Baie-Johan-Beetz travel guide

Johan Beetz's mansion, known as Le Château (Photo: Luc Perron, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Baie-Johan-Beetz (formerly called "Piashtibaie") is a small riverside municipality on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the region of Minganie, on the North Shore in eastern Quebec. It is on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route).

Baie-Johan Beetz is a paradise in the heart of nature on the Whale Route. This village offers services to travellers on route 138. The main attractions of Baie-Johan Beetz are:

• Watshishou Bird Sanctuary (and located east of White Ridge and shared with the Municipality of Aguanish);
• the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve (French: Réserve de parc national de l'Archipel-de-Mingan) with limestone monoliths shaped by the waves;
• the archipelago of about a hundred islands near the coast of the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence;
• Johan-Beetz, Quetachou and Pontbriand bays (shared with the municipality of Aguanish) overlooking the Jacques-Cartier Strait; these bays are good for boating and fishing; walking on the pebble shores makes you appreciate the sea air, the spectacles of the nature of the gulf and to observe the avian fauna and the marine mammals;
• the salt lakes (on the course of the Piashti river and accessible to the sea by boating), Turgeon, Tanguay, Piashti, Cabane Brûlée, Véronique, Petit lac Véronique; these lakes are used in particular for vacationing, nautical activities and sport fishing;
• its six rivers; they are renowned for sport fishing and nautical activities;
• its hiking trails, including the Spar Mica peninsula (east side of Piashti Bay) and Quetachou Falls;
• its campsites near the village and their access to hiking trails and the waterfront promenade on Johan-Beetz Bay;
• its outdoor activities, including: kayaking, picnicking, swimming in the Piashti River, hunting, fishing;
• its trails for ATVs and snowmobiles;
• its legendary Château Johan Beetz, which has a long history in the Nordic hotel industry.

Understand

• Baie-Johan-Beetz Tourist Information Office (Bureau d'information touristique de Baie-Johan-Beetz), 16, rue Tanguay (paired with the Parks Canada reception kiosk), ☏ +1 418-539-0243. Center providing tourist information on the attractions and services of the Côte-Nord region.

Geography

Baie Johan-Beetz overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Piashti River crossing the village of Baie Johan-Beetz (Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Baie-Johan-Beetz is located directly opposite the middle of Anticosti Island (distance of 58.9 km between the shores of Pointe-à-l'Épinette (Anticosti Island) and a peninsula located 3.9 km southwest of the Highway 138 bridge over the Piashti River).

The municipality of Baie-Johan-Beetz includes the townships of Des Herbiers (western part of the municipality) and Johan-Beetz (eastern part).

From Route 138, a road leads north to the west shore of Salt Lake and the Piashti River, to serve resorts and recreational tourism activities (hunting, fishing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, etc.).

Get in

The Route 138 bridge spanning the Piashti River in the village of Baie-Johan-Beetz is located 283 km by road, east of downtown Sept-Îles.

By car

Route 138 from Sept-Îles is the only national road in the region. It continues east through Havre-Saint-Pierre (67 km), Natashquan (83 km) and up to Kegaska (135 km) where Route 138 ends. route 138 reappears approximately 400 km further on at Vieux-Fort, near Blanc-Sablon.

Route 138 arrived in Baie-Johan-Beetz in 1996. For 20 years, from 1976 to 1996, Havre-Saint-Pierre was the end point to the east of Route 138, which runs along the north shore of the river and the Gulf of St. Lawrence; which generated a considerable tourist development. The engineers' challenge was to build infrastructure to span several rivers, including (in order from west to east): Moisie, Matamec, Loups Marins, Pigou, Bouleau, Sault Plat, Tortue, Sault Blanc, Manitou, at Graines, at La Chaloupe, Sheldrake, Couture, Jim-Hearst, Moyac, Duck, at Tonnerre, Brûlée, Béline, Magpie, Saint-Coeur, Saint-Jean, Mingan, Kamenakapeu and Romaine. In 1996, another segment of Route 138 was opened up to Natashquan, further east. Finally, in 2013, the final segment of this road reached Kegaska.

By bus

• Intercar, ☏ +1-418-547-2167, toll-free: +1-800-806-2167, serviceclient@intercar.ca. Intercar operates a bus line several days a week between Havre-Saint-Pierre and Sept-Îles; the travel time between these two cities is 2 hr 45 min. Towards the east of the province, the bus service stops in Havre-Saint-Pierre.

By plane

The seaplane base is at the wharf on the west shore of Johan-Beetz Bay.

Get around

Route 138 (east-west direction) is the main road through Aguanish.

See

Baie-Johan-Beetz church, which has become a Catholic service (Photo: Guerinf, CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Baie-Johan-Beetz Park (Parc de Baie-Johan-Beetz) (on a peninsula at the mouth of the Piashti River (west bank)).
• Pontbriand Park. This park is in a forest area on the north shore of Pontbriand Bay, along Route 138, at the mouth of the Pontbriand River, 0.5 km west of the boundary between Baie-Johan-Beetz and Aguanish. The magnificent Pontbriand Bay is shared between these two municipalities.
• Service Saint-François-Régis (parish church) (Desserte Saint-François-Régis (église paroissiale)), 16, rue de l'Église, ☏ +1 418-533-2393, paroissesaint-francois-regis@globetrotter.net. Small local church with a steeple.

