Saguenay Fjord National Park () is a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

located in

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 ...

. In the regions of

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (, ) is a region in Quebec, Canada on the Labrador Peninsula. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the fi ...

Charlevoix Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

, and

Bas-Saint-Laurent The Bas-Saint-Laurent (, 'Lower Saint-Lawrence) is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlan ...

, the park is situated along the eastern end of the

Saguenay River __NOTOC__ The Saguenay River (, ) is a major river of Quebec, Canada. It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. ...

and adjoins the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park for over 100 km (60 mi.). The park, originally named Saguenay National Park, was renamed on April 20, 2011.Le parc national du Saguenay devient le parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay
Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. Retrieved 11 May 2012.

History

Aboriginals, including Innus have inhabited the Saguenay Fjord area for thousands of years prior to the first Europeans arriving. The first European to visit the area was

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

, in 1535. After

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 ...

established a fort in 1608 on the northern shores 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 ...

(around present-day

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

), various Indigenous peoples, including Innu,

Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

(Iroquois),

Huron Huron may refer to: Native American ethnography * Huron people, who have been called Wyandotte, Wyandot, Wendat and Quendat * Huron language, an Iroquoian language * Huron-Wendat Nation, or Huron-Wendat First Nation, or Nation Huronne-Wendat * N ...

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

s and

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

all traded along the Saguenay River. Between 1628 and 1842, the Saguenay economy was heavily dependent on the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

In 1838, settlers began moving into the Saguenay region. Between 1840 and 1920, the region had a sizable

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

industry. By the end of the 19th, much of the forests around the

were depleted. In addition to the depletion of the forests, difficult terrain and the decline of the lumber industry led to the Saguenay area remaining mostly undeveloped into the 20th century.Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - History
SEPAQ. Retrieved 12 May 2012. Starting in 1970, the Quebec government began acquiring land around the fjord in hopes of protecting it. In 1982, the government held public on the park's design and boundaries. Saguenay National Park was officially created on June 8, 1983. In 1984, the park was twinned with France's

Cévennes National Park Cévennes National Park () is a List of national parks of France, French national park located in Southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes. Created in 1970, the park has its administrative seat in Florac at Florac Castle. It is loca ...

. In 1991, facilities were added to the Baie du Moulin-à-Baude section, while in 2000, facilities were added to the Baie-Sainte-Marguerite section. On April 20, 2011, the park changed its name from Saguenay National Park to Saguenay Fjord National Park in order to emphasize the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

's distinctiveness of being one of the most southerly fjords in the Northern Hemisphere.

Geography

Saguenay Fjord National Park lies along the shore of its namesake

. The Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park lies to the southeast of the park. The park has lands within the following regions of Quebec: Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean,

and

. Saguenay Fjord National Park's Baie-Éternité visitor center is about from

Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the St. ...

.Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - Information
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012. Saguenay Fjord, the park's namesake, has a length of and a width that varies between and . The fjord has an average depth of , with the deepest point being . The cliffs along the fjord have an average height of , reaching a maximum height of . Saguenay Fjord flows into the

;

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish wate ...

from the river flows under a layer of freshwater originating from

Lac St. Jean Lac Saint-Jean (, ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of , and is a ...

. Salt water takes up 93% of the water volume inside the fjord.Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay 2012-2013 Journal
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012. The park contains the following three regions: *Baie-Éternité: This southwest region is reached through the village of Rivière-Éternité. The Saguenay Fjord Interpretation Centre is located here, and features exhibits about the formation of the

, its geology and wildlife. *Baie-Sainte-Marguerite: The north region near Sacré-Cœur includes the Beluga Interpretation Centre. In the summer, beluga whales congregate in the bay. *Baie du Moulin-à-Baude: Located around

Tadoussac Tadoussac () is a village municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), on the north shore of the maritime section of the estuary of St. Lawrence river, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. Geography Tadoussac is ...

