Laurentian Mountains

Low mountain range along the north of the St Lawrence River valley in southern Québec. Extending from the Gatineau River in the west, above Ottawa, to Lake Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River in the east, the range has an average height of just 240 m/800 ft, but reaches a high point of 960 m/3,150 ft at Mont Tremblant. The area is now extremely popular with devotees of winter sports.

The Laurentian Mountains are actually the dissected southern edge of the Canadian Shield (Laurentian Plateau). Among the rivers flowing from the Laurentians into either the Ottawa or the St Lawrence are the Lièvre, Rouge, Nord, Saint-Maurice, and Montmorency. In the late 19th century the churchman Antoine Labelle attempted to settle the Laurentians with farmers, but his efforts met with only limited success. However, in the 20th century the area northwest of Montréal became one of the world's leading ski resort centres. The Laurentians are also much visited for their lakes and rivers and for the splendid show of colour when the leaves change colour in the autumn. The Laurentian Autoroute (Autoroute des Laurentides) connects the mountains with Montréal.