Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is a parish municipality of the Maskinongé Regional county municipality (MRC de Maskinongé), in Middle-Mauricie, in Quebec.

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is the last relay village before reaching the southwest side of La Mauricie National Park; starting from the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, take Chemin St-François to access this entrance to the national park.

Its population increases seasonally in a significant way, as well as a floating population. This locality is crossed by road 351 which connects Shawinigan to Yamachiche, forming a semi-circle facing north.

Understand

History

The Catholic parish of Saint-Mathieu was founded as a service in 1872. Saint-Mathieu is one of the four evangelists. The civil erection of Saint-Mathieu-du-Lac-Bellemare was formalized in 1887. In 1998, the municipality was renamed Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, following the creation of the Mauricie National Park in 1970.

The church was built in 1913 on the current site. In 1918, the village school was destroyed by fire. In 1919, a major forest fire surrounded the village, which escaped unscathed. The covered bridge was erected in 1936 over the Shawinigan River.

A disaster destroyed the church and half of the village on September 24, 1948; 21 families lost their homes and 4 stores there. Thanks to the development of route 351 and Chemin Saint-François, the resort is experiencing significant development. The establishment of La Mauricie National Park in the early 1970s greatly strengthens the recreational tourism vocation of the locality.

Geography

The village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is boxed in between the surrounding mountains formed in the Precambrian era. During the last ice age, a thick cover of ice (estimated to be 1 to 2 km thick) covered the region, leveling the relief, subsiding the earth's crust and carving out valleys. Debris from the earth's crust was then carried far south by glaciers. However, as it melted, this glacial crust left much debris in the area.

An example of this ice age debris is the Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc esker, a geological phenomenon that consists of an elongated mound stretching 7.5 kilometres with an average width of 76 metres. The route of this esker begins on the north shore of Lake Goulet and passes to the bottom of the lake. This geological strip created the island at Lac Brûlé. This esker continues along Chemin Saint-Édouard to stretch to Lake Trudel towards the centre of the village; in passing, this esker separates Lake Bellemare into two parts. It creates two peninsulas which meet at the bottom of the lake. The route of this esker passes through Lac Vert. In the end, the route of this esker ends at Gareau lakes. The route of route 351 passes over this esker, that is to say between the small and the large Gareau lake. An esker is a rather rare geological phenomenon present in some regions of Quebec.

The municipality covers 220.15 km2 (85.00 sq mi) in the northern part of the MRC de Maskinongé; it is the second largest municipality in the MRC, behind Saint-Alexis-des-Monts. It also has the second smallest population density with 6.1 inhabitants/km².

The territory of the municipality has 80 lakes covering a total of 1,165 hectares. The Shawinigan River is the main waterway in municipal territory. Sport fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout is popular on this stream thanks to regular stocking. A significant effort is being made by the municipality to protect the riparian strips.

Economy

The main economic activities are silviculture and recreational tourism (La Mauricie National Park, resort, camping, hiking trails, observation of flora and fauna, maple groves, mountain biking, snowmobiles, cycling, hunting and fishing).

Get in

The village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is accessible by road, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles.

By car
  • From Montreal (164 km (102 mi), 2 hr 6 min). Take Highway 40 (north shore) eastbound, to Trois-Rivières; take highway 55 (northbound) to Yamachiche; take route 153 (northbound) through the village of Saint-Barnabé, then route 351, passing through the village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, to the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.
  • From Quebec City (171 km (106 mi), 2 hr 2 min). Take Highway 40 (westbound), to Champlain; take route 359 (northbound) through the village of Lac-à-la-Tortue; take route 153 (west); take Autoroute 55 (southbound) to Chemin de la Vallée-du-Parc; take the Chemin des Pommiers (westbound); take the Main road (south direction); take route 351 (westbound) to the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.

