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Lac-Mégantic is a town of 6000 people in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, near the Maine border.

Caution Note: Access to the downtown area remained blocked due to a deadly 6 July 2013 oil train derailment. This affects solely a section bounded by rue Villeneuve in the north, the Chaudière River to the south and the Lac Mégantic waterfront in the west. Rue Frontenac, the town's main street, is closed, as is the downtown waterfront. The tourist information bureau, city hall and l'Eau Berge inn are inaccessible. The marina and a portion of Veterans' Park reopened in 2015, but many local businesses and landmarks have been destroyed, including the town's library (now rebuilt elsewhere) and archives. Most remaining downtown structures will be demolished in 2015 due to petroleum contamination. Oil from the 2013 trainwreck had contaminated the banks of the Chaudière River and the marina, although the water of the lake itself remained pristine; the worst of this ecological damage has now been cleared. All destinations outside the downtown, including area campgrounds, bicycle trails and two provincial parks, remain open. The lake itself remains accessible outside the downtown area.

Understand

Lac-Mégantic

Lac-Mégantic was established in 1884 as a stop on a former Canadian Pacific railway line which ran from Montréal and Sherbrooke eastward across northern Maine to Saint John, New Brunswick. The region is 98% francophone.

A small lakefront town in an isolated location on the Québec-Maine border, Mégantic has traditionally relied on natural resources, forestry and tourism as economic mainstays. Hunting and fishing have traditionally been popular in the region.

The region is mountainous and well known for its granite.

Visitor information may be obtained by calling +1 819-583-5515 or +1-800-363-5515.

Get in

Map
45°35′13″N 70°54′0″W
Map of Lac-Mégantic

The last passenger train through Lac-Mégantic ran in 1994; the "Atlantic" service from Montréal to Saint John was ended when the Canadian Pacific rails were sold to a short-line railway.

By car

One can reach Lac-Mégantic from Sherbrooke (100 km, 60 miles) by taking Québec Route 108 east to the village-relais of Stornaway, then following Route 161 South through Nantes. Route 161 becomes the town's main street. From Quebec City (200 km, 120 miles), take Autoroute 73 to Beauceville, then Route 108 West to Route 161.

By bus

By boat

  • Marina Lac-Mégantic, 3535, boulevard Stearns, ☏ +1 819-583-5085. Municipal marina with 115 reserved slips and five spaces for short-term visitors. Fuel, sewage pumpout, boat launch ramp, equipped platform for sailboat mast installation. 

Get around

The "Mégantic" tourist region is not the town itself but a wide rural area 50km (30 miles) in radius encompassing a lake, two major provincial parks and a large amount of mountainous terrain. While there are good cycle paths (des pistes cyclables) in the area, this is a lot of ground to cover and an automobile will prove invaluable.

By car

Rue Frontenac (Quebec Route 161) is closed at the edge of downtown and will remain closed well into 2015; use boulevard Jean-Marie Tardif or rue Papineau as a bypass when travelling across the Chaudière River.

By bicycle

Cycle trails and bicycle rentals are available at various in-region points, including Frontenac National Park.

By taxi

See

Mont-Mégantic Observatory
  • 1 Astrolab, Mont-Mégantic National Park. Mountaintop astronomical observatory and Mount Megantic Popular Observatory at the summit of Mont Mégantic, includes access by shuttlebus. Guided tours. Events include the Popular Astronomy Festival, the Perseid Festival (August 10–14) and snowshoe hiking (raquette au flambeaux) in winter. $11-23/person plus park admission. 
  • 2 Concerts Entre chien et loup, Parc de l'OTJ de Lac-Mégantic. 8PM Thursdays, summer only. Weekly open-air show featuring local and emerging musical talent. Free. 
  • 3 Sainte-Agnès Church. 
  • 4 Maison du Granit, 301, route du Morne, Lac-Drolet G0Y 1C0, ☏ +1 819-549-2566. 9AM-5PM daily, 10AM-5PM except Monday off-season. Museum in former granite quarry site, 20km north of Lac-Mégantic. $10.50/person. 
  • 5 Moulin Bernier (Bernier Mill), 100, rue du Moulin, Courcelles G0M 1C0, ☏ +1 418-483-5646, fax: +1 418-483-3540. May-Oct 10AM-5PM, closed Mon-Tue. Museum and old mill, conference and exhibition facilities, Internet access, park with former Quebec Central RR caboose and Expo-Train. $5/person. 
  • 6 Parc de la Croix-Lumineuse, rue Lafontaine, Frontenac G6B 1H4. A prime lookout point to view the region from the Rencontre au Sommet (signpost at 500m altitude); bring your binoculars. Picnic tables. Accessible by motorcar. Free. 
  • Route des Sommets. 157 km (100 mile) signed tourist route from La Patrie to Stratford through the mountains. 

