Mingan Archipelago

About a thousand islands and islets run along a hundred and fifty kilometres of the Côte-Nord, and their distinction is the monoliths: limestone stacks eroded by sea, ice and frost into shapes that read as figures, mushrooms and flowerpots, some over ten metres, standing on the beaches. They are the largest concentration of such formations in Canada. The limestone also holds fossils around four hundred and fifty million years old. Puffins nest here at one of their most southerly colonies in eastern North America, and the islands hold a surprising alpine and arctic flora on their exposed limestone barrens.

What you actually see

• The monoliths - eroded limestone stacks in figure and mushroom shapes.
• The fossils - marine fossils about 450 million years old in the rock.
• The puffin colony - a southerly Atlantic puffin breeding site.
• The limestone barrens - arctic and alpine plants growing at sea level.

When to go

June to September; boats run only in that window and cancel in fog and swell, both frequent here. Puffins are present from about May to August. Winter access is nil.

Honest expectations

Boat trips are weather-dependent and fog cancels many. There are no services on most islands and camping is basic. Route 138 to get here is a very long drive.

Nearby

Anticosti lies offshore; Havre-Saint-Pierre is the main port.