Jacques-Cartier National Park
Jacques-Cartier National Park was created in 1981 from the southern parts of the Laurentian Wildlife Reserve. The park attracts hundreds of thousands of new visitors to the grounds every year. Visitors are treated to beautiful views all around the area, plenty of chances to see wildlife, and outdoor activities to enjoy.
Some of the most beautiful areas were made by the natural land formations that the park is widely known for. The movements of glaciers caused a smooth oval shaped hill to develop. Another formation developed around the same time the hill did and it is a deep valley that was made by the accumulation of all the glacial debris. These two land formations combined together make up a large part of the park, the rest of the park is a plateau. All of the formations combine to allow for a safe haven for all different types of animals, especially considering that there are three different types of forestation within the park. The plateau allows for a coniferous forest that includes trees like black spruce, whereas the valley is more inviting to deciduous trees like sugar maples and yellow birch. The name of the park is derived from the river called the Jacques-Cartier River, which flows through the park and creates an ecosystem that is isolated and protected from outside influence. Because the park is its own ecosystem it is able to support both plant and animal life within the area.
The valley area of the park is the most abundant area of the park, teeming with a wide variety of plants and the wildlife that are attracted to the vegetation. Jacques-Cartier National Park has been working on a conservation program to increase the caribou population in the Quebec area. Caribou are animals that mainly stay in the same area they were born in, but the Quebec population had slowly died away until Jacques-Cartier National Park took the initiative and started breeding the caribou in captivity and releasing the parts of the population that had been born on park grounds. Because of this project, there is now a greater chance than ever of seeing a caribou within the park grounds. More than eight of the herd of forty two caribou that were tracked, frequented the park on a regular basis. For the best chance of seeing a caribou, visit the plateau areas of the park where there is lichen and bogs. Other than sighting
caribou within the park, there is the likelihood of seeing trout in the river, lynx, moose, white-tailed deer, black bear, river otter, the gray wolf, the red fox, porcupines and beavers. For the bird watchers, there are over one hundred and thirty different species of birds that visit the park throughout the year. As you find your way around the park you will find that there are plenty of activities as well.
At Jacques-Cartier park there is always something to do. For the avid hiker, there are plenty of different trails to go on. You will never become bored as there are over 100 km of trails within the park grounds. If you prefer to be a bit more independent of a trail, there is always the option of going to areas that are designated for cross-country hiking (meaning there is no trail). If you would rather bike than walk, there are plenty of bike only trails too. To explore the Jacques-Cartier River take a canoe or kayak for the day. In the winter, snowshoeing and skiing are the more popular activities.
There is a reason that so many different people travel to visit the Jacques-Cartier National Park. There is always something new to see or do. The land formations formed by way of the glaciers created a hill and a valley that attract an amazing array of wildlife to the area. Exploring the area is quite pleasurable and there are plenty of different activities to enjoy as you take in all the park has to offer.
