Aguanish is a small waterfront municipality on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Minganie region, on the North Shore in eastern Quebec, on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route).

Aguanish is a larger-than-life haven of relaxation, on the Whale Route. This village offers services to travellers from Route 138. The main attractions of Aguanish are:

• the Watshishou Bird Sanctuary (and located west of Pointe Pashashibou (east of the mouth of the Pashashibou River) and shared with the municipality of Baie-Johan-Beetz);
• the magnificent fine sandy beaches stretching for several kilometers both east and west of the mouth of the Aguanish River; in addition, several natural bays near the hamlet of Île-Michon are worth the detour;
• its ATV and snowmobile trails that connect to the route Blanche of the Lower North Shore.

Understand

• 1 Aguanish Tourist Information Office - Parks Canada Welcome Kiosk, 250, route Jacques-Cartier (paired with the Parks Canada reception kiosk), ☏ +1-418-533-2228. Center providing tourist information on the attractions and services of the Côte-Nord region. (updated Jul 2022)

Geography

Aguanish covers the townships of Drucourt and Costebelle. The municipality includes the main village and the hamlet Île-Michon.

History

Michon Island

Aguanish was founded in 1849 with the arrival of brothers Xavier and Olivier Rochette, originally from Berthier; they had settled at the mouth of the Nabissipi River. The toponym of the hamlet of Île-Michon would evoke the November 1876 sinking of Captain Jean-Phidyme Michon's ship; other sources rather attribute the origin of the toponym to the fact that Jean Michon, a craftsman landed on the island opposite the village to build fishing boats there. In subsequent years, other settlers from the Magdalen Islands joined the fledgling community. The subsistence economy was centered in the summer on cod and salmon fishing; in the winter, the men would trap to produce fur.

The toponym Agyanish means "little shelter" in innu-aimun.

Get in

The Route 138 bridge spanning the Aguanish River in the village of Aguanish is located 339 km by road, east of downtown Sept-Îles.

By car

Route 138 from Sept-Îles is the only national road in the region. It continues east through Havre-Saint-Pierre (67 km), Natashquan (83 km) and up to Kegaska (135 km) where Route 138 ends. route 138 reappears approximately 400 km further on at Vieux-Fort, near Blanc-Sablon.

Route 138 arrived in Aguanish in 1996. For 20 years, from 1976 to 1996, Havre-Saint-Pierre was the end point east of Route 138, which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence; which generated a considerable tourist development. The engineers' challenge was to build infrastructure to span several rivers, including (in order from west to east from Sept-Îles): Moisie, Matamec, aux Loups Marins, Pigou, au Bouleau, du Sault Plat, Tortue, at Sault Blanc, Manitou, at Graines, at La Chaloupe, Sheldrake, Couture, Jim-Hearst, Moyac, Duck, at Tonnerre, Brûlée, Béline, Magpie, Saint-Coeur, Saint-Jean, Mingan, Kamenakapeu and Romaine. In 1996, another segment of Route 138 was opened up to Natashquan, further east. Finally, in 2013, the final segment of this road reached Kegaska.

By bus

• Intercar, ☏ +1-418-547-2167, serviceclient@intercar.ca. (updated May 2022)

By plane

The hydrobase (designated "Aguanish Waterdome") is located at the wharf on the west bank of the barachois at the mouth of the Auguanish River.

Get around

Route 138 (east-west direction) is the main road through Aguanish.

See

Aguanish River

Nabisipi River

Pashashibou River

Do

• 1 Aguanish Beach (Plage d'Aguanish) (on a peninsula stretching southeast to partially block the mouth of the Aguanish River). (updated Jul 2022)
• Pas du Portageur trail (Sentier le Pas du Portageur). Distance: 12.2 km. Trail between Route 138 and the coast, offering superb views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. (updated Jul 2022)
• Sentier de la Baie Jalobert (located in the western part of Aguanish). From Route 138, the trail leads near two small bays attached to Jalobert Bay. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy

• 1 Bonisoir - Dépanneur Supérette, 188, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-533-2103. Convenience store. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 SAQ Agence - Dépanneur Aguanus, 188, route Jacques-Cartier, toll-free: +1-800-587-2727. Liquor store. (updated Jul 2022)

Eat

• 1 Cantine Chez Kathy, 122, rue Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-533-2111. Restaurant. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Restaurant Le Goynish, 237, rue Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-533-2357. Restaurant. Smokehouse. Canadian dishes and seafood. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Outfitter Nabisipi UenapeuHipu (pourvoirie Nabisipi UenapeuHipu), Route 138 (east side of the Nabisipi River in the Richardière Township) (at kilometer 1333 of route 138, in Innu territory), ☏ +1 450-544-5999. (updated Jul 2022)

Camping

• 2 Camping-Relais De Cayes, 101, route Jacques-Cartier (at the eastern exit of the village), ☏ +1 418-533-2002. Campsite with a bar-café. (updated Jul 2022)

Connect

The three main cellular/mobile telephone networks provide coverage in and around the municipality; however, there are large areas along the routes to Sept-Îles and Kegaska (December 2018) not served.

• 2 Canada Post, 250, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-538-2811. Post office. (updated Jul 2022)

Go next

Routes through Aguanish

New York State ← Elgin ← Montréal ←

W  E

→ Kegaska→(discontinued between Kegaska and Bonne-Espérance)→Bonne-Espérance → Blanc-Sablon→Labrador

• 1 Baie-Johan-Beetz Located in Minganie, this picturesque municipality showcases its natural resources to serve travelers and tourists: its bucolic coastline, its magnificent bays, its islands along the coast, the Quetachou Falls trail, the Pontbriand River park, the Château Johan-Beetz, its municipal campsite, its BJB Solidarity COOP, hunting and fishing activities, and vacationing.
• 2 Natashquan Since the mid-19th century, Natashquan had been a community focused on cod fishing, seal hunting, trapping, and the fur trade. At the end of Route 183, its main tourist attractions are: the old school, the general store reconstituted in 39 themes, the promenade of the Elders, the pebbles where the cod were salted and stored. Gilles Vigneault (poet, author, composer, performer, storyteller) who is an internationally renowned artist, made Natashquan, his native village, famous.
• 3 Anticosti This natural island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is the largest island in Quebec. It is known for its outdoor activities, fishing and deer hunting. Main attractions: falls of the Vauréal river, the Petit Canyon of the Chicotte river, Port-Meunier, observation of flora and fauna.
• 4 Lac-Jérôme Unorganized territory of the MRC Minganie, in the Côte-Nord region. This territory is a hunting & fishing paradise under the aegis of outfitters, with access by seaplane. It can be crossed by snowmobile.
• 5 Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve One of the four National Parks of Canada in Quebec. String of islands near the coast known for their monoliths and for birdwatching. The park is located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Rivière-au-Tonnerre along Route 138, or facing Havre-Saint-Pierre.