La Tuque

Understand

A town of over 11,000 people (2011), its local economy is based on pulp and paper; the city has a pulp-milling centre and a major hydroelectric station. As the gateway to the upper Mauricie, La Tuque's economy also offers outdoor tourism opportunities and caters to hunting and fishing trips in its large hinterland; the city is known as the Queen of Haute-Mauricie and the Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie canoeing race begins at La Tuque. La Tuque has a lively town centre with many shops (e.g., specialty shops, restaurants) and offering many services (e.g., accommodation). This city centre is surrounded by mountains and vast forests favoring recreational and tourist activities. La Tuque has an area of 28,294 km2 (10,924 sq mi), of which 3,316 km² are covered with fresh water.

History The territory of La Tuque was first inhabited by Atikamekw Indigenous people. In the early 1850s, settlers were drawn to the area to exploit the forest resources. The La Tuque Post Office opened in 1887, but the area remained isolated from the rest of the Mauricie until the early 1900s when the National Transcontinental Railway was built, prompting industrial development and the growth of a community on the east bank of the Saint-Maurice River where there was a large set of falls. In the 1940s, the hydro-electric generating station on the Saint-Maurice River was built, resulting in the partial destruction of the rock formation that gave the town its name. Founded in 1911, the city occupies a site known to the French since 1651. In 2003, the city merged with the municipalities of La Bostonnais, La Croche, Lac-Édouard, the municipality of the village of Parent, as well as all the non-organized territories within the Haut-Saint-Maurice RCM. La Tuque therefore becomes the second largest municipality in Quebec for its area. In May 2010, some 120 forest fires broke out around La Tuque, burning until June. Smoke from these fires reached portions of Eastern Ontario and southe

Getting there

The village of La Tuque is accessible by air, road and rail.

By car From Trois-Rivières (161 km (100 mi), time: 1 hr 50 min), take highway 55 north; then take route 155 (northbound), from the Grand-Mère sector. From Chambord (intersection of route 169) (133 km), time: 1 hr 28 min), to Lac-Saint-Jean, take route 155 (westbound) to La Tuque. From La Tuque, the village of Parent is accessible by forest road 461 (25) (211 km (131 mi), time: 4 hr 10 min). From Saint-Michel-des-Saints, the road to Parent is (242 km (150 mi), time: 5 hr 10 min). From Val d'Or (Abitibi), the road to Parent is (346 km (215 mi), time: 7 hr 9 min). From La Tuque, the village of Obedjiwan is accessible by forest road 461 (25), then RO-450 (424 km (263 mi), time: 6 hr 13 min). From route 155 (Grand-Mère to Chambord) and route La Tuque to Parent, many forest roads give access to remote areas (hamlets, Zec, hunting and fishing camps, forest camps).

Taxi Taxi La Tuque, ☏ +1 819-523-2525. (updated Oct 2021)

By bus Transport collectif Haut St-Maurice, ☏ +1-819-523-4581, toll-free: +1-855-523-2971. Daily bus service between Trois-Rivières and La Tuque including a stop in Shawinigan. Travel time to La Tuque from Shawinigan is 2 hours and from Trois-Rivières is 2.5 hours. (updated May 2022)

By train

2 La Tuque station, 550 Rue St Louis. (updated Oct 2023) VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates train routes across Canada. (updated Mar 2022) Operates a route between Senneterre and Montreal including stops in La Tuque, Hervey-Jonction, Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Justin, and Joliette. Travel time to La Tuque from Senneterre is 6 hours, from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours, and from Montreal is 5 hours ($50 one way as of 2021). The route makes one round trip per week. Trips from Montreal depart Fridays at 8:15 am and depart from La Tuque on Sundays at 2:53 pm toward Montreal.

By plane

On runway Some outfitters have a private airstrip, such as the "Pourvoirie Barrage Gou

Getting around

By taxi Taxi La Tuque, ☏ +1 819-523-2525. (updated Apr 2019) 13 Electric vehicle terminal, 575 rue St-Eugène, ☏ +1 800-686-9243. Charging station for electric vehicles. (updated Oct 2021)

See

1 Parc des Chutes de la Petite Rivière Bostonnais (Falls-of-the-Petite-Rivière-Bostonnais Park), 3701, Blvd Ducharme, ☏ +1 819-523-5930, toll-free: +1-877-424-8476. May to October. Regional park. See the 30-m waterfalls. Walk to the observation tower to take a look at the panorama of the Saint-Maurice River. Kids' playground. (updated Apr 2019) 2 Parc des Trois Soeurs (Three Sisters Park), Route 155 (Deveriche sector: from La Tuque, take the bridge that spans the Saint-Maurice river. Turn left on Bourassa Street and continue for 7 km following the road signs towards Lac La Tuque. Bourassa sector: cross the bridge spanning the Saint-Maurice river; turn left onto rue Bourassa for 5 km. Continue on Canton Vallières Road for 5 km. Take a forest path on the right to the end where the parking lot is located), ☏ +1 819-676-5091, toll-free: +1-877-424-8476. 11 km of trails with a difference in height of 280 m. Linear municipal park on the west bank of the Saint-Maurice river, facing the hamlet of Carignan, south of the village of La Tuque. Campsite at Lake Bédard. A shuttle service is available to cross the Saint-Maurice River at: +1-819-523-8134 (by reservation). Free. (updated Oct 2021) 3 Parc Saint-Louis (Saint-Louis Park), 320, rue de la Plage (in the northwestern part of the town of La Tuque), ☏ +1 819-676-5091, toll-free: +1-877-424-8476. Municipal aquatic park with Lake Saint-Louis and the Sakihikan Centre (La Tuque Native Friendship Center (CAALT)) offering a complete immersion in the life of the Native people. Park with mature trees, decorative fountains and a water fountain in the centre of Lake Saint-Louis. This park offers the public many services and activities, including rental of nautical equipment and changing rooms, swimming on a supervised beach, walking, picnic and rest areas. Floating docks are placed on the lake. The park is a natural amphitheatre and a place of large gatherings (e.g., National Aboriginal Day and National Day of Quebec). The site wa

Do

Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie, ☏ +1 819 537-9221. Labour Day weekend in early September. The canoe, kayak and rabaska competition follows a route from La Tuque to Trois-Rivières. Founded in 1934. (updated Oct 2021) 1 Colisée Denis-Morel (Coliseum Denis-Morel), 375, rue St-Joseph, ☏ +1 819-523-2191, [email protected]. Main sports groups: Hockey Mineur La Tuque, Club de patinage artistique Les Pirouettes du Nord, Les Loups de La Tuque (LHSAAAQ). (updated Oct 2021) 2 Piscine municipale (parc St-Eugène) (Municipal swimming pool, St-Eugène park), 550, rue Lucien-Filion, ☏ +1 819-523-8200 ext 2702, [email protected]. The town of La Tuque makes two swimming pools available to the public: the indoor swimming pool at the Champagnat Sports Complex (fall, winter