Free road map coastal of Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada

Gulf of St. Lawrence       

Aland of vast natural resources where mighty rivers like the  Manicouagan and Riviere aux Outardes are harnessed for hydroelectric  power, Quebec's Gulf of St. Lawrence region beckons you to explore  nature in all its splendor. The North Shore shares with its neighbor  across the St. Lawrence, the Gaspe Peninsula, a strong connection to the  sea and an extraordinary abundance of opportunities to see marine life  in its element. Take a tour-boat excursion and search for the mighty  blue whale, visit the salt marshes and watch for over 175 bird species  at Pointe-aux-Outardes, or dive into the area's rich underwater world in  bays and coves along the shore. On the South Shore, in Matane, the St.  Lawrence is referred to as La Mer ("The Sea"). Wherever you go, North  Shore or South, the misty perfume of the salt air will remind you of the  strong pull of the sea.       

Baie-Comeau [D3]       

Named for the famous North Shore trapper, geologist, and  naturalist Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau, Baie-Comeau is divided into two  districts, each with a very different look and feel. The Mingan area is  working class and commercial, while the Marquette area contains the  heritage Quartier Sainte-Amelie, with many neo-Georgian-style homes and  one of the North Shore's grand hotels, Hotel le Manoir. Outside of town  lie three massive hydroelectric dams along the Manicouagan River, which  can all be visited free.       

Gaspesie Conservation Park [E7-8] This park protects a great  diversity of plant and animal life, which varies with changes in  altitude. At the far end of the Appalachian Chain, summits in the  Chic-Chocs reach more than 1,000 m in height, including Mont  Jacques-Cartier (1,268 m) and Mont Albert (1,154 m). Be on the lookout  for wood caribou on the mountains' ridges. Exquisite cuisine and fine  lodging can be found at Gite du Mont-Albert.       

Matane [E5] An annual festival in June celebrates Matane's  most important harvest: shrimp. Drop by the Old Lighthouse (1911), once a  landmark for navigators of La Mer; now a tourist information office  that offers an excellent panoramic view of the Saint-Ulric windmills and  the Gaspe coastline.       

Sainte-Anne-des-Monts [D7] This charming town, cradled in the  hollow of a serene cove, is the perfect union of mountain, city, and  river. Well worth a visit are the two-steeple Sainte-Anne Church, the  spectacular Sainte-Anne salmon river, and Chateau Lamontagne, one of the  most beautiful Regency-style buildings in Quebec.       

Sept-Iles [A7] The North Shore's biggest city is also the site  of Quebec's largest port (deep enough for oceangoing vessels), and the  second-biggest port in Canada by tonnage handled. The Vieux Poste is a  reconstruction of a local log fort built in 1661 and burned down in  1692, where the French traded with the Innu. The Musee Regional de la  Cote-Nord displays over 40,000 artifacts found on archaeological digs  along the North Shore.       

ATTRACTIONS       

BAIE-COMEAU       

Sainte-Amelie Church Vieux Poste de Manicouagan (1899 sawmill) Centre d'lnformation       

Hydro-Quebec (hydroelectric complex) Des Pionniers Park       

Baie-Comeau Summer Theatre Manicouagan River       

GASPESIE CONSERVATION PARK       

Nature Interpretation Centre Chic-Chocs Wildlife Reserve Mont Lyall Agate Mine       

MATANE       

Saint-Jerome Church The Old Lighthouse (Tourist Office)  Reserve faunique de Matane (wildlife reserve) Barrage Mathieu-D'Amours  (salmon migratory pass) Doris Gardens Matane Cultural Complex Pare des  lies       

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS       

Chateau Lamontagne Explorama Discovery Centre Au Petit-Bois (children's park) Lac Sainte-Anne       

SEPT-ILES       

Vieux Poste (18th-century Hudson's Bay Company       

Trading Post) Musee de la Cote-Nord (North Shore Regional  Museum) Musee Shaputuan (Innu museum) Sept-Iles Performing Arts Centre  Faisanderie des lies (poultry farm) Pare de I'Archipel des Sept-Iles La  Patente Summer Theatre