Canada’s Awesome Eastern National Park — Saguenay Fjord

There’s no disputing Banff in the Rockies is Canada’s most iconic national park. From majestic peaks, photogenic lakes and copious winter sports — not to mention two of the globe’s most impressive wilderness hotels — the big Alberta park excels at so many things.

Other than neighboring Jasper, there’s a tendency to think that no other north-of-the-border national parks are nearly as awesome.

Until you experience Saguenay Fjord National Parkin Québec Province.

Stretching around 65 miles (105 km) from east to west, the fjord is located in Québec Province around a three-hour drive from Québec City. It’s more than a mile wide in some spots, and framed by cliffs that rise as high as 1,150 feet (350 meters) above the waterline.

Although it’s fed by the Saguenay River, one of the most southerly fjords in the northern hemisphere is also heavily influenced by the St. Lawrence Estuary. That blend of fresh and saltwater means the fjord harbors an extraordinary blend of marine creatures.

Yet incredible scenery and wildlife aren’t the only attractions. Since Saguenay was declared a national park in 1983, it’s become a hotbed for all sorts of adventure experiences on both land and water.

Starting At Rivière-Éternité

Much like Banff, Saguenay Fjord is a flexible national park that can be enjoyed via casual car excursions and short hikes, or diving into more adventurous pursuits.

A good place to start any visit is Le Fjord du Saguenay Discovery & Visitors Centre at gorgeous Rivière-Éternité on the south shore. In addition to exhibits on the park’s flora, fauna and geology, it’s a great place to get information on where to go and what to do.

Rivière-Éternité is also the departure point for narrated fjord cruises, a family friendly and accessible adventure that runs around 1.5 hours. There’s an option to stop for lunch in waterfront L’Anse-Saint-Jean village, founded in 1838 as a remote logging settlement and famed for a 1997 referendum in which residents voted to declare themselves a micronation called the Kingdom of L’Anse-Saint-Jean.

Guided sea kayaking trips also launch from Rivière-Éternité. Offered from mid-June to mid-October, the excursions generally last two to three hours.

Hiking trails from the visitor center range from the easy Méandres-à-la-Falaises loop (1 mile/1.6 km) to a challenging Sentier de la Statue route that leads up and along the cliffs to a famous statue of Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay that perches atop Cap Trinité.

Rivière-Éternité’s most spectacular (and vertigo-inducing) adventure is a Via Ferrata rock climbing circuit, a network of steel cables, ladders, and suspension bridges that takes participants across a rock face hundreds of feet above the fjord.

For those who want to stretch their visit into several days, Rivière-Éternité offers camping, cabins, and glamping tents.

Circumnavigating the Fjord

Rather than base themselves at one spot, visitors can undertake a road trip that loops around the entire fjord. The route totals around 194 miles (313 km) and includes worthwhile stops both inside and outside of the park.

The southern side of the loop features turnoffs to Rivière-Éternité and L’Anse-Saint-Jean before cruising into La Baie village and its Musée du Fjord.

The museum includes an aquarium with marine creatures that inhabit the fjord, an immersive exhibit about plankton, and a multimedia presentation on how the fjord was formed by glacial action over several million years and finally exposed when the last ice age retreated. The museum also offers guided activities like a Low Tide Excursion to examine wildlife that lives in the tidal flats of the upper fjord.

La Baie’s other attraction is the Pyramid of Ha! Ha!, a huge aluminum art installation covered in 3,000 traffic yield signs and dedicated to the victims of the 1996 Saguenay Flood. A stairway leads through the middle of the pyramid to an observation deck with fjord views.

After passing through Saguenay city, the road trip continues along the fjord’s northern side with turnoffs to spots inside the national park like the Rive Nord lakes for freshwater fishing and another cluster of visitor services at Baie-Sainte-Marguerite.

Another old timber mill town founded in the 1840s, Baie-Sainte-Marguerite is now renowned as a nursery for the beluga whales that frequent the fjord.

Le Béluga Discovery and Visitors Centre is the place to head for the lowdown on bay area activities like guided kayaking at Anse-de-Roche and hiking or biking the short and easy Halte du Béluga trail. Overnighters can camp and glamp at Baie-Sainte-Marguerite, and there are also special campsites reserved for cyclists.

The bay area anchors the western end of the park’s longest hiking trail — the Sentier du Fjord — an incredibly scenic route that meanders 26 miles (49 km) along the fjord’s north shore. Much of the trail runs through the boreal forest that crowns the fjord’s walls, with rustic huts, lean-tos and campsites along the way.

Where The Whales Play

The north side route eventually reaches Tadoussac village on the St. Lawrence Estuary. The fjord area’s oldest European settlement was founded by French traders in 1599. However, earlier in the 16th century French explorer Jacques Cartier camped there on his second voyage to the New World.

Nowadays it harbors the park’s largest concentration of roofed accommodation including the historic Hotel Tadoussac (founded in 1864). With eateries like the charming Café Bohème and Café-Bar Le Gibard, the village also boasts an eclectic culinary scene.

But the town’s main claim to fame is marine mammals. Tadoussac is home port to several outfits offering guided boat and Zodiac excursions to offshore Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The offshore waters are considered one of the best places on the planet for whale watching thanks to an abundance of krill and other small creatures that whales love to eat.

A dozen different whale species are known to dine offshore, including year-round residents like the bright white belugas, and summer visitors like humpback, minke, fin and blue whales (the largest animal on planet Earth). It’s also common to spot seals and porpoises.

A free passenger and vehicle ferry crosses the fjord mouth to Baie-Sainte-Catherine and more whale watching outfitters, as well as Parks Canada’s Pointe-Noire Interpretation & Observation Centre on a bluff overlooking the marine park.

What Else You Need to Know

Those who don’t want to drive themselves through Saguenay Fjord National Park can choose from numerous adventures offered by commercial outfitters.

Partnering with the national park, Saguenay Aventures offers Zodiac trips along the fjord and kayak trips lasting anywhere from a few hours to an epic six-day paddle from La Baie to Tadoussac. During the winter, they specialize in snowmobile touring and multi-day cross-country skiing expeditions in the park.

Departing from L’Anse-Saint-Jean, Fjord en Kayak floats a variety of guided kayak trips through the national park including paddles that are women-only, and those especially designed for families with teenagers or young children.

For a broader look at Québec province, Windigo has a 13-day “Fjords, Forests and Great Outdoors” tour that includes Montreal, Québec City, Saguenay Fjord National Park and Tadoussac.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com