Saguenay River

Saguenay River (Rivière Saguenay)
Saguenay River, inside the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Source	Lac Saint-Jean
- location	Alma, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
- coordinates	48°32′28″N 71°36′54″W / 48.54111°N 71.61500°W / 48.54111; -71.61500
Mouth	Saint Lawrence River
- location	Tadoussac / Baie-Sainte-Catherine, Côte-Nord / Capitale-Nationale
- coordinates	48°07′45″N 69°42′13″W / 48.12917°N 69.70361°W / 48.12917; -69.70361Coordinates: 48°07′45″N 69°42′13″W / 48.12917°N 69.70361°W / 48.12917; -69.70361
Length	160 km (100 mi)
Basin	88,000 km2 (34,000 sq mi)
Discharge	for Saint Lawrence River
- average	1,750 m3/s (61,800 cu ft/s)

The Saguenay River (French: Rivière Saguenay) is a major river of Quebec, Canada. It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. Tadoussac, founded as a French colonial trading post in 1600, is located on the northwest bank at this site.

The river has a very high flow-rate and is bordered by steep cliffs associated with the Saguenay Graben. Tide waters flow in its fjord upriver as far as Chicoutimi (about 100 kilometres). Many Beluga whales breed in the cold waters at its mouth, making Tadoussac a popular site for whale watching and sea kayaking; Greenland sharks also frequent the depths of the river. The area of the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence is protected by the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, one of Canada's national parks.

The Saguenay River was used as an important trade route into the interior for the First Nations people of the area. During the French colonization of the Americas, the river became a major route for the fur trade. The French established Tadoussac, France's first trading post in Canada, in 1600. They named the river for the legendary Kingdom of Saguenay. It is the namesake of Saguenay Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority.