Baie-James Travel guide
Baie-James Travel guide
Untamed Nature
The James Bay region is the second largest tourist region in Quebec with its 350,000-km2 territory. By itself, the region spreads over one-fifth of the province territory. The James Bay, located between the 49th and the 55th parallel, is bounded by five other tourist regions: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean, Duplessis and Nunavik to the north. The Cree, who were the first people to settle in the region, calls this land “Eeyou Itschee”, which means Land of the People. This large wild and green territory is perfect for all nature enthusiasts.
To the north, visitors will find the boreal forest with its conifers and broad-leaved trees, which become sparse and slowly merge with taiga. This untamed territory is also perfect to observe a diversified and interesting wildlife and flora. Hundreds of thousands of caribous live in the region, just like migratory birds that fly up high in the sky in summer. The numerous lakes and rivers will make the joy of fishers and of all the Quebeckers who enjoy the electricity produced by the dams and hydroelectric power stations of the region.
In the 1950s, a gold rush brought many people to the region, and they started to build cities and villages. In their search for gold, people also found silver, copper and zinc, which helped the mining industry flourish. Some ten years later, forest industry companies settled in the region, which is more of less the size of Germany. In the 1970s, people started to build large dams and hydroelectric power stations, including La Grande-2 (now named Robert-Bourassa), which is the largest underground generating station in the world.
The James Bay region also draws visitors who love the outdoors and who cannot stop themselves from observing, learning and exploring their surroundings. They listen to every single noise in the forest, whether they are looking for a lynx or a snowy owl. They come to learn about the customs and history of the 13,000 Cree living in the region. Visitors can go from one covered bridge to another, or try to catch a glimpse of the northern lights shining at night. Many of these visitors like to go camping and do all their favourite activities. Snowmobiling is certainly one of the most popular ones in the region, since the snow conditions are excellent. Come discover this region, as many others did before you!
