The Réserve faunique de Portneuf (Portneuf Wildlife Reserve) is a public territory for the conservation, development and practice of recreational activities, in Haute-Batiscanie. Its territory extends in the townships of Pothier, Lapeyrère, Bois, Laurier, Lasalle, Colbert (small part), Roquemont (small part) and Tonti, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Portneuf, in the part west of the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, in Canada.

The enhancement of the natural heritage of the reserve involves various interventions relating to the conservation, restoration and development of habitats. Several research projects in the reserve allow us to understand the dynamics of ecosystems.

Understand

In this reserve, the forest cover is of mixed type, with a predominance of deciduous trees, consisting mainly of: birch, maple, fir and spruce.

Main attractions

This reserve has typical attractions of the boreal forest, being at the northern limit of the transition zone of the Laurentian Shield and the St. Lawrence Plains. This reserve offers recreational tourism activities in a wild nature, centred on the landscape, the forest, the flora and the fauna. The main activities on the territory of this reserve are hiking, observation of flora and fauna, picking wild fruits, camping, nautical activities (swimming, pleasure craft, canyoning, canoe-camping), mountain biking, fishing and hunting (bear, moose, white-tailed deer and small game).

The main attractions of the park are natural, with special arrangements for the interest and safety of visitors:

• Marmite Falls in Rivière-à-Pierre,
• hollow casting sector leading to a very popular viewpoint, especially in winter,
• Cap-à-l'Aigle trail,
• Vulture trail,
• exceptional site of the Bellevue campsite, which has two marked hiking trails.

The reserve offers 12 chalets for vacation stays. These chalets are linked by two separate networks of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails accessible from the chalets. The marked trails total 50 km; they are traced and mechanically maintained. This network of winter trails includes ten relays equipped with wood stoves, to take a break. In winter, the skating rink and the big slide are located near Lac Travers; a heated relay is available. In addition, water bodies are accessible for ice trout fishing.

In addition, the reserve offers various packages combining accommodation and several recreational tourism activities.

Fauna

The aquatic fauna of the reserve is mainly: muskellunge, moulac, arctic char, shadow of a fountain (speckled trout) and lake trout (gray trout). Terrestrial wildlife mainly includes: beaver, white-tailed deer, coyote, snowshoe hare, moose, black bear and fox. The reserve has more than 70 species of winged fauna including: white-throated sparrow, wood duck, ruffed grouse, great blue heron, green heron, warbler, little owl, common loon and spruce grouse.

History

This reserve was created in 1968 with the objective of democratizing hunting and fishing in Quebec. Previously, the territory was operated by 22 private hunting and fishing clubs.

The toponym of the wildlife reserve evokes the seigneury of the same name granted in 1636 by the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France to Jacques Leneuf de La Poterie. The first Portneuviens settlers settled around 1636 near the port at the mouth of the river "port neuf" (meaning "new port"). Leneuf de La Poterie would have added the last syllable to the usual toponym to form the word Portneuf. Toponymically, the common name Portneuf applies to 14 entities or places, in particular: the seigneury, the regional government, the wildlife reserve, the city, the former county of Quebec, a lake and three rivers.

Geographical maps

This wildlife reserve has many granite hills and valleys often well enclosed between the mountains. The relief altitude generally varies between 450 m and 600 m; the minimum altitude is 333 m. in the northeastern part of the territory. This reserve has 375 lakes and eleven rivers, in particular: Batiscan River, Rivière à Pierre, Blanche River, Jeannotte River.

Inside the Reserve, the road network is forest-type and has a gravel surface entirely.

Go

Directions to the reception desk located at 229 rue du lac Vert, Rivière-à-Pierre.

