. Park Experience - Parc marin du Saguenay – Saint-Laurent - National Parks - Sépaq

Parc marindu Saguenay–Saint‑Laurent

Park Experience

Crossroads of Life, Sources of Exchange and Wealth

With a surface area of 1,245 km2, the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park extends across a representative portion of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord. The park is entirely composed of water; it includes everything found in the water column, from the ordinary high tide mark to the seabed.

There are two ways for you to discover the many and varied riches that the marine park has to offer: by land or by sea. But why not do both?

A number of sea cruise companies can transport you to the heart of the marine world for a meeting with the giants of the sea. For a high-quality eco –responsible cruise, choose a member company of the Eco-Whale Alliance.

Your contact with the marine world can also take place on dry land! The marine park’s natural and cultural riches will be explained to you through a network of interpretation centres and observation sites located at the edge of the park. Grouped together as the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park Discovery Network, individual member sites call upon you to explore a theme related to the marine environment.

The marine park invites you to visit the Network sites where you will discover, understand and appreciate their hidden marvels. Since the Network is expanding by the year, you can take advantage of each of your visits to assimilate new facets of this extraordinary environment.

Consult the Visitor’s Guide to learn about the range of activities offered and to plan your stay in keeping with what interests you most.


Discover the Park Through Interpretation

Parcs Québec presents a marine park with a wide range of activities you’ll love. Take a peek at the 'Get to Know' section at www.parcmarin.qc.ca to find the activity that most interests you.


Discovery and Visitors Centre

During your visit to the park, make sure not to miss:

  • The Fjord du Saguenay Discovery and Visitors Centre, in the Baie-Éternité sector, offering a number of discovery activities with a focus on the fjord and its numerous features; water sports in a majestic bay; and many hikes that culminate on summits with remarkable views of Parc marin du Saguenay-Saint-Laurent.
  • In autumn, La Maison des Dunes, in collaboration with the Tadoussac Bird Observatory, will introduce you to ornithological research activities as you participate in the “Give in to the charms of the boreal owl” activity. There you will also find dune landscapes with millennial histories.
  • At the Le Béluga Discovery and Visitors Centre, in the Baie-Sainte-Marguerite sector, you will discover posted activities, theatrical entertainment, an autonomous rally, and a permanent exhibit on this little white whale that is now endangered. On the road to Halte du béluga, where you can do some beluga watching from an observation deck when the whales are in the bay, you will come across the remains of a former sawmill called Bay Mills.

Did you know?

At the marine park, we know our whales!

For over 30 years, the St. Lawrence River whales have been the subject of scientific monitoring. One technique is to use photo-identification, a method designed to identify and recognize individuals who return, year after year, to the waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary. This is how we know that Tic-Tac-Toe the humpback whale, Jawbreaker the blue whale, and Newkie Brown the fin whale, are among the marine park’s most regular summer visitors.

Thanks to Fonds Éco-Baleine, a fund established by members of Eco-Whale Alliance, the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) created a unique catalogue for the general public, grouping the best known large rorqual whales of Parc marin du Saguenay-Saint-Laurent. In addition to offering a genuine family photo album of the whales, this synthetic volume portrays various whale research projects being carried out in the marine park.

So that the wheel continues to turn…

The Large Roqual Catalogue is an essential complement to your visit to the marine park. By purchasing it, you too can help conserve the St. Lawrence whales since all profits go to Fonds Éco-Baleine.

You can find the catalogue at Tadoussac’s Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre, AML Cruise shops, the observation and interpretation sites of Pointe-Noire and Cap-de-Bon-Désir, and the Parks Canada Marine Environment Discovery Centre at Les Escoumins, as well as at either of the Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay shops, in Baie-Éternité or Baie-Sainte-Marguerite.


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