THE LAURENTIDES NATIONAL PARK I93T THE FISHERMAN'S PARADISE THE LAURENTIDES NATIONAL PARK PROVINCE OF QUEBEC Published by the DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND FISHERIES Hon. O. GAGNON, Minister L. A. RICHARD, Deputy - Minister L. P. GAGNON, Superintendant 1937 PRINTED IN CANADA Quebec The Laurentian Province 'T'HE PROVINCE of Quebec is traversed from one •*• end to the other by a chain of delightfully wild mountains, which, if they have not the mighty altitude of the Rockies, are nevertheless endowed with special beauty and possessed of an irresistible charm : these are the Laurentians. In the numerous ravines of these mountains, discretly concealed by the thick growth of spruce and balsam, are thousands of lakes in which, since time immemorial, the finest varieties of game fish have lived, grown and mul­ tiplied. Under a thick roofing of verdure, hundreds of brooks flow from cascade to cascade till they finally meet and form the heads of the many rivers which flow into the St. Lawrence, enriching it with their clear cold waters. p Beyond the lakes and plateaux, series of mountains and hills spread themselves into fantastic shapes, rising one above the other in the most startling manner and adding a new element of beauty and satisfaction to the eyes of those who can see, in a landscape so beautiful, something more than mere resources to be exploited. ^ In brief, Nature, doing all things well, seems to have created the Laurentians especially for the holiday maker seeking outdoor life and the practice of good healthy sport. These mountain ranges already possess a certain popularity in view of their salubrity, picturesquesness, opportunities for sport and their beautiful summer climate and are destined to some day become the irresistible playground of all North America. 3 à l'Aigle and Tadoussac perched upon the heights of the mighty St. Lawrence offer to some, incomparable sites and exceptionally beautiful panoramas. On the more A cigarette may be down modest shores of lakes and rivers, calm, placid and restful, but not out are offered to others, landscapes of a more restricted horizon. It is a large portion of these beautiful mountain ranges which the Province of Quebec has seen fit to reserve for the creation of a National Park and which is already known by the very characteristic name of " The Lauren- tides National Park. " Whether we look for large open spaces or prefer little shady nooks near a lake or river, we may be assured that Nature in the Laurentians provided for all tastes and can satisfy the most fastidious. For example, the City of Quebec, Les Eboulements, St. Irenée, Pointe à Pic,' Cap Fire destroys Save the forests forests Be careful been judiciously fished by true sportsmen and they remain The Laurentides National Park as well stocked as ever. The Park, which is one of the largest game sanctuaries '""THE SUPERFICIES of this Park is about four thousand in America, is unusually attractive on account of its wild •*- square miles, that is, more than three times the size life. Protected by a rigorous and effective watch, game of Rhode Island, which, in spite of its restricted propor­ is abundant in every section. tions, is nevertheless not the smallest of the States of the North American Republic. This vast territory has been made a park so that it may offer to the public a resort for pleasure and rest and, at the same time, an incomparable refuge for assuring the permanence of our Canadian Fauna. It is not only because of its easy accessibility and close The Land is proximity to the City of Quebec that this territory has our Capital been reserved as a park, but its fifteen hundred lakes Its products and hundreds of rivers have largely contributed to this our Dividends choice. With regard to the fishing, let us add that all Dont' burn the Interest waters are literally teeming with trout and that more than nine-tenths of them have never yet been fished by anybody, even with a fly. As to the others, they have Moose can be seen on many lakes and alongside the roads. There is not one camp that has not its colony of beavers which has settled on a nearby pond. Bears are seen around the camps. As to the other members of the fauna, such as otter, mink, fisher, marten, although plenti­ ful, their nocturnal habits prevent them being met very often. Caribou, which had migrated north a couple of decades ago, is gradually coming back. All the picturesqueness, of the Laurentian Mountains is found in the National Park, also that wild and rustic A cigarette character that in certain other parts of the Province of may be down but not out Quebec has been taken away from this mountain range by the advent of industry and cultivation. Save the forests 7 The Park is situated between latitudes 47 and 48 and Administration of the Park the altitude varies from one to three thousand feet above sea level. This territory is everywhere of an incompar­ able salubrity. Even during the warmest days of sum­ '""THE PARK is the property of the Government of the mer, the thermometer rarely registers more than 60 to 70 •*• Province of Quebec and is administered by the degrees in the warmest hours of the day, but the nights Department of Mines and Fisheries, and which began are always cool. It is for this reason that we advise a few years ago to open up roads, portages and to build sportsmen to provide themselves with woollen under­ camps for the pleasure and comfort of sportsmen. wear or at least with a sweater The district is entirely No one may enter the Park without a permit devoid of the vegetation conducive to Hay Fever. and sportsmen who wish to occupy a camp or fish in the With the two new national highways, namely, Highway Park, will secure a permit from the Department of Mines No. 54 and No. 56, built by the Department of Roads, and Fisheries in the Parliament Buildings, Annex-E, the park is most easy of access, and all camps, except Room 117. Motorists who wish to drive through the two, can be reached very comfortably. There are still Park over Highway No. 54 en route to lake St. Jean or vice some minor improvements to be made on Highway No. 54, versa, will secure their permit from the gatemen at the but they do not prevent easy travelling in any weather. entrance to the Park. No undue exaction need be feared in the Park as the Department exercises a judicious control not only over the manner in which the camps are kept, but also upon the price and quality of the board that the guardians serve to sportsmen, and on the wages of the guides. The Department will always be pleased to receive any sug­ gestions or criticisms which may be made on this subject. A camp is never leased otherwise than to one party at a time. When a group of friends reserve a camp for a specified period, they may be sure that they will neither be displaced nor yet have to share it with strangers. The Government in this way endeavours to assure to all those who lease its camps as peaceful and quiet a holiday as possible. For this reason, as will be easily understood, it is in the interest of the Department to grant the preference to the largest groups. It will Camp des Bouleaux 8 9 be well for those organizing a fishing excursion to bear FISHING in the Park is prohibited except for those this in mind. who have secured a permit to occupy a camp or under­ Camp Laferte, at Lac de la Belle-Rivière, is the only take a canoe trip accompanied by our guides. one which is conducted differently and where, conse­ There is only one variety of fish in the numerous rivers quently, there may happen to be two or more parties at and hundred lakes of the National Park : the incompara­ the same time. ble red trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) so bright and so The number of these camps being limited, it is strongly combative and of such exquisite taste. They, however, urged that arrangements be made with the Department vary considerably in weight and size in the various lakes several days or even weeks in advance. When reserving and streams. Many sportsmen have caught trout in the a camp, the Department requires, as a guarantee, a deposit waters of the Park from two to four pounds in weight. of 25% of the total rental, as it sometimes happens a party In exceptional cases, trout weighing as high as six pounds having reserved a camp for a certain date finds it impos­ have been taken with the fly. To be perfectly honest, we sible to keep the engagement, and the Department, there­ must admit that in the Park, as elsewhere, the majority fore, cannot run the risk of having a camp unoccupied. of the fish are of medium size, and we cannot promise Should it not be possible to sublet the camp to another special fish to all anglers, but would add that every one party, the money deposited is retained as a partial com­ has an equal chance. In any case, whatever its size, the pensation of the loss sustained, but if, on the other hand, trout of the Laurentians is a wonderful fish ; it is very the Department is able to sublet, the deposit is returned sporty and fights for its life to the very end, and the in whole or part, as the case may be.