Portneuf Regional Natural Park

Parc naturel régional de Portneuf
Sainte-Anne River (Les Chenaux), Saint-Alban
Nearest city	Saint-Raymond, Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	46°49′21″N 72°09′12″W
Area	75 kilometres (47 mi)
Established	2014
Website	parcportneuf.com

Portneuf Regional Natural Park is a Quebec regional park (Quebec) spanning five municipalities in the northwestern part of the Portneuf Regional County Municipality: Saint-Ubalde, Saint-Alban, Saint-Casimir, Portneuf and Rivière-à-Pierre. This park is administered on the basis of a social economy enterprise with the mission of showing visitors around an exceptional territory and contributing to its preservation and enhancement.

Portneuf regional natural park, living together code and regulations, sign, chemin du Lac Long, Saint-Alban

The territory of the park is a place of observation, leisure and learning because of the particular geomorphological attractions.

Officially inaugurated in the summer of 2014, this recreational and tourist park covers 70 kilometres (43.50 mi) made up of public land, municipal and private land. The park's implementation team had gathered around a common objective: concerted regional management, creating positive spin-offs while preserving the park's natural character.

Flora

Mid-October colors, Yellow birch, Larch, Tamarack, Hemlock and others, Noire River, Saint-Alban

The flora observed today in the territory of the Portneuf Regional Natural Park, and the portion of the Noire River (Sainte-Anne River tributary) which flows there, does not represent the forest of the regional pre-industria eral.

A large part of the territory has been the subject of logging for more than 200 years. So, the harvest of Tamarack (Red spruce) and Allegheny birch (Yellow birch) was done without concern for regeneration, between 1870 and 1890 the harvest of the bark of Canadian tsuga (Tsuga) for its tannery properties led to the modification of the composition of all the ecosystem.

• Betula alleghaniensis Britton. — Bouleau des Alléghanys. — Merisier. — (Yellow birch).
• Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch. — Mélèze laricin. — Épinette rouge. — (Larch, Tamarack).
• Tsuga canadensis (Linné) Carrière. — Tsuga du Canada. — Pruche. — (Hemlock).

Main attractions

This park has 70 km of hiking trails. The 15 trails in the park are: (Note: The name in French of the path is indicated in parentheses)

Long and Montauban lakes sector

• The Chutes to Marcotte (Des Chutes à Marcotte): 7.4 km
• The Cooking pots (Des Marmites): 725 m
• The Summits (Des Sommets): 8 km
• The Waterfalls (Des Cascades): 3 km
• The Mountain of the Tour (De la Montagne de la Tour): 5.5 km
• The Noire River (De la rivière Noire): 3 km
• The icebox (De la glacière): 5.6 km
• The Traverse (De la Traverse)

Lakes sector

• The Traverse (De la Traverse): 3.2 km
• The Seven Marvelous (Sept Merveilleux): 9.9 km

Lake Carillon sector

• Montauban trail / Mékinac limit: 1.4 km
• The Bear (De l'Ours): 3.7 km
• The Jay (Du Geai): 5 km
• The Rabit (Du Lièvre): 3,5 km
• The Vison (Du Vison): 2 km
• Bike path / Carillon pedestrian path / Lac Blanc: 5.1 km

Visitors can contemplate the picturesque landscape at the Carillon lake viewpoint or that of the Tour Mountain.

Long and Montauban lakes are the main geomorphological attractions. All around, the park has many other small lakes and rivers where visitors find peace and a special relationship with nature. The imposing and immense cliff of Long Lake is worth the detour.

The park offers an interpretation center, a visit to a former hydroelectric power station and a visit to Le Trou du Diable cave in St. Casimir.

Fauna

Fauna and flora are omnipresent in the park. This territory is frequented in particular by the peregrine falcon. This park constitutes a containment area for white-tailed deer.

In lakes and rivers, lake trout is present.

Accommodation

This park provides visitors with:

• rental chalets,
• ready-to-camp tents in the sectors: Lac Long, Lac Carillon and Gorges;
• 100 rustic camping sites.

External links

• Official site of the "parc naturel régional" (Portneuf Regional Natural Park)