The rivière du Gouffre (''English: Pit Cave River'') is a tributary of the left bank of the
Saint-Laurent river, flowing into the
Capitale-Nationale
Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...
administrative region,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
(
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
). This watercourse flows through
Regional County Municipality
The term regional county municipality or RCM (, , MRC) is used in Quebec, Canada to refer to one of 87 county-like political entities. In some older English translations they were called county regional municipality.
Regional county municipalit ...
from:
*
Charlevoix-Est
Charlevoix-Est () is a regional county municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Clermont, Capitale-Nationale, Clermont.
Subdivisions
There are 9 subdivisions within the RCM:
;Cities & Towns (2)
* Clermont, C ...
: unorganized territory of
Mont-Élie (Lacoste township), municipalities of
Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs and
Notre-Dame-des-Monts;
*
Charlevoix Regional County Municipality
Charlevoix is a regional county municipality () in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Baie-Saint-Paul.
Subdivisions
There are seven subdivisions within the RCM:
;Cities & Towns (1)
* Baie-Saint-Paul
;Municipalities ...
: unorganized territory of
Lac-Pibauka (
Zec des Martres), municipality of
Saint-Urbain and town of
Baie-Saint-Paul
Baie-Saint-Paul (; 2021 Population 7,371; UA population 4,308) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city i ...
.
This hydrographic slope has 185 lakes and 35 tributaries. The
Zec des Martres attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, particularly because of its mountain trails offering splendid views of the Gouffre River Valley, as well as sport fishing.
Hydrology
The Gouffre River has its source at Lac du Cœur (length: altitude: ),
[/ Gouffre River Site](_blank)
/ref> in the County of Charlevoix West, in the Zec des Martres which is located east of the Grands-Jardins National Park and west of Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park
The Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park (, ) is a provincial park in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. Centring on the Malbaie River Gorge, it is the centrepiece of the UNESCO Charlevoix biosphere reserve. It is administere ...
. Lac du Coeur is located at west of Lac des Martres and west of the Charlevoix-Est County boundary.
The water separation line (altitude: ) between Petit lac Tristan (slope of the Malbaie River) and the brook of the Mountain (slope of the Montmorency River) is located west of the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
(near the hamlet of Petite-Rivière). From this water separation line, the Malbaie River bypasses the valley of the rivière du Gouffre in a clockwise direction, to flow to La Malbaie
La Malbaie () is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the Province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at the mouth of the Malbaie River. It was formerly known as Murray Bay ...
in the Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
. The hydrographic slope of the Rivière du Gouffre stretches inland up to northwest of the mouth of the river.
The Rivière du Gouffre flows towards the Southwest for a total distance of before reaching the Saint-Laurent at Baie-Saint-Paul
Baie-Saint-Paul (; 2021 Population 7,371; UA population 4,308) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city i ...
. Its course runs along the western boundary of the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Monts and crosses Saint-Urbain. This river is characterized by its sinuosities and the presence of many rapids.
The river Gouffre flows on according to the following segments:
Upper course of the river (segment of )
From the mouth of the Lac du Coeur, the Rivière du Gouffre flows over:
* northwesterly to the east shore of Lac du Gouffre;
* southwesterly across Lac du Gouffre (length: ; altitude: );
* south-east to a small lake (altitude: );
* south-east to the confluence of a creek (coming from the northeast);
* south to the confluence of the rivière des Îlets (coming from the West);
* southeasterly to the limit of the Lacoste township;
* easterly to Lacoste Township, to the western limit of De Sales Township ( Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs).
Intermediate course of the river (segment of )
From the western limit of De Sales Township, the Gouffre River flows over:
* to the South-East, forming the boundary between the canton of Lacoste and the canton of De Sales, and collecting the waters of the dump of Lake Nice (coming from North-East);
* to the southeast, forming the boundary between Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs and Saint-Urbain, the limit of Notre-Dame-des-Monts;
* to the southeast, forming the boundary between Saint-Urbain and Notre-Dame-des-Monts, to Bouliane Creek (from the North);
* to the South winding to the outlet of the Lac aux Brochets (coming from the East);
* southwesterly winding to the confluence of the Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...
(coming from the Southeast);
* southwesterly to the rivière du Gouffre Sud-Ouest
The Rivière du Gouffre Sud-Ouest (''English: South-West Pit Cave River'') is a tributary of the eastern bank of the intermediate part of the Rivière du Gouffre, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba and the municipality of Saint ...
(coming from the North);
* southwesterly to the rivière à la Loutre (Gouffre River tributary) (coming from the South-East);
* southwesterly to Preveche Creek (from the northwest);
* southwesterly to the limit of Notre-Dame-des-Monts.
