Lac St-Jean

Val-Jalbert is a deserted village standing in the center of the provincial park of that name (established 1960) near the mouth of the Ouitchouane. Here, close to a spectacular 72 m (236 ft)-high waterfall capable of providing almost unlimited water power, the industrialist Damas Jalbert built, in 1901, a sawmill and paper and cardboard factory, together with a village to accommodate the workforce which was 1000 strong. By 1927 the factory had closed down and the settlement became a ghost town. Part of the factory and the machinery survive and can be seen. A number of buildings including the school, butcher's shop and grocer's shop, have recently been restored and there is also an interesting little museum documenting the history of the project.

In May every year the "Festival de la Ouananiche" (Indian for freshwater salmon) is held in Desbiens, a little village at the mouth of the Métabetchouane.

The "Trou de la Fée", or "Fairy Hole", is a cave about 8 km (5 mi.) south of Desbiens, which can be seen on a very steep trail.

In the island zoo north-west of St-Félicien, caribou, black bear and many of Canada's other wild creatures can be seen at very close quarters. An Indian village and a lumberjack camp are also among its attractions.

Writer Louis Hémon (1880-1913) lived for several months in Péribonca, and made it the setting for his novel "Maria Chapdelaine" (1916), a major work of Canadian literature, and a glorification of the settler ethos.The Louis Hémon Museum is dedicated to the life of the author.