Natashquan

Natashquan is a village in the region of Minganie, in the North Shore region of eastern Quebec, also an Innu Indian reserve on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route).

The main tourist attractions of Natashquan are:

  • the story of Gilles Vigneault and his work of artistic life: songs, poems, stories... The story of this character is described in museums and told by the elders of the village;
  • museums and historical sites telling the rich history of fishing, shipwrecks, the artist Gilles Vigneault, local arts or recounting isolated life before the arrival of electricity, snowmobiles and Route 138;
  • hiking trails (including boardwalks) or cycling; the "Les Galets" (The Pebbles) and "Le Pas du Portageur trails" are must-sees;
  • campsites: municipal, Nutshimit and wilderness camping;
  • salmon fishing;
  • Pointe-Parent Innu reserve which presents distinctive cultural activities;
  • its vast wild territory allowing snowmobile expeditions in winter, in particular via the Route Blanche which joins Blanc-Sablon.

From 1996 to 2013, Natashquan was the end point east of Route 138, which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and Gulf, which generated a tourist development. In 1959, a first segment of road linked Aguanish and Natashquan. In 2013, another segment of Route 138 was opened up to Kégaska, further east.

Understand

The village of Natashquan is the birthplace of the famous Quebec poet and singer Gilles Vigneault. It is thanks to him that all Quebecers know the name of the small village. The name "Natashquan" comes from the word innu-aimun Nutashkuan which means "where the bear is hunted". This name is in fact borne by two distinct entities: the township municipality and the Indian reserve. The municipality has a population of 264 inhabitants and the reserve has 841. However, the reserve only covers 0.65 km2 (0.25 sq mi) while that the municipality covers 203.51 km2 (78.58 sq mi).

Natashquan is one of the only places in Quebec where the Fête de la Mi-Carême, a traditional French carnival celebration, is still celebrated.

Get in

By boat

By snowmobile

The municipality of Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent is also accessible in winter by snowmobile via the route Blanche from Natashquan. This 525 km snow road passes through the villages of Kegaska, La Romaine, Chevery, Harrington Harbour, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Mutton Bay, La Tabatière, Saint-Augustin, Rivière-Saint-Paul (Bonne-Espérance) and Blanc-Sablon. Trail layout and conditions may vary from winter to winter. Users of this trail should act proactively by having enough fuel, geolocation instruments, a satellite telephone system, spare parts in case of breakage, mechanical repair tools, a gun, a map and survival gear. Group travel is recommended.

By plane

By car
  • From Montreal (1263 km, time: 14 hours 37 minutes. Successively take the Pont Jacques-Cartier bridge (towards the east); Highway 132 (east); Autoroute 20 (east to Lévis); Highway 73 (north); Highway 40 (east); Route 138 (east) to Natashquan.

Get around

Route 138 (east-west direction) is the main road through Natashquan. Nevertheless, the municipality has several secondary streets and Chemin du Cinquième (north-south direction) providing access to various bodies of water to the north and wooded areas.

Gas station
  • 🌍 Harnois gas station (Station-services Harnois), 28 chemin d'en Haut, ☏ +1 418-726-3223. Gas/filling station with an electric vehicle charging station. (updated Oct 2021)

See
  • 🌍 Tourist office (Bureau touristique), 24, chemin d'en Haut (tourist office located in the center of the village of Natashquan), ☏ +1 418-726-3054. This tourist office provides information on the region: accommodation, restaurants, attractions, activities, things to see, to do and to discover. This center is operated by the Heritage, Cultural and Tourism Development Corporation of Natashquan. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Le Bord du Cap Interpretation Center (Centre d'interprétation Le Bord du Cap), 32, chemin d'en Haut, ☏ +1-418-726-3060, toll-free: +1-866-726-3054. June 15 to September 1. Reconstruction of the Natashquan general store, souvenir shop. $5 per adult, free per child under 12. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Maison Saint-Dilon, 50, chemin d'en Haut, ☏ +1 418-726-3736. Museum whose exterior is in red shingles. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Vigneault Houses (Maisons Vigneault), Allée des Galets. Heritage and family site of Gilles Vigneault, internationally renowned singer-songwriter. This building turns out to be the birthplace of Gilles Vigneault. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 The old school (museum) (La vieille école (musée)) (located along the Little Natashquan River). Local history museum. This building, built in 1913, was moved from Chemin d'en Haut to its current site, near a wooded area. In 2006, the people of the village devoted more than 2000 volunteer hours to restore this old school where great historical figures studied there: Gilles Vigneault, as well as Landry, Bourgeois, Lapierre, Cormier, Carbonneau and Hounsell . Today, this museum houses an exhibition evoking the work of Gilles Vigneault. This museum translates the soul of the village through stories of fishing, hunting, trapping, relations between natives and non-natives, songs, music... The Vieille École won the "Gala reconnaissance " in the "Tourist Attraction" category in 2008; in addition, the "Grand Prix du tourisme québécois" was awarded to him in 2009. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Natashquan Pebbles (Les galets de Natashquan), Allée des Galets (located by the sea), ☏ +1 418-726-3054. Historical reconstruction site. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Quai de Natashquan (Quai de Natashquan), chemin des Robins (located on a peninsula jutting south between Havre de Natashquan (west side) and Anse du Ruisseau (east side)). Magnificent place to observe the loading/unloading activities of the cargo-passenger vessel Le Bella Desgagnés which shuttles from one village to another on the Lower North Shore. During this stop, passengers can come and walk in Natashquan, according to the ship's schedule. (updated Jul 2022)

