate where the Saguenay flows into the St Lawrence. The result is a unique spectacle - and an unmatched opportunity to observe these magnificent creatures at close quarters from aboard one of the "whale-watching" boats from Baie Ste-Catherine, Tadoussac or Rivière-du-Loup. As many as ten different species of whale have been identified among those which gather here, including the huge fin whales and white whales.
