The Land of Giants

Few people know the eastern reaches of Route 138 as intimately as Guillaume Hubermont. The Belgian-born writer spent years exploring Québec's North Shore and later chronicled the journey in Côte-Nord: visite guidée sur la route 138, a guide to the region.

He first drove the route in 2007, following a woman he'd fallen for. Travelling east from Québec City through Baie-Saint-Paul, Tadoussac, Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles, he gradually left the familiar behind. By the time he reached Sheldrake, in the heart of Minganie, he was awe-struck.

"I felt like I had landed on another planet," he said.

“This road feels as though it was poured directly into the taiga. It follows the St. Lawrence the entire way, but even more than that, you're always right beside the water. "

River to River

It is easy to forget how recently the road arrived here, dwarfed by the scale of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and its rugged coastline.

Until 1960, Route 138 ended in Sept-Îles. It reached Havre-Saint-Pierre in 1976, Natashquan in 1996, and finally reached Kegaska in 2013. 

Along its route, it crosses river after river in Innu territory.

In Minganie, the rivers are more than landmarks. They have shaped communities, sustained livelihoods and carried stories for generations.

Route 138 crosses Manto Sipo, also known as the Sheldrake River, once an important salmon-fishing post.

Farther east, it spans the sheltered harbour of U'suk Sipo, or Rivière au Tonnerre, before reaching Mutehekau Hipu, the Magpie River, whose dramatic cliffs and powerful current have earned it recognition as one of the world's most beautiful rivers - and recently even granted legal personhood.

Beyond Mutehekau Hipu, the road continues past renowned salmon rivers, including the Saint-Jean (Usasumekw) and the Aguaniche. It crosses Ekwanto, the Mingan River, once home to a significant missionary settlement, and Unamen Shipu, the Romaine River, which is now greatly diminished by hydroelectric development. Eventually, the road reaches the broad sandy bay of the Natashquan River, whose surprisingly warm waters are a well-kept secret.

Together, they form the backbone of the region.

“The water, the sea, our rivers, our beaches, that’s what draws people here," says Isabelle Richard, a proud resident of Minganie and regional tourism manager. "It’s immense and still largely untouched.”

The Islands

There are countless reasons to make the journey east: fishing and kayaking, Innu culture, festivals and long stretches of wild coastline.

Yet without question, the region's most iconic attraction is the protected Mingan Archipelago. Even locals return again and again to admire the roughly 40 islands, where limestone monoliths shaped by centuries of erosion rise from the gulf and Atlantic puffins nest along the shore.

Geneviève Cormier, who has worked with the Parks Canada National Park Reserve for more than a decade, is one of them.

Like many North Shore residents, she heads to the islands every summer, especially when welcoming visiting friends and family.

The magic never fails.

The landscape holds countless secrets: geological formations dating back 465 million years, metamorphic granite bedrock and hundreds of Arctic-alpine plant species.

“Without a guide explaining it to us, we would never know,” says Geneviève, who strongly encourages visitors to seek out interpretive activities with knowledgeable guides.

Local sea excursions that get visitors out on the water and to the islands.

Île aux Perroquets, home to puffins, razorbills and its iconic lighthouse, and Île Nue, known for its low vegetation and smaller monoliths, can be accessed from Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan.

From Havre-Saint-Pierre, visitors can reach Quarry Island and Niapiskau Island, where the most dramatic monoliths are found.

Quarry Island is particularly popular for hiking and camping, as are several other islands in the archipelago.

A word of caution: attempting to visit both sectors in a single day is ambitious in this land of giants.