Aiguebelle National Park

Aiguebelle National Park occupies a remarkable geographical position, located precisely on the watershed line that crosses its territory from the northwest corner to the middle of its eastern boundary, determining whether the waters that originate there flow toward Hudson Bay or, in nearly three-quarters of cases, toward the Saint Lawrence River basin. This exceptional hydrographic feature, combined with the presence of over 80 lakes spread throughout the territory — including the major lakes Loïs to the north and Sault and La Haie in the fault zone sector — bestows upon the park a remarkable ecological richness representative of the clay belt characteristic of the natural Abitibian region. The history of this protected area dates back to 1945, when the Quebec government, noting that rapid colonization of Abitibi had created a critical shortage of wildlife habitat, selected Aiguebelle township, whose relatively poor lands were ill-suited to agriculture, to establish a hunting and fishing reserve. After several successive changes in status over the decades, the territory officially became a national park in 2001, now protecting 55 species of mammals characteristic of the boreal forest — moose, wolves, lynx, black bears — as well as 150 bird species, including some twenty warblers, making Aiguebelle a prime destination for hiking, wildlife observation, and fishing for walleye, northern pike, lake trout, and brook trout depending on the sectors you explore.