, this is the eastern region of the park. The Maison des Dunes Interpretation Centre features exhibits about the park's

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

, wildlife, marine life and ecosystems, and offers naturalist and fall bird-watching programs in conjunction with the Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac.

Geology

The geological origins of Saguenay Fjord National Park can be traced to the

Grenville orogeny The Grenville orogeny was a long-lived Mesoproterozoic mountain-building event associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. Its record is a prominent orogenic belt which spans a significant portion of the North American continent, ...

during the

Precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...

era. This event is considered to be the beginnings to the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains, also known as the Laurentians or Laurentides, are a mountain range in Canada. The range is long and ranges in height from with peaks over . The Laurentian Mountains extend across Labrador and Quebec within the Laurent ...

. Around 200 million years ago, a rock basal complex between a north fault and a south fault collapsed, creating the Saguenay Graben. The

graben In geology, a graben () is a depression (geology), depressed block of the Crust (geology), crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults. Etymology ''Graben'' is a loan word from German language, German, meaning 'ditch' or 't ...

was long and wide. During the last glacial period, the region was covered by ice sheets two to three kilometers deep. The ice sheets cut deep into the Saguenay graben, gouging the fjord in the process. The weight of the ice sheets also caused the region to sink. When the glaciers melted around 10,000 years ago, the graben was flooded by seawater. The subsequent

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

lifted the terrain, shaping the fjord valleys in the process.Saguenay River (Boreal shield)
.

Canadian Geographic ''Canadian Geographic'' is a magazine published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, (RCGS) based in Ottawa, Ontario. History and profile After the Society was founded in 1929, the magazine was established the next year in May 1930 unde ...

. Retrieved 13 May 2012.

Fauna

Animals that can be found in the park's forests include wolves, black bears,

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

, and

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

Peregrine falcons The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underpa ...

can be found on the fjord's cliffs. Seals,

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

, as well as isolated populations of

Greenland halibut The Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot (''Reinhardtius hippoglossoides'') belongs to the family Pleuronectidae (the right-eye flounders), and is the monotypic, only species of the genus ''Reinhardtius''. It is a predatory fish that mostly rang ...

and

Arctic cod ''Arctogadus glacialis'', known also with ambiguous common names Arctic cod and polar cod, is an Arctic species of fish in the cod Family (biology), family Gadidae, related to the true Gadus, cod (genus ''Gadus''). ''Arctogadus glacialis'' is fo ...

can be found in the park's waters.Parc national du Saguenay - Conservation Mission
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012. The park's waters are also home to four species of whales: the

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known ever to have existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

, the

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured in length, wi ...

, the

minke whale The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...

and the beluga whale. Due to pollution on the Saguenay river, the beluga whale population has significantly decreased in the region. This subpopulation is now considered to be

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Tourism

Saguenay Fjord National Park had 90,550 visitors in 2005, with 90% of those visitors coming from outside the region.Québec investit plus de 5 M$ dans la région du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
SEPAQ. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2012. Activities in the park include over of hiking trails, of skiing trails,

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They t ...

ing, a

Bateau Mouche ''Bateaux Mouches'' () are open, long, and often glass-covered excursion boats that provide visitors to Paris with a view of the center of the city from along the river Seine. They also operate on Parisian canals such as Canal Saint-Martin, whi ...

tour of the fjord, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Visitors can also whale-watch. Accommodations at the park include cabins, huts and campgrounds.Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - Home
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012.

Gallery

Image:Cap Trinité.png, Image:Statue de Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay 02.jpg, Image:Saguenay Fjord Seals.JPG, Image:Baie Éternité.JPG,

References

External links

Saguenay National Park
- official site

- Tadoussac Bird Observatory

{{Authority control National parks of Quebec Protected areas of Côte-Nord Protected areas of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Protected areas of Capitale-Nationale Museums in Côte-Nord Nature centres in Canada Natural history museums in Quebec Protected areas established in 1983 1983 establishments in Quebec