Miguasha

The cliff at Miguasha exposes rock laid down around three hundred and eighty million years ago, in the period when the first vertebrates were beginning to leave the water, and the preservation here is extraordinary: complete fish with soft tissue, gill structures and in some cases the contents of their guts. Its most celebrated resident is Elpistostege, a lobe-finned fish whose pectoral fin turned out to contain the bones of a hand, fingers included, one of the clearest pieces of evidence yet for how limbs began. UNESCO listed the site in 1999 as the world's best illustration of that transition. The museum sits directly above the cliff and the guided walk takes you along the beach where the fossils weather out.

What you actually see

• Elpistostege - the lobe-finned fish with finger bones in its fin.
• The complete specimens - fish preserved with soft tissue and gut contents.
• The cliff walk - the beach below the exposure where fossils weather out.
• The preparation lab - visible work on newly collected material.

When to go

June to September, since the museum runs a summer season and the beach walk depends on tides and weather; check hours before travelling. Guided walks along the cliff base go at set times. The Gaspé coast around it is at its best in late summer and early autumn.

Honest expectations

It is a very long drive from Montréal or Québec City, and it works only as part of a Gaspé loop rather than a destination in itself. The museum is small and takes about two hours. Collecting fossils is prohibited, and the cliff itself is off limits without a guide.

Nearby

Carleton-sur-Mer is fifteen minutes; Percé is about four hours around the peninsula.