Events
  • Macacan Festival (Festival des Macacains). (updated Jul 2022)
  • Mid-Lent Festival (Festival de la Mi-Carême). A traditional French carnival celebration. (updated Jul 2022)
  • Innucadia Festival (Festival de l'Innucadie). The Innucadie Storytelling and Legend Festival is the meeting place for artists of the living word: storytellers, poets, singers and writers. Innucadie is an imaginary place endowed with beaches, taiga, seas and rivers where tents, tepees and shaputuans come alive. This Festival is a mixture of regional cultures: Innu, French and English. (updated Jul 2022)

Do
  • 🌍 Hipou Outfitter (Pourvoirie Hipou), 78, rue Masshkush, ☏ +1 418-726-3609. Salmon fishing site on the Natashquan River. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 The promenade of the Elders (La promenade des Anciens), 24, chemin d'en Haut (by the sea). Wooden boardwalk by the sea. Departure from the tourist office, to end in the area of small houses known as pebbles. This pedestrian walk allows you to appreciate all the life on the sea (boats, marine mammals, birds, waves, clouds...) and on the shore. The Galets trail is 1.4 km along the edge of the bay. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 The Pebbles (Les Galets), allée des Galets (located on a small peninsula by the sea). Formerly, on this site, fishermen salted and stored cod. Each building on the site has its own story told by the elders. Site classified as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture. (updated Jul 2022)
  • The porter's step trail (Sentier le Pas du Portageur). Distance: 12.2 km. From Route 138 (near the bay), this trail makes a large loop up the west bank of the Little Natashquan River, then branches off to return southwest to Route 138; then more or less runs along route 138 to return to its point of origin. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy
  • 🌍 Marché Omni, 28, chemin d'en Haut (located in the main village), ☏ +1 418-726-3385. Supermarket. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Grocery Nutashkuan (Épicerie Nutashkuan), 159, route 138 (located in the Pointe-Parent sector), ☏ +1 418-726-3161. Grocery. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Dépanneur chez Ti-Can, 129, rue du Moulin (located in the Pointe-Parent area), ☏ +1 418-726-3262. Convenience store offering: lottery, beers, wine, gasoline.... (updated Jul 2022)

Eat
  • 🌍 Café-Bistro l'Échourie, 55, rue des Galets (located near the shore), ☏ +1 418-726-6005. Bistro. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Le Goût du Large, 9, rue du Pré, Natashquan, QC, G0G 2E0 (located near the shore and near the Route 138 bridge), ☏ +1 418-726-3333. Restaurant. (updated Jul 2022)

Drink

Sleep

Gîtes

Camping
  • 🌍 Municipal campground (Camping municipal), 184, chemin d'en Haut (Located by the sea), ☏ +1 418-726-3697, toll-free: +1 877-726-3569. Campground with 38 campsites: sector with services and dunes sector. (updated Jul 2022)
  • 🌍 Camping Nutshimit, 27, rue Parent (Located on a peninsula in Pointe-Parent, by the sea), ☏ +1 581-622-0056. Camping at the farm. (updated Jul 2022)

Connect

Radio CKNA inc (FM 104.1) and Radio montagnaise de Natashquan are on the air in Natashquan. Cell phones are functional in Natashquan thanks to three national cellular communication networks.

Go next
  • 🌍 Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Municipality bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence and made up of five villages not yet connected to Route 138 (except Kegaska which has been connected since fall 2013), therefore served by boats and planes: Kegaska, La Romaine, Chevery, Harrington Harbor and Tête-à-la-Baleine. This municipality is part of the MRC Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent. The languages spoken are: English, French and Innu. The Innu community, Unamen Shipu, made up of a population of 1,350 inhabitants, has its own administration under the Band Council.
  • 🌍 Aguanish Municipality bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The village of Aguanish surrounds the freshwater bay of the Aguanish River Delta. This bay has many sandy beaches. Beach camping and wild camping are popular here.
  • 🌍 Lac-Jérôme Unorganized territory of RCM Minganie, in Côte-Nord region. This territory is a hunting & fishing paradise under the aegis of outfitters, with access by seaplane. It can be crossed by snowmobile.
Routes through Natashquan
Sept-Îles ← Havre-Saint-Pierre ←  W  E  → Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent → → Blanc-Sablon


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