Rivière-au-Tonnerre travel guide

Riviere au tonnerre.jpg (Photo: Tonnerre, Public domain)

Rivière-au-Tonnerre is a picturesque municipality of the region of Minganie, on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River, in Quebec. It is on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route).

It is a member of the Fédération des Villages-relais du Québec. It's a great place to just hang out and enjoy nature, especially since there's no cell reception.

Chute Grand Sault (Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Understand

The municipality of Rivière-au-Tonnerre is actually made up of two villages on the North Shore: Sheldrake and Rivière-au-Tonnerre. The place, meaning "Thunder River" is so called because of a series of waterfalls of about 50 metres (160 ft) on a tributary of the St. Lawrence whose crash recalls the sound of thunder. Together, in 2016, the villages had a total population of less than 300 inhabitants.

History

The first settlers to settle permanently in this place arrived around 1853 or 1854 and founded Sheldrake and Rivière-au-Tonnerre as fishing villages. In 1875 more settlers arrived. They came mainly from Paspébiac in Gaspésie. In 1890, the post office opened in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, but it was called Thunder River. The name was Frenchified in 1933.

Get in

It is 1 km north of l'Île du Havre and is the closest mainland point to Anticosti by ship or aeroplane.

By bus

• Intercar, ☏ +1-418-547-2167, toll-free: +1-800-806-2167. Operates bus routes within Quebec. Operates a bus route several days per week between Havre-Saint-Pierre and Sept-Îles. Travel time to Havre-Saint-Pierre from Sept-Îles is 2.75 hours.

By car

The route 138 from Quebec City, Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles, take Route 138 east; it goes directly to Rivière-au-Tonnerre. From Quebec, it is a journey of approximately nine hours (non stop) by road.

The route 172 and route 138 from Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, take route 172 east to its intersection with wheel 138 near Tadoussac. Continue on Route 138 east to Rivière-au-Tonnerre. From Saguenay, it is about a 7:15 hours (non stop) drive.

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East |
| Fermont | 890 |

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) South –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East |
| Montreal | 960 |

(Photo: User:MPD01605, Public domain) /

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Public domain) North (Pierre-Laporte bridge) –

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East (includes ferry) |
| Ottawa | 1185 |

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Public domain) South –

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East (includes a ferry) |
| Quebec | 740 |

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East (includes a ferry) |
| Saguenay | 640 |

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East |
| Sept-Iles | 100 |

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East |
| Trois-Rivières | 870 |

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Public domain) North –

(Photo: Public domain) East –

(Photo: Jackaranga, Public domain) East (included in ferry) |

Languages

According to Statistics Canada's 2011 census, 98.4% of the inhabitants of the municipality are French-speaking and 1.6% are English-speaking.

See

The Saint-Hippolyte church in Rivière-au-Tonnerre is one of the only Norman-style churches in North America . (Photo: Derek Duguay, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Interior view of the church (Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0)

• Saint-Hippolyte Church in Rivière-au-Tonnerre (Église Saint-Hippolyte de Rivière-au-Tonnerre), 18, rue de l'Église, ☏ +1 418-465-2842. Guided tours from mid-June to mid-September, from 9:00 to 17:00. One of the only Norman-style churches in North America of high architectural value. It was built entirely of wood when the city was connected by no land route. Free.
• Maison du Tonnerre, 383, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2922. In Summer: from Tue to Sat. Exhibition of vintage photos. Sale of locally made souvenirs. Free.

Do

• Coopérative Voyages Coste, 22, rue de l'Église (in the Louis-Garnier building), ☏ +1 418-465-2002, toll-free: +1-877-573-2678. Operates a boat L'Express Anticosti which crosses to Port-Menier on Anticosti Island in less than 3 times during the summer season. The cooperative offers specialized tourist packages in Minganie, Anticosti Island and Basse-Côte-Nord including, for example, snowmobiling.
• Hiking. Four hikes (easy category) are suggested in Rivière-du-Tonnerre:Manitou Falls trail: 2.4 km trail in forest area;Chute Sault Blanc: 4.3 km trail going to the shore to observe the rocks of the coast;West Manitou Falls Trail: 1.3 km trail to get to Manitou Falls;Sentier du But du Mort: 6.8 km hike which, starting from Route 138, goes south to the shore of the gulf, then branches off east to the barachois (lagoon) at the mouth of the river at La Chaloupe.

Buy

• Lebrun et fils general store (Magasin général Lebrun et fils), 500, rue Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2144. Mon–Sat 08:00–21:00; Sun 09:00–21:00. General store, grocery store selling prepared meals with microwave on site, hardware store, Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) products, lottery, ATM.
• Maison de la Chicoutai, 6, rue de l'Église, ☏ +1 418-465-2140. May–Oct. Agritourism boutique selling food products made from North Shore berries (cloudberries and cranberries). Sale of local souvenirs (clothing and crafts).

Eat

• Restaurant Marie-Cindy, 439, rue Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2079. Mon–Sat 11:00–17:30 to 18:00 (depending on traffic). Restaurant for lunch and dinner as well as an outdoor canteen in summer. Rooms and meals for workers.

Sleep

• Auberge chez Alexis, 439, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2079. Room with pension for workers. Restaurant on site.
• Club Vacances Minganie, 392, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2047. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 10:00. Les Triplés (3 seasonal cottages), Maison Bilodeau (Annual).
• L'escale Lam-Air, 454, route Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2030. Seasonal. Motel. Restoration. Regional winner of the Grand Prix du tourisme québécois in 2010 and 2012.
• La Maison Pagé, 406, Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-465-2047.

Recreational vehicles

There is a dump station for recreational vehicles on Rue du Ruisseau.

• Parking space for VR, Rue de l'Église. Without services. Maximum 3 days.

Connect

There is no cellular network in Rivière-au-Tonnerre. Nevertheless, since 2021, the municipality has set up three Wi-fi access zones: in Sheldrake (in the middle of the village), near the Saint-Hyppolite church and at the seaport. There is a telephone booth in front of the general store.

• Canada Post, 391, rue Jacques-Cartier, ☏ +1 418-538-2811. Mon-Fri 09:15-12:00, 13:00-15:30 (16:15 on Thu). Post office.

Cope

Health

• CLSC, ☏ +1-418-465-2146. Mon-Fri 08:00-12:00, 13:30-16:00. Local community service centre.

Go next

• Sept-Îles City with several sandy beaches. It is an excellent starting point to discover the forests as far as the eye can see and the countless bodies of water in the region. It is located near privileged sites for hunting and fishing.
• Rivière-Saint-Jean (Minganie) Riverside municipality in the MRC of Minganie, located at the mouth of the Saint-Jean River and the Magpie River. Main tourist attractions: Rivière St-Jean outfitter, Rivière Saint-Jean church, celebration of the National Day of Quebec, Magpie belvedere, the seal strike around Magpie Bay, Magpie dam, barachois of the Saint-Jean river, hunting, and fishing.
• Lac-Jérôme Unorganized territory of RCM Minganie, in the Côte-Nord region. This territory is a hunting & fishing paradise under the aegis of outfitters, with access by seaplane. It can be crossed by snowmobile.
• Anticosti This natural island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is the largest island in Quebec. It is known for its outdoor activities, fishing and deer hunting. Main attractions: falls of the Vauréal river, the Petit Canyon of the Chicotte river, Port-Meunier, observation of flora and fauna.
• Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve One of the four National Parks of Canada in Quebec. String of islands near the coast known for their monoliths and for birdwatching. The park is located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Rivière-au-Tonnerre along Route 138.

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