Anticosti National Park
Encyclopedia
Anticosti National Park (French: Parc National d'Anticosti) is a national park
of Quebec
, Canada
.Registre des aires protégées du Québec, Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. It consists of 3 non-contiguous areas totalling 572 square kilometres (220.9 sq mi) of land in the centre of Anticosti Island
.
It is organized into 6 tourist sectors and 1 central zone:
, who described the canyon of the Vauréal River as a "remarkable sanctuary" for ferns. But for the following decades, the entire island was privately owned by a succession of logging companies who invested little or nothing in environmental protection.
In 1974, Anticosti Island was bought by the Government of Quebec and became again public land. In 1987, the Regional County Municipality of Minganie
officially incorporated the idea of creating a park in the Vauréal River area in its development plan. Thereafter, it took 14 years to complete the research, studies, planning, and public hearings. The Quebec government created the Anticosti National Park on April 26, 2001.
Activities:
Park amenities:
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.Registre des aires protégées du Québec, Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. It consists of 3 non-contiguous areas totalling 572 square kilometres (220.9 sq mi) of land in the centre of Anticosti Island
Anticosti Island
Anticosti Island is an island at the outlet of the Saint Lawrence River into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, in Quebec, Canada, between 49° and 50° N., and between 61° 40' and 64° 30' W. At in size, it is the 90th largest island in the world and 20th largest island in Canada...
.
It is organized into 6 tourist sectors and 1 central zone:
- Baie-de-la-Tour
- Chicotte
- Chute-Vauréal
- Grotte-à-la-Patate
- Observation
- Vauréal-la-Mer
- Zone centrale
History
The idea of creating a park on Anticosti Island goes far back. Already in the 1920s, the richness of Anticosti's flora was highlighted by botanist Marie-VictorinMarie-Victorin
Brother Marie-Victorin was a De La Salle Christian Brother and botanist in Quebec, Canada, best known as the father of the Jardin botanique de Montréal....
, who described the canyon of the Vauréal River as a "remarkable sanctuary" for ferns. But for the following decades, the entire island was privately owned by a succession of logging companies who invested little or nothing in environmental protection.
In 1974, Anticosti Island was bought by the Government of Quebec and became again public land. In 1987, the Regional County Municipality of Minganie
Minganie Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Minganie is a regional county municipality of Quebec in Canada. The regional seat is Havre-Saint-Pierre. Anticosti Island is included within this region. It has a land area of ....
officially incorporated the idea of creating a park in the Vauréal River area in its development plan. Thereafter, it took 14 years to complete the research, studies, planning, and public hearings. The Quebec government created the Anticosti National Park on April 26, 2001.
Park features
Natural attractions:- Vauréal Canyon and Waterfall - At the Vauréal Waterfall, the Vauréal River drops 76 metres (249.3 ft) and then flows through a 90 metres (295.3 ft) deep gorge.
- Tour Bay (Bay de la Tour) - This bay on the north side of the island is noteworthy for its breathtaking seascape with huge cliffs surrounding the bay and excellent bird watching opportunities.
- Potato Cave (Grotte à la Patate) - This 625 metres (2,050.5 ft) cave is one of the longest underground caves in Quebec. It is named after the Potato River (Rivière à la Patate) which gets its name from a large granite erratic boulderGlacial erraticA glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
shaped like a potato that is located at the river's mouth. - Brick River Canyon
- Observation River Canyon
Activities:
- Hiking - 45 kilometres (28 mi) of trails of various difficulty
- Horseback riding
- Sea kayaking
- Guided tours
Park amenities:
- 2 Visitor centres with restaurant, gasoline, and equipment rental
- Accommodation in inns, cabins, or campgrounds
- Picnic areas