Do

Baie des Sables in wintertime
  • 1 Centre Sportif Mégantic, 5400, rue Papineau, ☏ +1 819-583-0630. Open skating, swimming and badminton. Arena for 1200 spectators, indoor pool and gym constructed in 2011. 
  • 2 Cinéma Mégantic, 1977 route 161, Lac-Mégantic G6B 2S1, ☏ +1 819-583-4970, fax: +1 819-583-6789. Two 3-D movie screens, English-language films shown Thursdays. From $5/person. 
  • 3 Club de golf de Lac-Megantic, 1039 route 161, Lac-Megantic G6B 2S5, ☏ +1 819-583-4810. 
  • 4 Complexe Baie des Sables, 2370, chemin du Lac, G6B 2S5, ☏ +1 819-583-3965. Beachfront park on the shore of Lac Mégantic. Cabins, camping, canoeing, kayak and pedal boat rental. Restaurant and bar on-site. Playground, picnic area, docks and boat launch. $9/car, $11/camper. 
  • 5 Le Vent du Sud, 254, rang des Grenier, Piopolis G0Y 1H0, ☏ +1 819-583-0202. Equestrian centre. Lessons and one-week summer camp available. $30/person for 45-minute horseback tour. 
  • 6 Mont Gosford, Woburn, ☏ +1 819-544-9004. 8AM-4PM (6PM Sat) info kiosk. Tallest summit in southern Québec, hiking and cycling trails. Camping $8-24, chalets $82-140. $2.50/person, $9/car. 
  • 7 Frontenac National Park, 177, route du parc de Frontenac, Saint-Daniel G0N 1S0, ☏ +1 418-422-4021. Provincial park with campgrounds, boating, canoeing, snowshoeing, hiking and cycling on the shores of Grand lac Saint-François. Refuges for close to 200 bird species and over 30 mammal species. Frontenac National Park on Wikipedia 
  • 8 Mont-Mégantic National Park, 189 Route du Parc, Notre-Dame-des-Bois J0B 2E0, ☏ +1 819-888-2941, toll-free: +1 800-665-6527, fax: +1 819-888-2943. Provincial park with two mountains (Saint-Joseph and Mégantic) to climb on foot or by motorcar. ASTROlab astronomical interpretation centre on-site. Open year-round. Hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowshoe hiking, bird and nature watching. Park is 50km (30 miles) from Lac Mégantic village. park access $6.50/person, campground $27-38/night. Mont-Mégantic National Park on Wikipedia 
  • 9 Théâtre de la première scène, 160 Route 263 South, Marston, ☏ +1 819-582-4158. French-language live summer theatre. $22/person. 

Events

Buy

  • Marché Public (Public Market), 5400, rue Papineau (Centre Sportif). mid-June to end Sept, 9AM-2PM Saturdays. Public market with opportunity to sample local and regional produce, on sport centre grounds (or indoors in case of rain). 
  • 1 Aux Jardins Couverts (Fraisières et framboisières Carmen & Gaétan Roy), 1919, route 161, Nantes G0Y 1G0, ☏ +1 819-583-3498. Pick your own strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in-season. Maple products and organic vegetables. 

Eat

Drink

  • 1 Brasserie Laval, 4661, rue Laval, ☏ +1 819-583-2524. Bar with patio, live music some weekends. 
  • 2 Musi-Café, 5601, rue Papineau, ☏ +1 819-583-4433. Bar with live music, obliterated by the 2013 train derailment with much loss of life; a new Musi-Café opened on Papineau Street on December 15, 2014. 
  • 3 Resto-Bar Le Friand, 3280, rue Laval, ☏ +1 819-582-4242. 7 days/week. Restaurant and bar. Breakfast, steak, seafood, pizza, pasta. 

Sleep

  • 1 Au Ruisseau Jaseur, 337 Rang des Grenier, Piopolis G0Y 1H0, ☏ +1 819-583-2494. Cottage rentals on the Lac Mégantic shore in Piopolis. $800/week. 
  • 2 Auberge et Chalets sur le Lac, 2000, chemin du Motel-sur-le-lac, Frontenac G6B 2S1, ☏ +1 819-583-0293, toll-free: +1-800-263-0293, fax: +1 819-582-4011. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Rooms and chalets for rent, refrigerators, boat docks on-site, outdoor pool. Whirlpool bath in some rooms. Additional charge for pets. $95-145/night. 
  • 3 Le Quiet, 3284 Laval St, G6B 1A4, ☏ +1 819-583-6666, toll-free: +1-888-778-7018, fax: +1 819-583-4871. Check-in: 2-10PM, check-out: noon. 47 room hotel/motel, wi-fi, meeting facilities, restaurant adjacent. 
  • 4 Les Victorines du lac, 1886 Route 161 South, Frontenac G6B 2S1, ☏ +1 819-583-6904, toll-free: +1-866-494-6904, fax: +1 819-583-6906. 17-room country inn with dining room, meeting facilities for up to thirty people. $60-120/night. 

Connect

The Lac-Mégantic downtown post office has been relocated to Carrefour Lac Mégantic (3560 Laval Street, [1]); Main Street post offices in Piopolis (415, rue Principale G0Y 1H0) and Nantes (1267, rue Principale G0Y 1G0) remain open. Wi-fi is available at McDonald's on Laval Street.

Go next

This city travel guide to Lac-Mégantic is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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