By car

• From Montreal (253 km (157 mi). Time: 2 hr 49 min, take highway 40 (north shore) heading east, to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade; take road 354 (northbound) to Saint-Casimir; take route 363 (northbound), crossing the villages of Saint-Ubalde, Notre-Dame-de-Montauban and Rivière-à-Pierre; take rue Principale (eastbound) to the reception desk of the reserve, which is located near Lac Vert, on the north side of the village.
• From Quebec (city) (99 km (62 mi). Time: 1 hr 19 min, take highway 40 (direction West), until Neuville; take route 365 (northbound) passing through the villages of Pont-Rouge, Saint-Raymond, Saint-Léonard-de-Portneuf and Rivière-à-Pierre ; take the rue Principale (eastbound), until the reception of the reserve.

Get around

Geographical maps

On its website, SÉPAQ makes available to the public, in particular:

• General map of the Portneuf wildlife reserve: General map of the Mastigouche wildlife reserve;
• Maps specific to each zone of the Réserve faunique de Portneuf, in particular each of the eight campsites, driving directions for access to the chalets in winter, for access to the campsites from the Rivière-à-Pierre entrance and for access to campsites from the Talbot entrance;
• a stay guide for each type of hunting: small game, white-tailed deer, moose and bear;
• a particular map of 36 main lakes.

Note: Users should consult the SÉPAQ website before visiting the reserve; they can book their package there according to the desired activities.

See

• . 

Do

Summer activities

• Chasse (Hunting). (updated Dec 2021)
• Pêche sportive (Sport Fishing). Anglers can read the 2022 fishing plan on the SÉPAQ website. (updated Nov 2021)
• Sentiers de randonnée (Hiking trails). The map of hiking trails is available on the SÉPAQ. (updated Dec 2021)

Winter activities

• Sentiers de ski de fond et de raquettes (Cross-country ski and snowshoe trails). (updated Dec 2021)

Drink

There are no bars or liquor stores in Portneuf Wildlife Reserve

Sleep

Chalet

• Chalets pour des séjours en villégiature (Chalets for resort stays) (to access the Saint-Bernard campsite with tent trailers, trailers and recreational vehicles, SÉPAQ recommends the Pins-Rouges reception). (updated Dec 2021)
• Chalets Modik. (updated Dec 2021)
• Camps rustiques (Rustic camps). (updated Dec 2021)

Camping

• Eight campsites. (updated Dec 2021)

Go next

• 1 ZEC de la Rivière-Blanche – Controlled exploitation zone (ZEC) covering 729 km² (281 sq mi) in the county of Portneuf. It is bounded to the south by the Portneuf wildlife reserve and to the west by the Zec Jeannotte; to the east by the Zec Batiscan-Neilson and to the north by the Laurentides wildlife reserve.

• 2 ZEC de la Bessonne – Controlled exploitation zone (ZEC) covering 524.5 km² (202.5 sq mi), straddling the territories of La Tuque, La Bostonnais and Lac-Édouard. It is 10 km east of downtown La Tuque. Six rivers cross its territory.
• 3 ZEC Jeannotte – Controlled exploitation zone (ZEC) located in the municipality of Lac Édouard, about 30 km east of the town of La Tuque. Its territory, which is an island, is more or less framed by Lake Édouard, the Jeannotte River and the Batiscan River.
• 4 Réserve faunique des Laurentides – Formerly designated "Parc des Laurentides", this park covers 7,934 km² (3,063 sq mi) straddling the Capitale-Nationale and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions. This park is part of Quebec's wildlife reserves.
• 5 La Tuque City of Haute-Mauricie, Quebec, with 11,000 inhabitants in 2016. The three Indian reserves which are landlocked on its territory, have their own administration. This vast territory of 28,099 km² (10,849 sq mi), especially forest, is a paradise for recreational and tourism activities.
• 6 Lac-Édouard Municipality of Haute-Batiscanie, the village of Lac-Édouard is located on the shores of Lake Édouard. It is famous for its forestry and for its recreational tourism activities. (resort, outfitters, nautical activities, snowmobiling, mountain biking).
• 7 ZEC Batiscan-Neilson Controlled zone of exploitation (ZEC) of the MRC of Portneuf, forming part of the hydrographic slope of the Sainte-Anne river.