La Mauricie National Park
| La Mauricie National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Wapizagonke Lake viewed from the lookout "Le passage"
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| Location | Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 46°48′N 72°58′W / 46.800°N 72.967°WCoordinates: 46°48′N 72°58′W / 46.800°N 72.967°W |
| Area | 536 km2 (207 sq mi) |
| Established | 1970 |
| Visitors | 149,521 (in 2007) |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
La Mauricie National Park (French: Parc national de la Mauricie) is 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. 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.
The name "Mauricie" was first used in 1933 by Bishop Albert Tessier to designate an administrative region of Government of Québec, for which the Valley of Saint-Maurice is the main feature. The watershed of Saint-Maurice River is also administered in part by the administrative regions of Lanaudière (West), James Bay (North) and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (East). Moreover, the administrative region of Mauricie covers other watersheds including the Champlain River and half the territory of the Batiscanie, Quebec.
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