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Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve

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Explore Richelieu River

  • Ducks along the Richelieu River in winter, with a view of the town of Mont-Saint-Hilaire and the mountain from the Beloeil side of the river
  • Aerial view of the Richelieu River in the fall; the banks of Beloeil and Mont Saint-Hilaire with their respective churches
  • Sunset from one of the Mont Saint-Hilaire summits in the fall, with a view of the Richelieu River and the Monteregian Hills
  • Two people kitesurfing on the frozen Richelieu River in winter
  • View from a riverbank sheltered by trees; two people in a rowboat in the middle of the foggy Richelieu River
Bouton fleche gauche Bouton fleche droit

Photo: Mihai Muntean

Photo: Jean Claude Gagnon

Photo: Inconnu

Photo: Michel Germain

Photo: Sylvain Langevin

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Explore Richelieu River

The Richelieu is the largest tributary on the Saint Lawrence River’s south shore. Totalling 130 km in length, it originates in Lake Champlain, crosses the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve and empties into the Saint Lawrence at Sorel. Although very polluted, the Richelieu contains the greatest number of fish species of any river in Quebec. Fully 60 of the province’s 116 freshwater species can be found in its waters, including pike, walleye and bass. The river is also home to the copper redhorse, a fish found only in southern Quebec and nowhere else in the world.