Franquelin

Franquelin Catholic Church

Franquelin is a municipality in Manicouagan, in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, in Quebec in Canada. It is located on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route). It is part of the tourist region of Manicouagan. Its territory corresponds to that of the township of Franquelin.

The main attractions of the municipality of Franquelin are:

• resorts: especially along the coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, particularly in the main village and the hamlet of Pointe-Mistassini;
• the "Village Forestier d'Antan" museum reconstructing life in the forest in lumber camps; this museum is educational and offers various activities for visitors;
• sport fishing: its bodies of water, streams and rivers are suitable for sport fishing;
• hiking trails: the nine hiking trails each have their own character. The path leading to the Croix de Franquelin is bucolic;
• excursions on the trails by ATV or snowmobile; these excursions allow to appreciate the hinterland of mountains and forests;
• boating: the coast offers intoxicating panoramas, especially seen from the sea (with pleasure boats), with its promontories, rocky capes and bays;
• 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.

In short, Franquelin is a kingdom of lakes, mountains, immense forests and with a rugged coastline, allowing you to admire the riverside panorama and indulge in a variety of recreational and tourist activities in the heart of nature.

Understand

The small, quaint and modern main village is located on the west bank of the Thompson River. It is embedded between the mountains. The municipality also has hamlets: hamlet of Pointe Mistassini and hamlet of Pointe St-Nicolas. The sandstone is present mainly between Pointe Mistassini and the mouth of the Thompson River (in the main village). Apart from the riparian strip, the rest of the territory is generally uninhabited; it is accessible by mountain bike (in summer) or by snowmobile (in winter).

Get in

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

By car

• From Montréal (697 km (433 mi). Time: 8 hr 21 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 Franquelin.

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

Route 138, which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf, is the main road serving the municipality of Franquelin.

See

• 1 Franquelin Forest Village of Yesteryear (Village Forestier d'Antan de Franquelin), 16, rue des Érables (Historic village located along the Thompson River), ☏ +1 418-296-3203. Heritage museum interpreting and commemorating a crucial period in the development of the North Shore: the establishment of the forest industry at the beginning of the 20th century. This museum has a reconstruction of a lumber camp built of logs. The museum offers guided tours and various activities bringing the lumberjack experience to life, introduction to fishing, identification and conservation of plants, panoramic guided hikes and special events. The site offers Ready-to-Camp accommodation. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 St. Nicholas Tunnel (Tunnel St-Nicolas), route Jacques-Cartier (route 138). 500-m-long tunnel, built in 1960 in Franquelin. It passes under a mountain whose summit is 147 m, on the west side of the St-Nicolas River. (updated Jul 2022)

Do

Franquelin is a hiking kingdom with nine trails of different calibers. These trails offer a variety of panoramas: bay, stream, river, mountain... and the magnificent view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. These trails allow, depending on the location, the observation of nature, flora, terrestrial and winged fauna.

Trail	Distance	Time (estimated)	Ratings
Pointe-à-la-Croix and via the Pointe à la Croix Trail	10.1 km	2 hr 25 min	Type: moderate. Famous for running.
Anse du Loup Marin	3.5 km	1 hr 10 min	Type: moderate.
Sentier de la Croix Franquelin	2.4 km	1 hr 3 min	Type: easy.
Anse au Loup Marin trail	2.7 km	1 hr 5 min	Type: easy.
Franquelin River Waterfall	7.1 km	1 hr 39 min	Type: moderate.
Saint-Pancrace Stream Waterfall	1.3 km	40 min	Type: moderate.
Franquelin River via the Forest Village	4.0 km	49 min	Type: easy. Starting from the village and going up the Franquelin river.
Anse Saint-Pancrace	5.5 km	1 hr 7 min	Type: Easy. Loop in the Boreal Regional Park.
Bay of Anse Saint-Pancrace	4.0 km	1 hr 21	Type: easy. Loop in the Boreal Regional Park.

Buy

• 1 Bakery of Anton Franquelin (Boulangerie d'Anton Franquelin), 7, rue des Cèdres, ☏ +1 418-296-6575. Bakery. Other food products: pizza, pies, buns, molasses biscuits, chicken pot pie, creton, coleslaw, and various types of bread. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Dépanneur Légaré & Lévesque inc, 11, rue des Cèdres, ☏ +1 418-296-1464. Convenience store. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Auberge Franquelin et Motel, 27, rue des Cèdres (facing the St. Lawrence River, in the village of Franquelin, near the Thompson River), ☏ +1 418-298-0002. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Village Forestier d'Antan de Franquelin, 16, rue des Érables (along the Thompson River), ☏ +1 418-296-3203. Heritage museum interpreting and commemorating a crucial period in the development of the North Shore: the establishment of the forest industry at the beginning of the 20th century. The site offers Ready-to-Camp accommodation with three Prospector-style camps. (updated Jul 2022)

Go next

Routes through Franquelin

New York State ← Elgin ← Montréal ←

W  E

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

• 1 Baie-Comeau Industrial city offering many events (e.g., musical and epicurean events, the Côte-Nord Beer Festival) and recreational tourism services: guided heritage tour, hiking trails, sea kayaking, Via Ferrata, paddle board, observations of marine mammals and aquatic birds, sea excursions, visits to local port facilities, campsites.
• 2 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.
• 3 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. The main attractions are the dams and hydroelectric power stations built on the Manicouagan River.