Portneuf County

Portneuf County is an historic and regional administration covering the western part of Quebec Region on the western boundaries of Quebec City. The county is mainly known for its wilderness and remaining pristine landscapes, but it remains a region untouched by mass tourism. The southern towns, by the shore of the St. Lawrence river, are some of the oldest settlements in North America and carries the trace of the colonial history of Canada. The scenic Chemin du Roy trail goes through the county and those historic villages.

Towns
North-West South West
 * St-Raymond
 * Lac-Sergent
 * St-Léonard
 * Ste-Christine
 * Rivière-à-Pierre
 * Donnacona
 * Neuville
 * Cap-Santé
 * Portneuf
 * St-Basile
 * Pont-Rouge
 * Deschambault-Grondines
 * St-Alban
 * St-Marc-des-Carrières
 * St-Gilbert
 * St-Casimir
 * St-Thuribe
 * St-Ubalde

Other destinations

 * ZEC Batiscan-Neilson
 * ZEC de la Rivière-Blanche
 * Portneuf Wildlife Reserve
 * Duchesnay

Understand
Portneuf is still a purely rural county which economy relies mainly on farming and lumbering as well as some local factory. The region covers about 4000 km² for a population of about 35,000 inhabitants where the majority lives in the southern part of the county just by St-Lawrence River in one of the 18 organised municipalities. The county's northern part remains undivided public land and is reputed as a cottage country holiday area for the inhabitants of Quebec City.

Due to its proximity to Quebec City many villagers commute everyday to the city for work.


 * Tourist information

Get in and around
With a few exceptions, there is no public transport in this rural county. A car is therefore required to ease the mobility to and within this rural county.

By car
Portneuf County is easily reachable within 30 minutes of driving from Quebec City by heading west towards the A-40

By train
Rivière-à-Pierre still has a functioning train station. The Via Rail trains head north through the Public Land to Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.

By bus
Orleans Express serves the riverside towns along the A-40 on its service between Montreal and Quebec City, but the service is infrequent and unreliable.

Itineraries
Three main itineraries can be set to visit the different features of this county:
 * 1) North-West and Public Land (Wilderness Trail)
 * 2) Along the St. Lawrence (Historic Trail)
 * 3) The West (Colonisation Trail)

Stay safe
This rural county has no crime rate. Call 911 to reach the local police station which is based in Pont-Rouge.

If you venture into the public land, you must register in a case you need a rescue. This advice is actually an obligation and responsibility to everyone who would venture in this vast untouched area. The nearest settlement and assistance can be hours away by car once in the northern wild part of county, letting the rescue service know about your whereabouts could be a paramount element.

Go next

 * Île d'Orléans - the birthplace of Francophone culture in North America