Portrait

History

This territory was initially created under the name of Réserve de la Route-Mont-Laurier-Senneterre in 1939-the year when Route 117 from Mont-Laurier to Abitibi was to be completed. With this increased accessibility, it clearly had to be protected by a special status. About ten years later, the Québec government raised it to park status and gave it the name of La Vérendrye to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of this famous explorer (1685-1749). Not until 1979 did this huge territory become a wildlife reserve.

Two Algonquin localities, Grand-Lac-Victoria and Lac-Rapide, lie within the limits of the wildlife reserve.

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye, the younger son of a Trois-Rivières governor, was born in 1685. After serving in the army when he fought the English in Massachusetts and Newfoundland, he set out to find the Western Sea. The mapmakers of his time thought the sea lay near the Great Lakes, but no one managed to find a westward-flowing river. His exploration career continued until 1742. By then, he had extended New France's boundaries and forged ties with new Aboriginal tribes.

Attractions

Réserve faunique La Vérendrye, with its immense territory, has several exceptional attractions.

Its two huge reservoirs, Cabonga and Dozois, alone provide an inexhaustible source of adventure.
Canoe-camping is possible on 800 km of scenic routes through lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.
There is a permanent exhibit at the Southern Registration Centre: fur-bearing animals, fish, and birds.
Interpretation trails:

Chutes du lac Roland: theme on the adaptation of animals and plants to their surroundings. Interpretation panels on the Algonquin nation.

Le Domaine: self-interpretive trail on the use of timber.

Baie des sables of Grand lac Victoria: wetland trail with boardwalk from the Du Till Campground to the Baie des Sables Campground.