Godbout

Godbout is a municipality in Manicouagan, in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, in Quebec, on the Route des Baleines and the Route Nature aux mille délices (gourmet route). It is part of the township of De Monts and the tourist region of Manicouagan.

The main attractions of the municipality of Godbout are:
 * vacationing: especially around lakes: Lac Rond (north part), Lac de Monts (a bay near Route 138), as well as in the village;
 * salmon fishing: the ZEC des rivières Godbout & Mistassini manages the exploitation of these two rivers;
 * pedestrian paths: the path leading to Mont Caburon, where the cross of Godbout is located, overlooks the bay of Godbout; distance 6.6 km (estimated time: 2 hr 8 min.);
 * excursions on the trails by ATV or snowmobile; these excursions allow to appreciate the hinterland of mountain and forest;
 * the beaches of the bay of Godbout which give a beautiful view towards the East on the Cran Fer à Cheval, located in the western part of the Mornes de Godbout; and a beautiful view to the west, on Cap Rouge;
 * boating on Godbout Bay which is an appendage of the Gulf of St. Lawrence; visitors can admire the coast between Godbout and Baie-Trinité from pleasure craft;
 * picking wild berries in the summer season;
 * observation of marine mammals and avian species from land sites.

Understand
Godbout is an old coastal village on the Côte-Nord in Quebec in the regional county municipality of Manicouagan. The ferry linking the village to Matane on the south shore of the St. Lawrence is the village's main employer. Moreover, this has created an offer of accommodation and catering in the village. In the village of Godbout, sea or river fishing, especially salmon, is the major economic activity. Nestled between the mountains and at the bottom of a deep bay, the village benefits from protection against the heavy seas of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

History
In the 17th century, a first fur trading post was opened at the bottom of Godbout Bay; it remained in operation there for nearly two centuries. The toponymic designation "Godbout" appears in the Relations of the Jesuits of 1670. This locality turns out to be the parish of birth of Mgr Napoléon Alexandre Labrie, bishop of the diocese of the North Shore; he was a great visionary, having contributed to promoting education and developing the socio-political context of the region. A second legendary character and resident of Godbout, Napoléon Alexandre Comeau, had many talents: trapper, geologist, naturalist, doctor and an adventurer who loved exploits.

The village of Godbout includes an Innu minority.

Get in
The village of Godbout is accessible by road, boat (via Saint Lawrence River), airplane, snowmobile and all terrain vehicles.

By car

 * From Montréal (. Time: 8 hr 49 min. From downtown Montreal, take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (east); take route 132 (east), highway 20 (east); then successively Highway 73 (north), Highway 40 (east) and Route 138 to Godbout.

Route 138 passes 2 km east of the village via rue Mgr Labrie. In Godbout (after crossing the Godbout River), Route 138 makes a large loop to the north to bypass Lac Jean-Marie, Lac de Monts and Lac Éden, as well as Morne de Godbout (high riverside cliff); further east, Route 138 returns near the river to Baie-Trinité.