Baie-Trinité

Baie-Trinité is the gateway (coming from the east) to the tourist region of Manicouagan, in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, in Quebec. It is located on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route).

Baie-Trinité Catholic Church

Baie-Trinité offers various services to travellers on Route 138. The main attractions of the municipality of Baie-Trinité are:

• vacationing: especially in Pointe-des-Monts (and in this area of the coast), in the village of Baie-Trinité, in the hamlet of Petit-Mai and in the hamlet of Islets-Caribou;
• sport fishing: deep-sea fish can be caught directly from the shore at Pointe-des-Monts because 300 metres from the shore, southwest of Pointe-des-Monts, the water depth already reaches 300 metres;
• camping: three campgrounds are open offering various services and outdoor activities;
• hiking trails: the coastal path, between Pointe-à-Poulin and Anse à la Morue (near Pointe-des-Monts) is a must in a vacation schedule;
• excursions on the trails by ATV or snowmobile; these excursions allow to appreciate the hinterland of mountain and forest;
• the accommodation offer in bed and breakfasts and inns, allowing you to walk either in the village of Baie-Trinité or in the Pointe-des-Monts area, to appreciate the riverside panorama;
• the beaches: especially on the coast between Pointe-des-Monts and Pointe-aux-Anglais in Port-Cartier; depending on the location, the sandstone can stretch up to 750 metres at low tide;
• pleasure cruising; visitors can admire the promontories and bays of the coast, between the villages of Godbout and Baie-Trinité, with pleasure craft; the riverside panorama thrills the adventurers of these wild spaces and accessible only by sea (except Pointe-des-Monts);
• picking wild berries in the summer season: cranberry, black crowberry (called "black berry" on the North Shore), partridge bread (called cranberry or red berry), blueberry and raspberry;
• observation of marine mammals and avian species from land sites or on sea excursions.

In short, Baie-Trinité offers a paradise of picturesque old fishing hamlets, a bucolic coastline, legendary sandstones at low tide and opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Understand

Baie-Trinité is made up of the following villages: Baie-Trinité-Ouest, Baie-Trinité and Baie-Trinité-Est. In addition, this municipality has small hamlets distributed along the coast (in order from the north): Ruisseau de l'Ours, Islets-Caribou, Petit-Mai, Pointe-à-Poulin and Pointe des Monts.

Geography

Dam on the Trinité River in Baie-Trinité

Sandstone at low tide in Baie-Trinité

Pointe-des-Monts is an important narrowing point of the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the northern coast. Pointe-des-Monts face Les Méchins, which is on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River; the distance between the two shores is 45 km.

Unlike the rest of the North Shore, the route of Route 138 deviates from the coast for 35 km between the village of Baie-Trinité and Godbout (at the Godbout River bridge); this distance from the shore goes up to 9.3 km, in the Lac des Monts area.

Between the villages of Godbout and Baie-Trinité, the coast of the St. Lawrence River has many steep promontories and wild coves that are accessible only by sea. Grande Anse St-Augustin is the largest of these handles; it is embedded between cliffs and a small island in the middle; it presents a sandstone at low tide. This cove is a bucolic place to visit by sea kayak or pleasure craft. This coastal area, between the mouth of the Petite Rivière Godbout (to the west) and the Pointe des Monts, has remained intact for millennia: no logging, farming or mining. Thus, this area has remained natural since the passage of native sailors and explorers, the Basques, Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain and the Acadians.

The waters along the northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are pure, crystal clear, salty and cold. Coming from the Atlantic, the Labrador current enters through the Strait of Belle-Isle against the current towards the west in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, going up along the North Shore. The waters of the Côte-Nord rivers mix with the highly saline and oxygenated waters of the Labrador Current. This mixing of waters generates a marine ecological environment that is reputed to be one of the richest on the planet. This environment is inhabited by a variety of crustaceans, molluscs, marine fish, seals and dolphins, as well as plankton and large cetaceans.

History

Baie-Trinité Cemetery

Pointe-des-Monts is an old hamlet near (south side) the old lighthouse which was erected in 1829-30. Since then, this post proved to be a chief town on the coast of the North Shore, then almost uninhabited. The local community was then made up of First Nations (Indigenous) fishermen, seal hunters and trappers. Pointe-des-Monts reached its peak around 1880; then this hamlet gradually declined before disappearing. After the Second World War (1939-45), only the family of the lighthouse keeper lived in this place.

Following the commissioning of a new automated lighthouse, Pointe-des-Monts is uninhabited during the winter season. In 1964, thanks to the efforts of the last lighthouse keepers, the Pointe-des-Monts Lighthouse narrowly escaped demolition; it is then acquired by the Quebec government. In 1965, Pointe-des-Monts was classified as a historic monument by the Government of Quebec. The site then became a major element of Quebec's maritime heritage. Subsequently, a rich exhibition on the history of the place is presented in the lighthouse museum.

