Ten Reasons to Explore the Rivers of St. Lawrence and Saguenay

St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and creates international border between Canada and US. With the Saguenay River, they offer many attractions, especially for nature lovers.

1. Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St. Lawrence, is known for seal watching. Towards the end of the winter, hundreds of thousands of them arrive from Greenland.

photo by  http://www.nationalparkstours.com/parks-canada/appalachian/harp-seal-watch/index.html

2. Perce Rock, Gulf of St. Lawrence, is a huge rock formation. It is one of the world’s largest natural arches located in the water. It once had four arches, now only one remains and it is to disappear in about 400 years.

Photo by John Davidson

3. Bonaventure Island National Park, near Perce, is known for a migratory bird sanctuary.

Photo by frimminjimbits

4. Havre St. Pierre, on the other side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a short ferry ride from the town takes you to Mingan Archipelago National Park, which is home to about 30 lime stone islands known as flower pots.

Photo by http://www.cruisesaintlawrence.com/EN/stopovers/passengers/Activities/8/Havre-Saint-Pierre.aspx

5. Where St. Lawrence River connects with Saguenay River discover Tadoussac, first discovered by Jacques Certier in 1535. The gateway to the Saguenay fjords is known for whale watching.

Photo by http://www.quebecmaritime.ca/en/nature-getaways/sea-excursions

6. Saguenay Fjord National Park is known for its rugged beauty of the Saguenay fjords, second to the Norwegian Fjords.

Photo by http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/curiosites0.html

7. Quebec, back on St. Lawrence River, is known for its charming Old Town.

Photo by http://www.cntraveller.com/guides/north-america/canada/qu%C3%A9bec/where-to-stay

8. Upper Canada Village, midway between Montreal and Kingston, lets you experience life in a bustling 1860’s community.

Photo by Gordon Wolford

9. Thousand Islands, where St. Lawrence River merges with the Lake Ontario, is an archipelago of 1,864 islands.

Photo by http://www.maxsonairfield.com/

10. Fort Henry, Kingston, constructed during the War of 1812 fought between US and UK.

Photo by Torontonian