Lake Gilman, near 3rd Street

Chibougamau, population 7500, is the largest regional centre in Northern Quebec. First founded as a mining village in 1950, Chibougamau was incorporated as a municipality in 1954.

Get in

By car

From southern Québec, the general route to Chibougamau-Chapais is Route 167 from Lac St-Jean, from where it is possible to travel to Trois-Rivières via Shawinigan and Roberval on Route 155. Western Québec and Ontario are connected to Chibougamau by Route 113, connecting to Route 117 at Louvicourt near Val-d'Or. Both routes are paved with a speed limit of 90 km/h.

The North Road (Route du Nord), an isolated gravel road, connects Chibougamau to the James Bay Road (Route de la Baie-James).

By bus

• Intercar, 501 4ième rue, G8P 1A1 (one block south of Hôtel Chibougamau), ☏ +1 418-547-2167, toll-free: +1-800-806-2167, fax: +1 418-547-0923. Intercar (2249, rue St-Hubert, Jonquière G7X 5P1) operates a bus service to Chibougamau. Their buses are available through most of the province, including Quebec City and the Saguenay region. 

By air

• 1 Air Creebec, Chibougamau/Chapais Airport (midway between Chibougamau and Chapais along Route 113), ☏ +1 418-748-3764. Daily flights from Montréal-Dorval (except Sat). From Chibougamau, YMT  ^IATA is 18km southwest.  

Get around

There is no public transport in Chibougamau. There are two local taxi services on 3rd Street:

• Taxi Diamond, 473 3ième rue, Chibougamau G8P 1N6, ☏ +1 418-748-7725. 
• Taxi Coop, 557 3ième rue, Chibougamau G8P 1N8, ☏ +1 418-748-7651. 

See

• Mining Discovery Centre (Centre d'intérêt minier de Chibougamau), 924 Route 167 nord, G8P 1P1, ☏ +1 418-748-4209. Museum in former Bruneau mine covering mining history from the ancient Pharaohs search for gold to modern times, plus a guided tour of the mine itself. 

• Cree communities: Chibougamau is the largest regional centre to visit the aboriginal Cree communities of Oujé-Bougoumou (47 km west) and Mistissini (86 km north). Oujé-Bougoumou was designed by renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, who designed the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Québec, and has received UNESCO recognition as a model community due to sustainable development practices and cultural preservation.

• Wildlife abounds. Bears are sometimes visible at the municipal dump.

Do

• Centre de plein air du Mont Chalco, 264 route 167, G8P 1N4, ☏ +1 418-748-7162. Snowboarding, ski rental, 11 slopes, a triple chairlift, a tube run, snowblades, 29 km (18 mi.) of cross-country ski trails and a snowshoe trail. 
• Club de Golf de Chibougamau, 130, rue des Forces-Armées, G8P 2K5, ☏ +1 418-748-4709, golfchibougamau@hotmail.com. Nine-hole golf course, golf cart, club and ball rental, restaurant, conference facilities. Mid-May to mid-Sept. 
• Escapade Boréale, 1252 route 167, Chapais G8P 0A8, ☏ +1 418-770-8351. Tent, canoe and parasail rental. 
• Paraski Boréal, ☏ +1 418-770-8342, paraskiboreal@hotmail.com. Kite skiing. Paraski Flex and IKO instruction and equipment. 
• Lake Gilman. Walking, biking and fishing. 
• Mini-Golf, 651, 3e Rue, ☏ +1 418-748-2225. 18 holes. Chess club “Les fous de la tour de glace” on-site. 
• Pourvoirie Chibougamau, Lac Laganière, route 167 Nord, La Doré (8km N of Chibougamau), ☏ +1 418 630-6898. Outfitter and fishing camp with 2-6 person cottages (kitchen, running water, propane, patio, shower, BBQ). 
• Salle de quilles Bolorama, 160, avenue Lafontaine, ☏ +1 418-748-7286, toll-free: +1-877-420-5996. Eight-lane bowling alley. from $10. 
• Snowmobile trails. These lead across the province, from Rouyn-Noranda through Chibougamau to the Saguenay. 

Eat

All of the following restaurants are located on 3e rue.

• Au Petit Bedon, 466 3ième rue, G8P 2X6, ☏ +1 418-748-6045. 
• Casse Croûte Louka, 586 3ième rue, ☏ +1 418-748-2232. 
• Chateau Chibougamau, 966 3ième rue, ☏ +1 418-748-6447. 
• Chez Jo-Anne, 541 3ième rue, G8P 1N8, ☏ +1 418-748-7980. 
• Chez Julie, 541 3ième rue, G8P 1N8, ☏ +1 418-748-7444. Dinner style restaurant serving breakfast, hamburgers, poutine and other rather greasy dishes. 
• Le Coq Rôti, 453 3ième rue, G8P 1N6, ☏ +1 418-748-1144. Chicken rotisserie belonging to a province wide chain, they serve various chicken dishes as well as pasta and pizza. 
• Rendez-Vous Copains, 920 3ième rue, G8P 1R5, ☏ +1 418-748-3494. 

Drink

All of the below bars are located on 3e rue.

• Le Gwillim, 560 3ième rue, G8P 1N9, ☏ +1 418-748-7533. Popular local nightclub that attracts a very young crowd, impressive selection of shooters. 
• La Ptite Broue, 535 3ième rue, G8P 1N6, ☏ +1 418-748-4848. Another fairly popular pub that attracts a good crowd on weekends. 
• Pub Royal, 502 3ième rue, G8P 1N9, ☏ +1 418-748-3643. Popular local bar/sports bar/pub, with music weekend nights, serving a wide variety of imported and local beers, liqueurs and absinthe, as well as various dishes. 
• Le Rendez-Vous at the Hôtel Chibougamau typically attracts a large aboriginal crowd. Pool table and gaming machines.
• Le CabArrêt is the local strip club.

Sleep

All of the following accommodations are located on 3e rue (Route 167):

• Éco-Camping (municipal campground), 512 Route 167 Sud, G8P 2X8, ☏ +1 418-748-7276, fax: +1 418-748-1110. Mid-May to Labour Day, 42 campsites for tents and RV's on Lac Sauvage, sports field and equipment, playground, wi-fi, wood, showers, laundry, bicycle rental. Pet-friendly. Just outside the city on route 167. 
• Motel Harricana, 1000 3ième rue, G8P 1R7, ☏ +1 418-748-7771, fax: +1 418-748-2887. 100 rooms, TV/radio, VCR, laundry, conference facilities for 175 (restaurant/bar). 
• Motel Nordic, 966 3ième rue, G8P 1R6, ☏ +1 418-748-7686, toll-free: +1-888-748-6673, fax: +1 418-748-6538. 52 rooms, a/c, dvd, wi-fi, refrigerators. Resto-Bistro Roméo et Juliette seats 86; a conference room seats 30. 
• Hôtel Chibougamau, 473, 3e rue, G8P 1N6, ☏ +1 418-748-2669, fax: +1 418-748-2107. Large hotel in centre of town with Internet, video, minibar, laundry, meeting facilities, «Le Bon Accueil» restaurant, «Le Rendez-vous» and «La Tourelle» bars.