The Trans-Taiga Road () is an extremely remote wilderness road in
northern Quebec Northern Quebec () is a geographic term denoting the northerly, more remote and less populated parts of the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec.Alexandre Robaey"Charity group works with Indigenous communities to feed Northern Quebec's 'wandering dog ...
,
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 ...
. It is long to Centrale Brisay and another along the
Caniapiscau Reservoir
The Caniapiscau Reservoir () is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River in the Côte-Nord administrative region of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the largest body of water in Quebec and the second largest reservoir in Canada.
The ...
, all of it unpaved.
The road begins at (km 544 of the James Bay Road) and ends at , on the shores of the Caniapiscau Reservoir.
Description
The road's northeastern terminus is almost at the
55th parallel north
Following are circles of latitude between the 50th parallel north and the 55th parallel north:
51st parallel north
The 51st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 51 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, A ...
, making it the northernmost continuous road in Eastern North America. Though the terminus is also the farthest point from any town via road in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
( from
Radisson), is nonetheless relatively close – – to
Schefferville
Schefferville () is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km (1¼ miles) from the border with Labrador o ...
geographically. It does not, however, provide access to it, as the intervening terrain is impassable even in an all-terrain vehicle. The road's end is also close to the southern limit of
Nunavik
Nunavik (; ; ) is an area in Canada which comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homelan ...
, Quebec's Inuit region which is negotiating for autonomous status within Quebec.
The Trans-Taiga Road branches off from the
James Bay Road
The James Bay Road (), officially the Billy-Diamond Highway (), is a remote wilderness highway winding its way through the Canadian Shield in northwestern Quebec and reaches into the James Bay region. It starts in Matagami, Quebec, Matagami as an ...
() at kilometre 544. It was built as an access road to the hydro-electric generating stations of
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec () is a Canadian Crown corporations of Canada#Quebec, Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the electricity generation, generation, electric power transmission, transmission and electricity ...
along the
La Grande River
La Grande River (, ; ; both meaning "great river") is a river in northwestern Quebec, Canada, rising in the highlands of the north-central part of the province and flowing roughly west to its drainage at James Bay. It is the second-longest rive ...
and
Caniapiscau River
The Caniapiscau River () is a tributary of the Koksoak River in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. In Cree the name of the river means ''rocky point''.
Starting from Lac Sevestre ( south-west from Fermont) on the Canadian Shield, the Caniapiscau River f ...
. Several
outfitter
An outfitter is a shop or person that sells specialized clothes (an '' outfit'' is a set of clothing). More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities.
In Nort ...
s are established along this road, providing wilderness hunting and fishing expeditions, and some may also provide fuel, food and lodging. Otherwise, there are no services along this road.
While the Trans-Taiga Road is reportedly drivable by ordinary passenger vehicles for its entire length, Hydro-Québec recommends use of 4WD vehicles for the section between Brisay and Caniapiscau, which is of a rougher grade than the rest of the road.
As the name of the road indicates, this road winds its way through Quebec's vast boreal forest, characterized by stunted spruce and pine, bogs and rocky outcroppings. ''
Taiga
Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...
'' is the Russian term for the same type of forest.
Extension
Regional and provincial officials have suggested building a link from the road's northeastern terminus in
Caniapiscau
Caniapiscau (; ) is a vast unorganized territory in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, part of Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality.
The territory is home to the huge Caniapiscau Reservoir, the largest body of water in Quebec and th ...
to
Kuujjuaq
Kuujjuaq (; or ), formerly known as (ᓲᐃᕙᐅᖃᔾ) and by #Names, other names, is a former Hudson's Bay Company outpost at the mouth of the Koksoak River on Ungava Bay that has become the largest northern village (Quebec), northern vil ...
, several hundred kilometres to the north in
Nunavik
Nunavik (; ; ) is an area in Canada which comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homelan ...
, also accessing
Schefferville
Schefferville () is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km (1¼ miles) from the border with Labrador o ...
along the way. As the road east of Centrale Brisay is extremely rough (large rocks on the road surface), part of the existing road would also require upgrade; an extension via Schefferville would likely require crossing the province of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
.
In 2020 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the James Bay Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee and the Government of Québec. The MOU sets a roadmap for infrastructure development. Phase III of the Infrastructure program includes extension of the Trans-Taiga road eastward to connect with Schefferville, over an approximate distance of 200 km.
Waypoints
See also
*
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project () involves the construction of a series of hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by government-owned corporation, state-owned public utility, utility Hydro-Qué ...
*
List of Quebec provincial highways
This is a list of highways maintained by the government of Quebec.
Autoroutes
The Autoroute system in Quebec is a network of expressways which operate under the same principle of controlled access as the Interstate Highway System in the United ...
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title, inline
Unofficial site, part of the James Bay Road sitePlan by Quebec Provincial government
includes study of a possible extension to Kuujjuaq.
Mirage Outfitter
Roads in Nord-du-Québec
Roads in Côte-Nord