Rivière du Mont Saint-Étienne facts for kids

The Rivière du Mont Saint-Étienne is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows into the Sainte-Anne River. This river is located north of the Saint Lawrence River. It runs through the areas of Lac-Jacques-Cartier and Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges. These places are part of the Capitale-Nationale region.

The area around the river is used for different activities. Forestry (cutting down trees for wood) is the main one. People also visit the area for fun, like recreational tourism. Roads help people get to different parts of the river valley.

The river usually freezes over in winter. The lower part is frozen from early December to late March. It's generally safe to walk on the ice from mid-December to mid-March. The upper part of the river stays frozen for about a week longer. The amount of water in the river changes with the seasons. There's a big increase in water, called a spring flood, in March or April.

River's Journey

The Mont Saint-Étienne river starts at a lake called Second Lynch Lake. This lake is on the northwest side of Mont Saint-Étienne. It's located in the Lac-Jacques-Cartier area. This lake is surrounded by mountains.

Second Lynch Lake has two outlets. One flows west towards the Rivière du Camp Brûlé. The other flows east, forming the Mont Saint-Étienne river. The eastern outlet is about 12.2 kilometres (7.6 mi) west of where the Mont Saint-Étienne river ends.

The river flows around Mont Saint-Étienne. From its start, the river travels about 18.0 kilometres (11.2 mi). It drops about 429 metres (1,407 ft) in height along its path.

Here's how the river flows:

• It goes about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) northeast. It crosses a small lake and then flows through Lake Mont Saint-Étienne.
• Next, it flows about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) southeast. It goes through a deep valley.
• Then, it travels about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) east. It makes a small curve to the south along the way.
• It continues about 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) southeast. It forms a loop and collects water from another stream.
• After that, it flows about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) southeast. It makes a curve to the west and gets water from another stream.
• It then goes about 2.0 kilometres (1.2 mi) east, curving south. It passes by a road called chemin du rang Sainte-Marie.
• Finally, it flows about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) northeast. It goes under the Abitibi-Price road bridge before reaching its mouth.

The Mont Saint-Étienne river joins the Sainte-Anne River (Beaupré) in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges. This meeting point is about 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) upstream from the Route 360 bridge. It's also about 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) downstream from where the Brûlée River joins the Sainte-Anne River.

From this point, the Sainte-Anne River flows about 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi) southwest. It passes through the town of Beaupré. Then, it empties into the Saint Lawrence River.

River's Name

The name "Rivière du Mont Saint-Étienne" was officially recognized on December 5, 1968. This was done by the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is like a place names board in Quebec.