Patapedia River facts for kids

The Patapédia River (which means Rivière Patapédia in French) is a river in Canada. It flows into the Restigouche River. This river is found in Northwest New Brunswick and Southeast Quebec.

The river starts in the Matapédia Valley in Quebec. This area is part of the Gaspé Peninsula. The Patapédia River then forms the natural border between Quebec and New Brunswick. Finally, it joins the Restigouche River at a spot called the "Million Dollar Pool". This pool is famous for having many Atlantic salmon gather there each season.

Forest roads help people reach the upper part of the river in Zec du Bas-Saint-Laurent. On the Quebec side, roads like Thomas road lead to the lower part of the river. However, the New Brunswick side has no roads. This is because the mountains along the river are very rugged.

River's Journey

The Patapédia River begins at a place called Lac Long (Long Lake) in Quebec. This lake is in an unorganized territory named Lac-des-Eaux-Mortes, Quebec. Lac Long is about 401 meters (1,316 feet) high.

The river flows for about 91.2 kilometers (56.7 miles). It generally moves towards the Southeast through forests.

Upper Part of the River

The first part of the Patapédia River is about 20.3 kilometers (12.6 miles long).

• It flows east from Long Lake.
• It passes by Montagnais Lake and Metsébagot.
• The river then turns southeast.
• It crosses "Hunters Lake" and continues southeast.
• Finally, it flows through Patapédia Lake. This lake is at the base of "Moose Mountain".

Middle Part of the River

After leaving Patapédia Lake, the river continues for about 25.2 kilometers (15.7 miles).

• It flows southeast, then southwest.
• It meets "Le Gros Ruisseau".
• The river then turns southeast and east.
• It makes a detour north before heading northeast.
• This section ends where the East Patapédia River joins it.

Second Middle Part of the River

From where the East Patapédia River joins, the Patapédia River flows for another 11.6 kilometers (7.2 miles).

• It flows southeast, meeting a few smaller streams.
• The Meadow River (Patapédia River) also joins here.
• The river then turns south.
• This part ends at the border between Quebec and New Brunswick.

Lower Part of the River

The last part of the Patapédia River is about 34.1 kilometers (21.2 miles) long.

• For this entire section, the river forms the border between Quebec and New Brunswick.
• It flows southeast, then southwest, and south.
• It meets Pollard Brook and other streams.
• The river makes several bends.
• It passes Cinq-Mars stream, Guérette stream, Wild Creek, and Fivemile Creek.
• Finally, the Patapédia River flows into the Restigouche River.

The river's end point is near Ruisseau-Ferguson, Quebec. This is where the Quebec and New Brunswick border meets the Restigouche River.

River's Name

The name "Patapédia River" became official on December 5, 1968. This was done by the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is Quebec's board for place names.

Fish and Wildlife

The Patapédia River is very famous for its Atlantic salmon fishing. The CGRMP (Corporation de Gestion des Rivières Matapédia et Patapédia) manages the sport fishing in the river. This group is a non-profit organization. It was created in 1991 by 23 towns from two different areas: La Matapedia Regional County Municipality and Avignon Regional County Municipality.

Salmon usually start swimming upstream in the Patapédia River in early June. Between 600 and 1,000 salmon travel up the river each year. The fishing season for salmon usually opens in early June and lasts for three months. The best time to fish is from the end of June to the middle of August. The CGRMP also offers places to stay for anglers.

The Patapédia River is divided into three areas for fishing. Each area has its own fishing limits. People usually draw lots to get fishing rights.

• The first area has 16 fishing spots.
• The second area has 38 fishing spots.
• The third area has 20 fishing spots.

See also

• La Mitis, a regional county municipality (MRC)
• Avignon Regional County Municipality, (MRC)
• Lac-des-Eaux-Mortes, Quebec, an unorganized territory
• Ruisseau-Ferguson, Quebec, an unorganized territory
• Restigouche County, in New Brunswick
• Restigouche River
• Meadow River
• East Patapédia River
• Patapédia Lake
• Zec du Bas-Saint-Laurent, a controlled harvesting zone (zec)
• List of rivers of New Brunswick
• List of rivers of Quebec