Aiguebelle National Park

Lore & Background

The park's origins date to 1945, when the Government of Quebec, after settlement of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, identified a lack of wildlife space. It selected the canton of Aiguebelle to create a hunting and fishing reserve due to poor land quality. Camping and hiking trails opened in 1976, and the reserve became a wildlife reserve in 1980. In 1985, the reserve was split to create the Conservation Park of Aiguebelle (241.7 km²). Following public consultation in 1998, the wildlife reserve was abolished and the park expanded to its current size. It gained provincial park status in 2001 after an amendment to the Parks Act.

Reader's Guide

Aiguebelle National Park is significant for preserving a representative sample of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue clay belt and the Abijévis hills, including Mount Dominant, the highest summit in Abitibi at 570 meters. Its geology features ancient pillow basalt formations over 2.7 billion years old, part of the Superior Craton, with traces of volcanic activity. The park straddles two major watersheds—Hudson Bay and the Atlantic—with nearly three-quarters of its water draining into the Saint Lawrence River. It hosts over 80 lakes, including Aiguebelle, Lois, Sault, and La Haie. The park's boreal forest supports species like white birch, black spruce, and balsam fir, alongside lowland species such as yellow birch and eastern white pine. Its fauna includes 55 mammal species (moose, beaver, grey wolf, Canada lynx) and 150 bird species, with lake trout and brook trout in the hills and walleye and northern pike in the plains. The park is managed by SÉPAQ and serves as a key conservation and recreation area in western Quebec.

Did You Know?

• The park contains Mount Dominant, but it is not the highest summit in Abitibi; the highest point in the region is Mont de l'Aigle (or other higher points).
• Its geological formations are over 2.7 billion years old, composed mainly of pillow basalt formed at the bottom of the ocean.
• The park straddles the watershed line between Hudson Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
• It was named after the canton of Aiguebelle, not after Charles Névair Aiguebelle.