La Mauricie National Park

La Mauricie National Park
Parc national de la Mauricie
Wapizagonke Lake viewed from the lookout "Le passage"
Map showing the location of La Mauricie National Park
Map showing the location of La Mauricie National Park
Location of La Mauricie National Park in Canada
Map showing the location of La Mauricie National Park
Map showing the location of La Mauricie National Park
Location of La Mauricie National Park in Québec
LocationSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates46°48′N 72°58′W / 46.800°N 72.967°W / 46.800; -72.967
Area536 km2 (207 sq mi)
Established22 August 1970
Visitors278,923 (in 2022–23[1])
Governing bodyParks Canada
Map

La Mauricie National Park (French: Parc national de la Mauricie) is a national park located near Shawinigan in the Laurentian mountains, in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It covers 536 km2 (207 sq mi) in the southern Canadian Shield region bordering the Saint Lawrence lowlands. The park contains 150 lakes and many ponds.

The park lies within the Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion.[2] The forests in this region were logged from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century. The park's forests have regrown and contain a mixture of conifers and mixed deciduous trees.

Wildlife in the park includes moose, black bears, beavers and otters. It supports a small number of wood turtles, rare in Canada. The park is a popular location for camping, canoeing and kayaking.

The park is named after the nearby Saint-Maurice River to the east of the park. The Matawin River flows along the west and north borders of the park.

  1. ^ Canada, Parks. "Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Open Government Portal". open.canada.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  2. ^ Olson, D. M; E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.