Its name is an Algonquin word that loosely translates to “along the path followed by the tribes” — a reference, perhaps, to the Ottawa River. For nearly a century, it was a major staging area for logging operations in the Upper Ottawa Valley. This summer, it will be a hub for a different kind of activity when Quebec’s newest provincial park opens on June 21.
Parc national d’Opémican, which protects 252 square kilometres of forested land between the Ontario-Quebec border and Lac Kipawa, about 400 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, is the realization of a nearly 40-year dream for people in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region who wanted to see the remains of the timber rafting relay station at Pointe Opémican, on Lac Témiscamingue, preserved. In the 1880s and ’90s, squared logs of white and red pine bound for Britain and America were assembled here into enormous rafts of as many as 3,000 individual logs to be driven down the Ottawa River to Montreal or Quebec City.
“Pointe Opémican was a unique place at that time,” says Dany Gareau, the park’s director. “People there were even developing new techniques and tools to improve the job,” including larger-than-normal booms capable of handling the frequent high waves on the lake.
The Auberge Jodoin, one of several historic buildings at the heart of Parc national d’Opémican. Built in 1883, it served as temporary accommodation and an outfitter for the raftsmen who floated logs down the Ottawa River. (Photo: Alexandra Pope/Canadian Geographic)
Smother Nature: The struggle to protect Banff National Park
In Banff National Park, Alberta, as in protected areas across the country, managers find it difficult to balance the desire of people to experience wilderness with an imperative to conserve it
3507 words
15 minutes
Places
Canada’s first national urban park
It’s an ambitious plan: take the traditional Parks Canada wilderness concept and plunk it in the country’s largest city. But can Toronto’s Rouge National Urban Park help balance city life with wildlife?
3601 words
15 minutes
Places
Parks Canada to take ‘nature first’ approach to managing national parks
Responding to feedback from Canadians, environment minister Catherine McKenna promised a renewed focus on science and conservation for Canada's protected places
754 words
4 minutes
Environment
Green spaces crucial, but a challenge says 2020 Parks Report
The 2020 Canadian City Parks Report looks at challenges and opportunties for Canada's parks under a COVID-19 lens
1415 words
6 minutes
Advertisement
Advertisement
You are using an outdated browser. For the best experience, we recommend that you update your browser before using the website.