Get in

The village of Baie-Trinité is accessible by road, boat (via Saint Lawrence River), airplane, snowmobile and all terrain vehicles.

By car

• From Montréal (756 km (470 mi). Time: 8 hr 51 min. From downtown Montreal, take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (east); take route 132 (east), highway 20 (east); then successively Highway 73 (north), Highway 40 (east) and Route 138 to Baie-Trinité.

By bus

• Intercar (on Rte 138), ☏ +1 418-665-3443, toll-free: +1-800-806-2167. Intercity bus from Quebec City to Baie-Comeau, via Baie-Saint-Paul, La Malbaie, Tadoussac and Godbout. (updated Jul 2022)

Get around

The main traffic route is the 138. The chemin du Vieux Phare stretches over 11 km to reach Petite anse St-Augustin, at Pointe des Monts; then stretches another 2 km to the northeast along the coastline. The panoramic view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and its coastline is worth the detour.

Do

• 1 Municipal rest area (Halte routière municipale), route 138 (located in the village, facing Trinity Bay). A rest area is nearby, on the edge of Trinity Bay. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy

• 1 Chiasson Convenient Store (Dépanneur Chiasson), 46, route 138 (Baie-Trinité-East sector), ☏ +1 418-939-2286, steevewinner@gmail.com. Daily 07:00-20:00. Convenience store, gas station, SAQ agent, ready-to-eat, smoked fish... (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Épicerie J-B Dubé, 18, rue Monique, ☏ +1 418-939-2291. Grocery. (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Crustacés Baie-Trinité inc, 75, route 138, ☏ +1 418-939-2510, cbtinc@globetrotter.net. Specialties include snow crabs and lobster. (updated Jul 2022)

Eat

• 1 Cantine Black Pearl, 4, rue St-Laurent, ☏ +1 418-444-6373. Quebec restaurant. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Camping Restaurant Domaine Ensoleillé 2000, 15, route 138 (9.8 km north of the centre of the village of Baie-Trinité), ☏ +1 866-939-2002. Restaurant serves the general public and campground vacationers. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Phare de Pointe-des-Monts, 1830, chemin du Vieux Phare, ☏ +1 418-939-2400. This hostelry centre is an attraction of the North Shore that is worth the detour. Accommodation is in one of the rooms of the former lighthouse keeper's house. This centre has an exhibition inside the lighthouse (spread over the seven floors) which traces the history of this station. This lighthouse has long served as a landmark for sailors and ships. At the top of the lighthouse (21 metres) the panoramic view is breathtaking. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Le Gîte de Pointe-des-Monts, 1937, chemin du Vieux Phare, ☏ +1 866-369-4083. Country cottages facing the gulf. (updated Jul 2022)

Campings

• 3 Camping de la Baie, 2, rue St-Laurent, ☏ +1 418-939-2010. This campground offers 40 campsites equipped with all three services, with sanitary blocks. (updated Jul 2022)
• 4 Camping du Gîte du Phare de Pointe-des-Monts, 1937, chemin du Vieux-Phare, ☏ +1 418-939-2332, toll-free: +1-866-369-4083. This campground offers six campsites, six semi-serviced sites and sites for travellers. Accommodation possible in a chalet. Main activities include fishing and cycling with a beach. (updated Jul 2022)
• 5 Camping Restaurant Domaine Ensoleillé 2000, 15, route 138 (9.8 km north of the centre of Baie-Trinité), ☏ +1 866-939-2002. Campsite offering 85 sites (including 44 with services for recreational vehicles) and a variety of adventure and outdoor activities. With restaurant service. (updated Jul 2022)

Go next

Routes through Baie-Trinité

New York State ← Elgin ← Montréal ←

W  E

→ Kegaska → (discontinued between Kegaska and Bonne-Espérance)→Bonne-Espérance → Blanc-Sablon → Labrador

• 1 Godbout The main attractions and recreational tourism activities are: hiking in the forest or near the St. Lawrence River, land-based whale watching sites, sea kayaking expeditions, shellfish gathering, hunting, fishing, snowmobile and ATV trails.
• 2 Rivière-aux-Outardes An unorganized territory that's a great place for hunting & fishing, ATV and snowmobile excursions, picking wild berries, as well as observing the fauna, flora and land relief.
• 3 Port-Cartier It has services for travellers and recreational tourism activities: resorts, hunting and fishing, museums and historic sites, parks, heritage circuits, fine sandy beach stretching over 11 km in Pointe-aux-Anglais.