Sept-Iles on the Cote-Nord of the St. Lawrence River is among the northernmost communities with a paved connection to Quebec’s other highway systems. It is the borderline area of the boreal forest, beyond which the vegetation becomes northern taiga. The town takes its name from the Sept-Iles Archipelago offshore in the estuary, a scattering of islands with different, and appealing attractions. The main themes of a visit to Set-Iles can be described as nature, aboriginal culture and industrial history. There are lakes to enjoy by canoe, and offshore islands to explore by boat, particularly Corrosol Island, which has large nesting populations of razorbills, great black-backed gulls and herring gulls. Grand Basque Island has miles of well-groomed trails for hikers. Back in town, the Old Trading Post is an interpretive recreation of a 19th century fur-trading post, like a window into the past. The Regional Museum of the Cote-Nord offers insights into the traditional life of the Innu people who first occupied the region.
