ZEC du Lac-au-Sable

The ZEC du Lac-au-Sable is a controlled harvesting zone located in the unorganized territory of Mont-Élie, in the regional county municipality (RCM) of Charlevoix-Est, in the administrative region of the Quebec Region of Quebec. The territory of the ZEC straddles the townships of Lacoste, Chauveau, Ducreux and Sagard.

Understand
This ZEC was created in 1978, following the abolition of private hunting & fishing clubs on public lands. This ZEC is administered by the Association loisirs et plein air des Marais inc.

The main recreational and tourist activities on the territory of the ZEC are hiking, berry and mushroom picking, hunting, fishing (white, fly and wading), water activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, boating, mountain biking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. The ZEC also offers a snowmobile and ATV storage service; the ZEC has 48 rental warehouses. For adventure lovers, the ZEC offers remote, inaccessible places for such adventures.

The elevation of the ZEC du Lac-au-Sable varies between 150 m to more than 1000 m; thus, it is similar to other mountainous and forest areas of Charlevoix. Thanks to its magnificent valleys, often well steepened between the mountains, the panorama is bucolic from various points of view. The territory of the ZEC has a hundred lakes; about ten of them are of significant size and are housed in the hollows of valleys. The territory is dotted with waterways including the rivers Jacob, Malbaie and Snigole; which contributes to a varied offer of recreational tourism activities.

History
Before its creation in 1978, the current territory of the ZEC was operated by the Club des Marais Inc. and the Club Rodrigue Inc.; the members of the latter club were all employees of the company Donohue, now Resolute. Following the provincial reform to democratize access to and exploitation of the territory of public lands, the members of these two clubs met on January 31, 1978 under the aegis of the Clermont paper workers union. The group agreed to apply for accreditation for the purpose of managing the ZEC Lac-au-Sable territory. Then the SACERF group of Charlevoix-Est, representing private clubs, opted to join the movement to form the Association loisirs et plein air des Marais.



Geography
ZEC du Lac-au-Sable has a length of (in the north-south direction) by  in width.

Lac au Sable (altitude: 445 m; length: 2.7 km; width: 1.3 km) is the main body of water in the ZEC territory. This lake collects the waters of the Petit Saguenay River (coming from the south) and the Ruisseau au Sable (coming from the west) which drains the "lac à l'Est". The Petit Saguenay River (length: ), a tributary of the Saguenay River, has its source at Third Lake of the Marais; it first flows north for, then crosses Lac au Sable for , its full length.

Get in
The territory of the ZEC du Lac-au-Sable is accessible by road vehicle and ATV. Its main entrance is from La Malbaie. From the reception station in the south of the territory of the ZEC, take the chemin des Marais (northbound), which joins the chemin d'Auteuil. Its network of forest roads is very well maintained and is branched out enough to access the entire territory.

By car

 * From Tadoussac (. Time: 1 hr 30 min. Take the Tadoussac-Baie-Sainte-Catherine ferry; take route 138 (eastbound) to the village of Clermont; take Chemin du Friche (northbound); take the road (eastbound); take rue Maisonneuve (northbound) which becomes chemin du Friche after crossing the Malbaie River, to the ZEC reception desk (intersection of chemin Snigole and chemin des Marais).
 * From Quebec City (. Time: 1 hr 37 min. Take route 138 (eastbound) to the village of Clermont; take the Chemin du Friche (north direction)... and the following path according to the previous route.

Camping
The ZEC offers:
 * 110 campgrounds on seven sites on its territory. Trailers are permitted to remain on a site permanently with an annual rental lease. A veranda and a shed are authorized, under certain conditions. Septic installation and connection to household water. Land is allocated by drawing lots;
 * 40 rustic campsites on the six sites of the ZEC. Each site has a table and a dry toilet nearby. Stay on an authorized pitch for up to two weeks.