Les Chenaux

Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality (MRC Les Chenaux) is an area east of Trois-Rivières, in Mauricie. It sits between the villages of Champlain and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade on north shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Cities

• 1 Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel — A charming village in Basse-Mauricie, on the south side of Shawinigan. The large settlement, it offers shops and services, and a variety of recreational tourism activities: hiking trails, sports facilities, wilderness along the Saint-Maurice River and various leisure activities.
• 2 Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain — A picturesque village with a great history agricultural, forestry and maple growing) whose territory is coverts the plain and the moraine where several maple groves are in operation.
• 3 Saint-Stanislas — A village with a great recreational tourism history, in particular thanks to the resort and nautical activities on the Batiscan river. The Batiscan River Park (at the edge of Sainte-Geneviève), the Manitou rapids (at the edge of Saint-Adelphe) and the waterfall of the Jesuit mill on Rivière-des-Envies are distinctive attractions.
• 4 Saint-Narcisse — A village straddling the seigneuries of Batiscan and Champlain. Its built heritage reflects the great history of all eras. These five rivers, its wetland (northern part), the Rivière-Batiscan park, the Saint-Narcisse dam and the Dupont house are distinctive features.
• 5 Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan — At the foot of the moraine, this village is a hotbed for vacationing, camping and other recreational tourism activities. Batiscan Park highlights the Batiscan River and the Chutes River. Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan has a great local past to tell you about.
• 6 Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade — World capital of the tomcod with its village on the ice (in January and February) which hosts an average of 100,000 tourists per year.
• 7 Batiscan — A village that benefits from its position on the banks of the St. Lawrence River and the Batiscan River, giving it great appeal for boating, its large marina and its beaches. The "chemin du roi" (King's road) allows you to admire the river and the restored ancestral houses. Heritage tours, in particular the old presbytery.
• 8 Champlain (Quebec) — Picturesque town on the edge of the St. Lawrence River and crossed by the "chemin du roi" (King's Road). Visitors visualize the great history of the old church in virtual reality with their tablet or smartphone. In summer, vacationing and boating significantly increases the number of residents.
• 9 Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes — An attractive village with an agricultural character as well as its architecture mixing ancestral and modern buildings.
• 10 Saint-Maurice (Les Chenaux) — A welcoming village in the Basse-Mauricie with both a modern and old character and an important agricultural activity.

Understand

Before the arrival of the French, the region was occupied by the Iroquois First Nation from the St. Lawrence. Although these Indigenous people were sedentary, no village associated with this culture has been found at Les Chenaux. They dispersed around 1580 without leaving a trace, possibly victims of the conflicts between the various Indigenous nations. The region was then frequented by the Algonquins and the Atikameks.

The colonization Les Chenaux began in 1664 with the concession of the seigneury of Champlain to Étienne Pézard de La Tousche. It was followed by the Batiscan (1666) and the seigneuries of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade (1667).

Get in

By car

Autoroute A-40, or principal highways Route 138, Route 157, or Route 159.

By bus

The MRC des Chenaux transport service runs buses from Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan to Notre-Dame-de-Mont-Carmel, as well as some trips within the MRC.

By plane

The nearest airport is in Trois-Rivières.

Get around

MRC des Chenaux transport service runs sporadic buses on routes:

• Sainte-Anne de la Pérade — Sainte-Geneviève de Batiscan — Batiscan — Champlain — Saint-Luc de Vincennes — Trois-Rivières
• Saint-Narcisse — Saint-Maurice — Our Lady of Mount Carmel — Three Rivers
• Sainte-Anne de la Pérade — Saint-Maurice — Saint-Stanislas — CLSC Sainte-Geneviève — Le Tremplin Sainte-Geneviève

See

The Domaine seigneurial Sainte-Anne (Manoir Madeleine de Verchères) in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade is a former seigneurial estate presenting the story of three famous people who lived there. The site is decorated with gardens.

Do

The Saint-Prosper Sugar Festival takes place in late April, in Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, with family activities and lots of sweet food.

The Batiscan River Park in Saint-Narcisse, offers zip lines, a Via Ferrata, marked trails for hiking, and camping.

The Sacred Circuit is a tourist circuit on the Chemin du Roy to appreciate the religious heritage of three Catholic churches (Champlain, Batiscan and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade), an old presbytery (Batiscan) and a unique crypt (Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade). (June to August)

Batiscan, village in the wind is an annual kite competition in Batiscan.

The village of Champlain has laid out two heritage tours that celebrate its architecture and history.

La Gabelle Park in Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel allows you to practise sport fishing, or to indulge in walking or hiking, and cross-country skiing trails in winter.

Eat

Visit one of the many cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks) scattered across the region to enjoy a hearty traditional Québécois meal and sample fresh maple syrup products. Early spring, when the maple sap is running, is the best time, but some cabanes à sucre are open year-round.