Lower course of the river (segment of )
From the limit of Notre-Dame-des-Monts, the river Gouffre flows over:
* to the southwest in Saint-Urbain to the outlet of the Lac à la Mine (coming from the South-East);
* southwesterly to Swan Creek (from the northwest);
* southwesterly to the river Le Gros Bras (Gouffre River tributary)
Le Gros Bras (''English: The Big Arm'') is a tributary of the eastern bank of the lower part of the rivière du Gouffre, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba, Quebec, Lac-Pikauba and the municipality of Saint-Urbain, Quebec, Saint-U ...
(coming from the northwest);
* southwesterly winding up to the road bridge of the village of Saint-Urbain;
* southeasterly to the bridge route 138;
* south to the city limit of Baie-Saint-Paul
Baie-Saint-Paul (; 2021 Population 7,371; UA population 4,308) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city i ...
;
* to the South winding in Baie-Saint-Paul
Baie-Saint-Paul (; 2021 Population 7,371; UA population 4,308) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city i ...
, until the confluence of the Rémy River (coming from the West);
* southeasterly collecting the discharge from the Mares river (coming from the south), to the confluence of the ruisseau de la Goudronnerie (coming from the Northeast);
* towards the south by zigzagging and collecting the Gobeil stream (coming from the east), up to the rivière des Mares (coming from the south);
* to the south, winding through an agricultural zone, collecting the discharge from the Renaud river (coming from the west) and entering an urban zone at the end of the segment, until the confluence of the Bras du Nord-Ouest (Gouffre River tributary) (coming from the West);
* southerly forming a northeasterly curve to the road bridge;
* southeasterly to the confluence of the river.
The Gouffre River empties onto the "Bay Bank" on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
in front of Île aux Coudres. At the confluence of the river, the strike is long to the southeast at low tide. In addition to the confluence of the Rivière du Gouffre, the main rivers flowing over this strike are (from west to east): Verreault Creek, Rivière du Moulin (Baie-Saint-Paul), Middle Creek, Vases River, Rang Saint-Laurent Creek, Lucien Creek and Bois Blanc Creek.
The watershed of the Rivière du Gouffre covers . Its main tributaries are the Le Gros Bras, rivière des Mares and the rivière du Gouffre Sud-Ouest
The Rivière du Gouffre Sud-Ouest (''English: South-West Pit Cave River'') is a tributary of the eastern bank of the intermediate part of the Rivière du Gouffre, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba and the municipality of Saint ...
. The total slope of the river is .
Toponymy
The river Gouffre was named by Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...
in 1608. Its name refers to the whirlpool that forms at the foot of Cap aux Corbeaux, downstream from the confluence of the river Gouffre, and which was a source of terror for sailors.
The toponme "Rivière du Gouffre" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec
The Commission de toponymie du Québec (, ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicizing Québec's place names and their origins according to th ...
.
Recreational tourism activities
The Rivière du Gouffre is an Atlantic salmon fishing river and a trout.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, sport fishermen in the Quebec region frequented these waters, which had and still have the reputation of offering large salmon. The population of this species can vary in number significantly from one year to the next. Since 1979, the Association of Conservation of the Valley of the Gouffre (ACVG) manages the salmon fishery. This non-profit organization was formed on March 20, 1979, thanks to the grouping of some forty members. In spring 1979, 100 salmon pits are inventoried in the Rivière du Gouffre. Since then, the ACVG has built 65 of these pits. Pedestrian paths run along the river; picnic tables and shelters have been set up. Two bridges span the river allowing fishermen access to all salmon pits.
Notes and references
See also
* Lac-Pibauka, a TNO
* Mont-Élie, a TNO
* Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, a municipality
* Notre-Dame-des-Monts, a municipality
* Saint-Urbain, a municipality
* Baie-Saint-Paul
Baie-Saint-Paul (; 2021 Population 7,371; UA population 4,308) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city i ...
, a city
* Charlevoix Regional County Municipality
Charlevoix is a regional county municipality () in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Baie-Saint-Paul.
Subdivisions
There are seven subdivisions within the RCM:
;Cities & Towns (1)
* Baie-Saint-Paul
;Municipalities ...
* St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
* Grands-Jardins National Park
* Zec des Martres, a harversted controlled zone
* List of rivers of Quebec
This is a list of rivers of Quebec. Quebec has about:
*One million lakes, of which 62279 have a toponymic designation (a name), plus 218 artificial lakes;
*15228 watercourses with an official toponymic designation, including 12094 streams and 313 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouffre, river du
Rivers of Capitale-Nationale
Charlevoix Regional County Municipality