Do

• Municipal wharf (at Pointe à la Perche, overlooking the Jacques-Cartier Strait).
• Lovers Walk (Promenade des Amoureux) (at the mouth of the Piashti River (west shore of Johan-Beetz Bay)).
• Sentiers pédestres. Accessible year-round.

**The Spar Mica trail (7 km return) of an easy type, leads to the sea and to a former feldspar mining site, exploited by Spar Mica in the 1950s. trail winds through burnt forest and allows visitors to reach the vast buttes of white rock. The panorama of the Jacques-Cartier Strait is captivating, particularly at the old wharf at the end of the trail. Near the trail, geology enthusiasts can appreciate white mica, quartz, and pink and white feldspar. The Spar Mica Trail is located at km 1290 of Route 138. A sign marks the start of the trail
**The Quetachou Falls Trail runs along the Quetachou River. It is accessible by road 138, 8.1 km east of the village bridge spanning the Piashti River. Beautiful falls of the Quetachou River flow into a small bay connected to Quetachou Bay which is attached to the Jacques-Cartier Strait; these falls are south of Hwy 138. Other falls or rapids are north of Hwy 138.
**The Falterway Trail. Distance of 3.7 km. Educational trail on the diversion systems of a hydroelectric dam.
**The Morne Blanc trail. Distance of 2.7 km. The rock of the hill is truly white. This white hill overlooks the Plashti River.

• Interpretation circuit (Circuit d'interprétation). This interpretive circuit recounts the settlement of people in the territory, and draws a portrait of economic and social development.

Buy

• Grocery Les choix de Marguerite (Épicerie Les choix de Marguerite), 15a, rue du Nord, ☏ +1 418-539-0238. Grocery.
• SAQ Agency - Baie-Johan-Beetz Solidarity Cooperative (SAQ Agence - Coopérative de Solidarité de Baie-Johan-Beetz), 15, rue du Nord, ☏ +1 833-587-2727. Liquor store.

Artist Galleries

• Danielle Hollender workshop (Atelier Danielle Hollender), 13, rue de l'Église (Spar Mica area), ☏ +1 418-539-0244, info@daniellehollender.com. Painter of French origin. In particular, she paints vibrant landscapes of the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• Chantal Harvey workshop (Atelier Chantal Harvey), 20, rue Bellevue (Spar Mica area), ☏ +1 581-781-6046, chantalharvey2014@gmail.com. Engraving workshop. His artist workplace is also open to artists wishing to come in residence and to all those wishing to live a creative experience in the northern part of the Côte-Nord.

Sleep

• Château Johan-Beetz, 15, rue Johan Beetz. This historic hotel was built in 1897. It is classified as a cultural heritage of Quebec. It is recognizable by its legendary red roof topped with three chimneys. Its outdoor gallery overlooks the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Johan Beetz Bay.

Outfitters

• Johan-Beetz Bay Outfitter (Pourvoirie Baie Johan-Beetz), 15, rue Johan-Beetz, ☏ +1 514-447-6300, bjb@caraibesnordiques.com. Outfitter offering hunting and fishing services. Accommodation: Auberge Johan Beetz (in Baie-Johan-Beetz, with 7 rooms and 12 beds), chalet des Gardiens (2 bedrooms), chalet Portage A Dowel (1 bedroom) and Chalet Quetachou (1 bedroom). Local activities: canoeing/pleasure craft, cruise/boat excursion, nature interpretation, kayaking...

Camping

• Camping municipal de Baie-Johan-Beetz, 31, rue Johan Beetz, Spar Mica (on Pointe à la Perche, south of the village), ☏ +1 418-539-0243, tourisme@baiejohanbeetz.qc.ca. Campground opened in 2021 offering an exceptional setting on Johan-Beetz Bay. It gives access to walking trails. Registration is done at the Baie-Johan-Beetz tourist office. Summer season
• Camping des Caraïbes Nordiques, 13, rue Tanguay (near the intersection of Tanguay Street and Route 138), ☏ +1 514-447-6300, info@caraibesnordiques.com. This campground highlights the northern nature of the territory with experiences in the great outdoors. Summer season

Connect

The three main cellular/mobile telephone networks provide coverage in and around the municipality; however, there are large areas along the routes to Sept-Îles and Kegaska (December 2018) not served.

• Canada Post, 26, rue Johan Beetz. Post office.

Go next

• Havre-Saint-Pierre This riverside town offering many services to travellers and many attractions: Mingan Archipelago (Archipel-de-Mingan National Park Reserve), a well-organized seaport, several rivers (e.g., Romaine), several plans water, fishing (e.g., snow crab, scallops, lobster, salmon, trout), its sea excursions, its resorts, its cultural centre, its gastronomy and its markets, its ability to accommodation and outdoor activities.
• Aguanish Municipality bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The village of Aguanish surrounds the freshwater bay of the Aguanish River Delta. This bay has many sandy beaches. Beach camping and wild camping are popular here.
• 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.
• Lac-Jérôme This territory is a hunting & fishing paradise under the aegis of outfitters, with access by seaplane. It can be crossed by snowmobile.
• 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 approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of Rivière-au-Tonnerre along Route 138, or facing Havre-Saint-Pierre.

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