A Day in Tadoussac
Visiting Tadoussac, Quebec | July 2024
It was time to head back to the States, but we were still quite a ways North and realistically had several options for going home. But with the weekend approaching, and the restrictions, regulations, and costs associated with some of the National Parks, we ultimately decided to simply follow the coast all the way down to Quebec City. This route had the advantage of taking us right across the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. The whole length of the Fjord is part of a National Park, but here at the mouth was the village of Tadoussac where dogs are allowed and permitting is not required. After finishing our morning routines, we left our free campsite in Les Escoumins and drove the half hour south to the center of the village.
We timed our visit to town to coincide with a meeting I had that morning and found paid parking near the Marine Mammal Interpretive Center. The area was by far the busiest we’ve seen in Quebec, but for very good reason. Whale Watching cruises, the Marine Mammal Center, and the local statues all announced to the world what the area was known for: Whales!
We headed out on a short trail near the Center to a local rocky point. But Charlotte was being exceptionally pokey even though the weather was optimal for her: overcast and cool. Reading the room, we decided that maybe it would be best if we let Charlotte nap on the bed while I took my work call, freeing up Jessica to do as much walking and rock hopping as she wanted. We made it as far as the first clearing, then found a spot to sit down and enjoy the view for a few minutes before I needed to head back. Even though we knew that this area was known for whales, specifically beluga whales, our hopes weren’t very high because we hadn’t seen many this whole trip, and it was colder outside which didn’t feel like ‘whale weather’. But almost immediately after sitting down, we spotted two belugas out swimming in the Saguenay River! They never fully breached, but just seeing as much as we did was enough to say this short walk was worth it!
Charlotte and I returned to the van, and I sat in and listened to my meeting for almost an hour…and Jess still wasn’t back? I texted and said that my meeting was wrapping up and only then did she come back and trade places with me. The hype of the area certainly did not disappoint. Jess had hiked/rock hopped all the way out to the point and was able to see over a dozen belugas!
Not one to miss out on something like Beluga Whales, I walked back out to the rocky point and sat down on the rocks. It was trying to rain, but I wanted something. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long, and doubly fortunately, the white of the Beluga Whale makes a stark contrast against the dark of the water. The pod wasn’t as close to my side of the fjord as Jess’ had been, but it’s still something that I’ve never seen before.
I watched the whale boats going up and down the fjord and the ferries crossing back and forth for a while before the rain started to pick up. I figured I wasn’t going to get any better views of the whales unless I also was on the water. I got back to the van where we got our stuff together and headed to the ferry.
There are no bridges across the fjord, so the ferry is free and very regular, and we waited hardly any time to embark. Unfortunately the rain kept up, and the french directions were a bit ambiguous as to whether we could get out and walk around, so we didn’t get any further Beluga sightings from the boat. But we did have a pleasant conversation with another traveler who had driven the Trans-Canada Highway all the way from Vancouver.
The ferry ride was fairly short, and soon we were on our way further South. We only went another half hour or so South to Baie-de-Rochers Municipal Park where we found a small parking lot to set up for the weekend.
