Outdoor Adventures Meet Culinary Delights in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park
Belugas, biking, beer, and bliss in Quebec.
Courtesy of Bonjour Quebec
One day, you teeter across a suspension bridge after climbing a 280-metre rock face on the Baie Éternité via ferrata, which overlooks Quebec’s vast Saguenay Fjord. Another day, you gasp in delight as you spot dozens of surfacing belugas and inquisitive grey seals on a Croisières AML boat tour out of Tadoussac, a former fur trading post founded in 1599 at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.
The diverse thrills and flavours of the protected Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park area, less than a three-hour drive northeast of Quebec City, are as entrancing as they are underrated.
Begin your explorations at the Musée du Fjord in La Baie, a waterfront community of 20,000. An immersive, spaceship-style presentation reminiscent of Tron or Alien delivers vivid images of the 900-million-year-old Saguenay Fjord, its Greenland sharks and Atlantic cod, and the surrounding boreal forest. Handle starfish and sea urchins in a touch pool, and learn about settler history from blueberry farming to prodigious 19th-century birth rates.
Dining and overnighting at the comfortable Auberge des 21 merge traditional Quebec hospitality with contemporary flair. Pork loin with homemade relish, lentil soup, and Indigenous-inspired smoked salmon with maple sauce pair well with a 2022 Château des Charmes Sauvignon Blanc.
If spending three hours on the aforementioned via ferrata—while relentlessly humming the Indiana Jones theme—isn’t enough outdoor adventure for you, taking an e-bike tour with Vélo Fjord in nearby L’Anse-Saint-Jean is a relaxing add-on. Pedal riverside at speeds of up to 32 kilometres an hour amid maple and birch trees. Pause to admire the Pont du Faubourg: the interior of the covered bridge built in 1929 features paintings of apple orchards and snow-covered houses by local artists.
Photo by Lucas Aykroyd
Photo by Lucas Aykroyd
Craft beer fans love refuelling at La Chasse-Pinte Bistro. Whimsical brews refreshingly infused with herbs are on tap, including Comité Social, a saison with wulong tea, and Incognito, a stout with chicory. Venison burgers and rich chocolate cake with berries also bring mouthwatering appeal.
Understandably, whales are the primary draw for most visitors to the 105-kilometre-long Saguenay Fjord. And the St. Lawrence belugas, with due respect to their minke, fin, and blue whale counterparts, are hyperpopular. However, their population has fluctuated wildly, as you discover on a misty Saguenay Aventures tour aboard the 48-capacity covered Chevelure de Bérénice boat.
In the 19th century, some 10,000 belugas called the river home, but that fell to just 400 by the 1980s. It was a sad consequence of early 20th-century hunting and more recent commercial and agricultural pollution. Today, with renewed conservation efforts, the St. Lawrence attracts roughly 1,500 to 2,200 of the white whales, best viewed between May and October.
More whale education awaits in Tadoussac, where picturesque yellow and green houses overlook the bay alongside the red-roofed Hôtel Tadoussac, founded in 1864. Steps away is the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre. Its highlight is the Ballet des Baleines, a spectacular light-and-sound show in an atrium with Canada’s largest collection of whale skeletons.
You can also take a short drive to the immense Tadoussac sand dunes in hopes of sunset whale sightings. Tackling the steep slopes may evoke thoughts of The Princess Bride, be it the Cliffs of Insanity or Westley and Buttercup’s famous hillside tumble. After this adventurous outing, you’ll surely feel like a hero, whether enjoying Microbrasserie Tadoussac’s pub fare with haskap berry pale ale or indulging in cod filet with saffron sauce and mango cheesecake at the Hôtel Tadoussac’s Coverdale Room.
The St. Lawrence’s north shore has multiple Parks Canada marine interpretation centres, including the dreamlike Cap-de-Bon-Désir. A lighthouse built in 1958 rises above rose bushes, and a trail fringed by yellow birches leads to a sheltered lookout point. It’s a peaceful place to soak up the sound of lapping waves, although less peaceful minke whales sometimes manoeuvre their prey up against the rocks here and then attack from below, according to on-site interpreters.
The southbound ferry crossing from Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles offers more cetacean viewing. A big humpback spouting, for instance, is easily visible and audible on this wide-open, glittering stretch. And after the hour-and-a-half ferry ride, a veggie-laden tofu poke bowl with tahini sauce at Gourmandises Oreka provides a tasty prelude to visiting Putep ’t-awt, opened in 2024. This land-based beluga observation centre is perched on Gros-Cacouna Mountain.
Courtesy of Bonjour Quebec
Courtesy of Bonjour Quebec
Managed by the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation, the site conveys ancient knowledge about Indigenous words and canoe-making practices with interpretive panels along a two-kilometre trail. That ascends to an ultramodern viewing platform with a splendid panorama of the St. Lawrence estuary.
After heightening your appreciation for the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, it is time to dive deeper into the region’s culinary bounty. Why not pair a revitalizing Nordic spa experience that includes saunas and cold plunges at Rivière-du-Loup’s slick Hôtel Universel with beef tataki and pasta carbonara at the on-site Boréal steakhouse?
Nearby Kamouraska, whose name graces a classic 1973 historical movie starring Geneviève Bujold, is also a gourmet’s dream. Enjoy handcrafted salted caramel chocolates at La Fée Gourmande, nibble on wild sturgeon caviar or mushroom arancini at Côté Est, or sip raspberry and rhubarb wine or berry liqueur at Vignoble Amouraska.
The French pun in the stylish fruit winery’s name is appropriate, as you may find yourself falling in love with this special, unspoiled part of Quebec.
