Maskinongé (municipality)

Maskinongé is a municipality of the Maskinongé Regional county municipality (MRC), in Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

Every spring and fall, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stop off by landing on Lac Saint-Pierre (and its tributaries) and on the surrounding land, many of which are flooded during the snowmelt period.

History
This toponym is of Algonquin origin, meaning "misshapen pike". The pike, designated Maskinongé, is widespread in the Maskinongé River and Lake Saint-Pierre.

Geography
Located along the northwest shore of Lake Saint-Pierre, the village of Maskinongé is crossed by the course of the Maskinongé river, the Bois Blanc river and La Petite Rivière.

The northwest shore of lac Saint-Pierre includes Île aux Grues (bounded by the Maskinongé River, La Petite Rivière and the North Channel), the Cove of the Petite Rivière and the Bay of Maskinongé which is a vast shallow area where aquatic plants grow abundantly. This shoal zone, which extends over the entire north shore of Lake Saint-Pierre, that is to say as far as Pointe-du-lac, is suitable for migratory birds and aquatic fauna. The Petite Baie des Deux Montagnes separates the Île aux Grues (in Maskinongé) and the Iles de la Girodeau (in Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola).

Economy
The village is also crossed by the Quebec-Gatineau rail section of the Canadian Pacific. Maskinongé station was a vector of economic development thanks to the transport of passengers and goods.

Municipality bordering Lake Saint-Pierre, Maskinongé has a great agricultural economic vocation, certain public services (e.g., schools, municipality, residences for seniors) and recreational tourism activities (vacationing, swimming, hunting, fishing, boating, marinas). Throughout its history, recreational, commercial and fishing boating has been an economic vector. Boating is possible on the Maskinongé River. The area bordering the Maskinongé River is densified by vacationing and permanent residences, especially between the village of Maskinongé and the confluence with the St. Lawrence River. And each side of the river has an access road to serve residents and vacationers. The hamlet "Langue-de-Terre" is located at the confluence of the Maskinongé river and the Saint-Laurent river.

Get in
The village of Maskinongé is accessible by road, boat (via the St. Lawrence River), seaplane, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles.

By car

 * From Montreal (. Time: 1 hr 8 min. Take highway 40 (north shore) heading east; take route 138 to the village of Maskinongé.
 * From Quebec. (. Time: 1 hr 46 min. Take Autoroute 40 westbound to the Chemin Caron exit (northbound) to the village of Louiseville; take route 138 (westbound) to the village of Maskinongé.

Collective transport by bus
The Express Bleu bus leaves from Cégep de Trois-Rivières (science pavilion) MF at 08:00, 12:00, 15:45 and 18:00, and later from Maskinongé (at the Ultramar gas station and opposite the church).