The Rest of the Province
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, 100km (60 miles) north of Montral, is the hub of a resort area providing some of the best skiing in North America. Further north, the Mont-Tremblant Park provides boating, hunting and camping as well as wintersports. Northwest of this is La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, a protected lakeland wilderness; and further on, the mining territory centred on Rouyn-Noranda. L’le d’Orlans, east of Qubec City, is a region of picturesque Qubcois villages. In front of the Ile d’Orlans are the Montmorency Falls and further east, the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr and Mont Sainte-Anne. The latter is the main ski resort in the famous Laurentians (or Laurentides) skiing region, which is also a provincial park.
Heading northeast from Qubec along the southern bank of the St Lawrence, the main route leads first through the farming region of Bas-Saint-Laurent and from there to the Gasp Peninsula. The major attractions here are the Rocher Perc in the Gasp Provincial Park and Forillon National Park.
Across the mouth of the river is the Duplessis Peninsula, site of some of the earliest landfalls in the New World. Remains left by these Viking sailors can be seen in the museum at Sept-les, the largest city in the area. The bizarre geological formations of the nearby Mingan Archipelago are best explored by boat.
The Magdalen Islands, 215km (134 miles) east of the Gasp peninsula in the Gulf of St Lawrence, offer miles of white sandy beaches and a host of unspoilt fishing villages.
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