Saint-Joachim

Saint-Joachim is a parish municipality of Quebec near Quebec City in the regional county municipality of La Côte-de-Beaupré, in the administrative region of the Capitale-Nationale.

Geography
This municipality is mainly characterized by:
 * the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Reserve: this wildlife reserve is made up of marshes, plains, forests and hills/mountains along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Every two years, thousands of visitors come to admire the snow geese in their migratory stopover in the Cap Tourmente national wildlife reserve;
 * the Côte de La Miche: the municipal territory is crossed from southwest to northeast by Route 138 which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Heading east, after crossing the Saint-Anne River bridge, Route 138 gradually rises to, then climbs rapidly to to reach an altitude of 384 m at the junction of chemin Cauchon. The ascent of this coast of the Miche constitutes the right of entry into the Canadian shield, leaving the plain of the St. Lawrence;
 * the flats of Pointe aux Prêtres: these flats stretch for between Cap Tourmente and Pointe aux Prêtres (and advance into the river up to  at low tide) which is south of the village of Saint-Joachim. From there, the narrower flats continue westward to the Périgny sector of the hamlet of Sainte-Anne-Ouest. These flats are revealed at low tide;
 * the Rivière Sainte-Anne which includes (from the mouth): small islands near the mouth, a series of rapids in the lower part, the Sainte-Anne waterfall (in a steep arwa) and Sept-Chutes (in a steep-sided area) on the border of Saint-Joachim, Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges and Saint-Tite-des-Caps;
 * its small agricultural part in the riparian zone with a maximum width of, which begins at the foot of Cap Tourmente and stretches west to the river Saint Anne. From the beginning of colonization by the French, this site was used for agriculture essential to the development of New France. There are still important traces of the past today: farm buildings that belonged to the Séminaire de Québec, archaeological remains of the fires made by English General James Wolfe to take the city of Québec and a heritage church dating from the French regime;
 * the panorama of the northeast end of Île d'Orléans: the Île d'Orléans channel has a width of at the height of the village of Saint-Joachim;
 * the picturesque village of Saint-Joachim: this small inverted L-shaped village is part of the plain and is near the shore of the St. Lawrence River. In the village, the panorama is splendid on (counter-clockwise): Cap Tourmente, Côte de la Miche, Mont Ferréol, Mont Saint-Anne and the other nearby peaks of the Laurentian Shield.

History
Saint-Joachim has four centuries of history. From 1623, the inhabitants harvested fodder there. Its historic buildings and infrastructure straddle the French regime in Canada until 1759; then the English regime since 1759. During the English conquest of 1759, many farms and houses were destroyed; these buildings were rebuilt in subsequent years.

By car

 * From Tadoussac (176 km, time: 2 hr 35 min), take Route 138 (eastbound) to the village of Beaupré; turn right at rute Prévost; turn left at avenue Royale, to the village of Saint-Joachim.
 * From Quebec (52 km, time: 39 min), take the Tadoussac-Baie Sainte-Catherine ferry; take Route 138 (westbound) to Côte de la Miche in Saint-Joachim; turn left at rue des Carrières, to the village of Saint-Joachim.