Where can I see a beaver in the wild in Quebec?

August 4, 2008 4:06 PM

I'm on honeymoon in Quebec right now, and my new wife really wants to see a beaver in the wild. What's a good place to see some (either on our own, or ideally, with a guide) in areas that I'll be in? We've got a car, so are pretty flexible, we just need a tip off! Details of our specific location follow...

I'm currently in a resort about 30 km west of Quebec City - specifically here - but we'll moving on to Tadoussac, Matane and back to Quebec City over the next 6 days). Thanks for any advice.

posted by ascullion to science & nature (13 comments total)

Beavers are experts at "not being seen". They're nocturnal, and with any disturbance they dive, swim, and hide in their lodge.

There are probably places where you can see beaver works, but you won't see any beavers working on them.
posted by Class Goat at 4:34 PM on August 4

Congratulations on the marriage!

This site (scroll to the bottom) implies that beavers are hard to see, but then gives a link to some provincial parks where you might see them

This place claims to have beaver watching, but in the spring...

This place which seems to be somewhat near Tadoussac claims to have beaver watching in the summer

Oh yeah, just in case, the French word for beaver is "castor" (pronouced "cast-oar")!

have a blast! oh, and in case you don't get to see a beaver, you can always eat a beaver tail!
posted by bitteroldman at 4:38 PM on August 4

oh yeah, and what Class Goat said too!
posted by bitteroldman at 4:39 PM on August 4

(Wikipedia says they're "crepuscular", not nocturnal.)
posted by Class Goat at 4:40 PM on August 4

You'd have a better chance at spotting a beaver in Parc Omega, unfortunately, it's in the West end of the Province...
posted by titboy at 5:08 PM on August 4

Take an early evening drive through a rural area where there's a good amount of swamp, and if nothing else you might see glimpses of the trail of destruction they leave (chewed up trees, flooding, etc.). But they are hard to spot unless you're willing to find their homes, sit very quietly, and watch for ripples in the water.
posted by Succa at 5:50 PM on August 4

I think your question is a little strange. I don't know where you and your wife are from but maybe you're under the impression that because beavers are a symbol of Canada that they're everywhere (like Kangaroos or wombats in Australia). I've lived in Canada 40 years, have done my share of camping and fishing and whatnot and have never seen a beaver in the wild.
posted by dobbs at 7:06 PM on August 4

No help for Quebec, but...

If your wife can wait a little while and you ever find yourself in the lower Ontario/upper Minnesota area, I HIGHLY, highly, highly! recommend a wilderness excursion to the BWCA or the surrounding area. Take a week (ideally in early-mid May to avoid the heat and go through an outfitter if possible) and you will see virtually every type of wildlife you can imagine in the region. We had beavers swimming right alongside our canoe, and that was just the beginning. Not to mention the bear...

I was there twice in my teens and it changed my life. It's a very good experience to put things in perspective and quiet a busy life.
posted by PixelatorOfTime at 8:28 PM on August 4

You can always get beaver tails in Old Montreal in summertime. Queues de castor. But what everyone else says is true: you'll see the chewed trees and the dams but you will not see the beavers.

However. You may be able to see marmots, if that would make Madame happy. They're not beavers, but they're large fat waddly rodenty guys, and they're not so afraid of people. In Montreal there are usually some living not far from the huge geodesic dome near Jean-Drapeau metro, and if you don't see marmots, the island itself is worth a saunter.
posted by zadcat at 8:45 PM on August 4

when I do see them, they're off the side of the road, near the highway. I've never planned to see a beaver; it was more like, 'hey! look! it's a beaver!' and then we have the discussion about whether it was a groundhog/marmot or a beaver, with lots of everyone calling everyone else stupid and/or ignorant.

Then again, the wildlife is a special type of stupid here in this city (Ottawa). It's likely that your specific town does not have stunt beavers like we do.

Also: beavertails (queues de castor) are a pastry. Zadcat made a funny.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:57 PM on August 4 [1 favorite]

Oh, crap. I deleted this bit from my answer, which was actually the whole point of the answer:

In the long term, Pixelator might have the best response. That bit of Ontario is great for wildlife. Phone around in the places you are going to go next, see if anything is offered. The concierges at your hotels will likely be helpful.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:00 PM on August 4

This isn't near exactly, but I saw a beaver when I was canoeing in Algonquin in 2006. It was just the one, at dusk, minding its own business.
posted by roofus at 8:00 AM on August 5

La Mauricie National Park, a bit north of Trois-Rivieres has tons of beavers...I've had them swim next to me while canoe camping on Lake Caribou. Closer to where you are, take a drive up to the town of Shannon, about 40km north west of Quebec (it's right after the Valcartier military base)... the Jacques-Cartier river runs though there are usually a few dams between Shannon and the town of Pont-Rouge. Unfortunately I'm not in that area so I can't give you an exact location of one at the moment.
posted by furtive at 7:04 AM on August 6