Clermont (Quebec)

Clermont is a small town in the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Charlevoix-Est, in the administrative region of the Capitale-Nationale, on the north shore of the Saint-Laurent, in Quebec, Canada. Municipality landlocked between the mountains and bordering the city of La Malbaie and the unorganized territory of Mont-Élie, its territory is crossed by the Malbaie River and by Route 138 which runs along the north shore of the river. Saint Laurent. A city of shops and services for travelers on route 138, Clermont also offers a lively cultural life and several recreational and tourist attractions including the Malbaie River, its campgrounds, the zec du Lac au Sable, its arena, its fishing pits at salmon on the Malbaie River, its municipal parks and the "Montagne de la Croix" site.

History
The fall of a large meteorite significantly modified the relief of Charlevoix, creating a crater 54 km in diameter occurred nearly 400 million years ago; it is the eleventh largest identified impact site on earth. The impact zone would be located along the St. Lawrence River; 60% of the Astroblème de Charlevoix covers the north shore of the river and 40% is located under the water of the river. The astrobleme begins on the southwest side a few kilometers west of Baie-Saint-Paul, up to Cap-à-l'Aigle, located on the east bank of the Malbaie River, in La Malbaie. In the northern part, the rim of the crater is located north of the village of Saint-Urbain; coming from the borough of La Baie (Ville-de-Saguenay) by road 381, travellers enter the astrobleme when the road descends from the Parc national des Grands-Jardins to head towards the village of Saint-Urbain. The eastern rim of the crater extends from Cap-à-l'Aigle up north, on the east side of the Malbaie River.

The centre of the astrobleme would be the Mont des Éboulements (summit at 768 m), formed by the effect of the raising of the bottom of the crater following the impact. Since this impact, the crater has been strongly metamorphosed under the effect of various erosion agents, making it more difficult to recognize its outline, particularly the part immersed in the St. Lawrence River. Consequently, experts define this ancient impact structure as the astrobleme. Inaugurated in 2014, an interpretation centre dedicated to the Charlevoix astrobleme is open to the public; this interpretation centre is housed in the former Club House of the Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie.

Geography
The centre of the village of Clermont (altitude of 50 m) is 6.4 km (direct line) from the La Malbaie bridge, which is located at the mouth of the Malbaie river. From the course of the Berges Alexis le Trotteur (downstream of the village), the Malbaie River meanders in five loops, to its mouth.

By car

 * From Tadoussac (, 1 hr 24 min), take the Tadoussac-Baie Sainte-Catherine ferry; take route 138 (westbound) to the village of Clermont.
 * From Quebec City (, 1 hr 34 min), take route 138 eastbound to the village of Clermont.

By bus

 * Operates a daily route between Baie-Comeau and Montreal including stops in Forestville, Tadoussac, Baie-Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Siméon, La Malbaie, Clermont, Saint-Hilarion, Baie-Saint-Paul, Saint-Tite-des-Caps, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Boischatel, and Quebec City. Trips toward Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City and do not include a stop in Montreal.

Eat
Since March 2020, in the context of health measures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, several restaurants or dining rooms in Charlevoix have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or by delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have shown great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as displaying the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g .: by reservation, drive-through service), health measures required (e.g .: vaccination record, mask, distance), other services (e.g .: caterer, shops, accommodation, access for disabled, wi-fi, take-out, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site. Considering the evolving context of the pandemic and government measures, it is recommended that customers obtain information from each establishment by consulting their respective website.

Connect
The federal government installed additional communications infrastructure in La Malbaie (and along highways 138, 170 and 362 between Charlevoix and Quebec City) for the G7 Summit in 2018. These facilities were left in place afterwards, so cell phone and wireless internet connections are better than they were before.