Rivière du Milieu (lac de la Belle Rivière) facts for kids

The Rivière du Milieu is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows into Lac de la Belle Rivière, which is a lake. A tributary is a smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake.

This river is located in a place called Belle-Rivière. This area is part of the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The river's path goes through the northwestern part of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.

The valley where the Rivière du Milieu flows is found between two main roads: Quebec Route 155 and Quebec Route 169. These roads help people get around the area. Some smaller forest roads also run through the valley.

The main activities in this valley are forestry (cutting down trees for wood) and recreational tourism (people visiting for fun, like hiking or fishing). Forestry is the biggest activity, and tourism is the second biggest.

The river usually freezes over from the start of December until the end of March. It's generally safe to walk or play on the ice from mid-December to mid-March.

Where Does the Rivière du Milieu Flow?

The Rivière du Milieu is surrounded by many other rivers and lakes. Knowing these helps us understand its journey.

• To the north, you'll find Lac de la Belle Rivière, La Belle Rivière, and Vert Lake.
• To the east, there's the Rivière aux Écorces and the Pikauba River.
• To the south, you'll see Grand lac des Cèdres and the Métabetchouane River.
• To the west, there's Lac à la Carpe and Lac Saint-Jean.

The River's Starting Point

The Rivière du Milieu begins its journey at a lake called Lac Morelle. This lake is quite small, about 0.6 km (0.37 mi) long. It sits high up in the forest, at an altitude of 444 m (1,457 ft). This starting point is inside the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.

From its source, the river flows for about 23.2 km (14.4 mi). As it flows, it drops about 98 m (322 ft) in height. The entire path of the river is through a forest.

Here's how the river flows:

• It goes north for about 11.2 km (7.0 mi). Along this part, it passes east of Lac Dabin and picks up water from Lac Marsanne and Lac Barré.
• Then, it turns northwest and flows for another 2.9 km (1.8 mi). It also gets water from Lac des Vermisseaux.
• Next, it travels northwest for 4.0 km (2.5 mi), collecting water from lakes like Serpentin Lake, Binet Lake, and Anthemides Lake.
• It continues northwest for 2.3 km (1.4 mi), adding water from lakes Loriset and Cognée.
• Finally, it flows north for 2.8 km (1.7 mi) until it reaches its end.

Where the River Ends

The Rivière du Milieu flows into a bay on the eastern side of Lac de la Belle Rivière. This meeting point is important for the river's journey.

From here, the water from the Rivière du Milieu travels across Lac de la Belle Rivière for about 5.4 km (3.4 mi) to the west. Then, it joins La Belle Rivière and flows northwest for 33.8 km (21.0 mi).

After that, the water crosses the eastern part of Lac Saint-Jean for 15.4 km (9.6 mi) to the north. It then follows the Saguenay River for a long distance, about 172.3 km (107.1 mi), until it reaches Tadoussac. At Tadoussac, the Saguenay River joins the large Saint Lawrence estuary, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean.

What Does "Rivière du Milieu" Mean?

The name "Rivière du Milieu" was officially recognized on December 5, 1968. This name is recorded in the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is like a big list of all the official place names in Quebec.

Appendices

Related Articles

• Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality
• Belle-Rivière, an unorganized territory
• Laurentides Wildlife Reserve
• Lac de la Belle Rivière, a body of water
• La Belle Rivière, a stream
• Lac Saint-Jean, a body of water
• Saguenay River, a stream
• List of rivers of Quebec