Get around

See

Heritage tour
  • 🌍 Église Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc (Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc Church), 1890, chemin Principal, ☏ +1 819-532-2124. (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Saint-Mathieu covered bridge, 1391-1371, chemin de la Terrasse des Chutes. This covered bridge spans the Shawinigan River. The covered bridge path connects the Terrasse des Chutes path (along the north side of the river) and the St-François road, along the south side. The Domaine du Pont Covered (chalet rental agency in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc) is located on the south shore, next to the bridge. (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Site de partage de la culture Autochtone Mokotakan et le Musée de la Faune (Mokotakan Wildlife Museum and Indigenous culture sharing site), 2120, chemin St-François, ☏ +1 819-532-2600, . (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Parc national de la Mauricie (Mauricie National Park), chemin Saint-François, ☏ +1 819-538-3232, . Park with more than 150 lakes. Many recreational tourism activities offered: camping, hiking trails, cycling, observation of flora and fauna, and fishing. (updated Nov 2021)

Do
  • 🌍 Labyrinthe coureur des bois, 1329, chemin St-Joseph, ☏ +1 819-532-2068. Guided tour from Thursday to Sunday. Two options: autonomous course from 09:00 to 15:00 on site or online. Two challenges lasting approximately one hour. Radisson game lasting about 2 hours. (updated Nov 2021)
  • Sentier national, . The National Trail in Mauricie is a linear hiking trail that crosses the Mauricie region from west to east (or vice versa). It begins in the Lanaudière region and stretches to the Quebec region. The website of the National Trail in Mauricie describes the open segments, as well as the GPS tracks accessible free of charge by the public. This site has a Stories section that shows the adventures of hikers on this trail. The National Trail concept was established on January 9, 1990. To date, 1041 km have been approved. The "Devil's Fall" section (3 seasons) begins at Lac en Croix in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc and ends at the Parc Récréoforestier in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc. While the Le Trappeur section (3 seasons) begins at Parc Récréoforestier and ends at Parc national de la Mauricie (4 seasons) in Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides. (updated Nov 2021)

Events
  • Halte du parc (Park stop). (updated Nov 2021)
  • Marché de Noël (Christmas market). (updated Nov 2021)
  • Journée de l'environnement (Environment day). (updated Nov 2021)

Buy

Food

Arts

Well-being
  • 🌍 Fondation l'Art de Vivre (Sri Sri Ayerveda Institute for Education and Wellness), 13, chemin de l'infinité, ☏ +1 819-989-0433. Spa offering courses on the art of meditation or the art of silence. (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Institut de santé Immunicas (Immunicas Health Institute), 2403, chemin St-Édouard, ☏ +1 819-532-1200. (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Bianka Lamarche - Massothérapeute, 110, chemin ma tante-aline, ☏ +1 819-805-0910. (updated Nov 2021)
  • 🌍 Chantal Ménard - Massothérapeute, 920, chemin de l'Esker, ☏ +1 819-532-3346. (updated Nov 2021)

Eat

Sugar shack

Sleep

Chalet, gîte, inn

Camping

Connect


Go next

  • 🌍 Réserve faunique Mastigouche – A wildlife reserve in Quebec dedicated to the conservation, development and use of wildlife as well as the practice of recreational activities. This reserve is north of Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, Saint-Paulin and Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.
  • 🌍 Saint-Élie-de-Caxton
  • 🌍 Saint-Alexis-des-Monts – Being the last village-relay before the Mastigouche wildlife reserve, Saint-Alexis-des-Monts is an important centre of recreational and tourist activities.
  • 🌍 Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides – Its territory is crossed by the Shawinigan river.
  • 🌍 Shawinigan – Town of the Moyen-Mauricie with an industrial, residential, commercial, public services and recreational tourism vocation.
  • 🌍 Saint-Boniface (Quebec) – Municipality of the western suburbs of Shawinigan.
Routes through Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc
Yamachiche ← Saint-Barnabé ←  W  E  → Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides → Shawinigan


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