| Apica River | |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean |
| Subdivision Type4: | Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Type5: | Unorganized territory and a city |
| Subdivision Name5: | Lac-Ministuk |
| Length: | 19.5km (12.1miles) |
| Discharge1 Location: | Lac-Ministuk |
| Source1: | Lac Micoine |
| Source1 Location: | Lac-Ministuk |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 48.3285°N -71.6796°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 739 |
| Mouth: | Pikauba River |
| Mouth Location: | Lac-Ministuk |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 47.9789°N -71.4103°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 502m (1,647feet) |
| Tributaries Left: | (from the mouth) Décharge du lac Molson, décharge du lac Dagenay, décharge du lac du Carnier (via le lac Lemay), décharge du petit lac Micoine (via le lac Micoine). |
| Tributaries Right: | (from the mouth) Décharge du lac du Lédon. |
The Apica River is a freshwater tributary of the Pikauba River, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Ministuk, in the Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.
The Apica River flows through a narrow, steep valley. Visitors can admire the panorama from a rest area located a few kilometers north of the route 169 bridge over it. This river turns out to be the outlet of a series of small aligned lakes, located to the south, Lake Micoine constituting its head. At the end of the route, the Apica river flows at the foot of Apica mountain, culminating at 884m (2,900feet). The lake of the same name is located to the southwest of Mount-Apica; however, this lake is integrated into the watershed of the rivière aux Écorces.
The upper part of the Apica valley is accessible by the route 169 (route d'Iberville); other secondary forest roads have been developed in the sector for forestry and recreational tourism activities.
Forestry is the primary economic activity in the sector; recreational tourism, second.
The surface of the Apica River is usually frozen from late November to early April, however safe circulation on the ice is generally from mid-December to late March.
The Apica River intersects the route 169 connecting Quebec (city) to Lac Saint-Jean, halfway between Jacques-Cartier Lake and the northwest limit of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. The main watersheds adjacent to the Apica River are:
The Apica River rises at the mouth of Lake Micoine (altitude: 752km (467miles)). The mouth which is on the north shore of this head lake is located at:
From the mouth of Lake Micoine, the course of the Apica River flows over 19.5km (12.1miles) entirely in the forest zone, with a drop of 237m (778feet), according to the following segments :
The Apica river flows on the west bank of the Pikauba River. This confluence is located at:
From the confluence of the Apica river with the Pikauba River, the current descends successively the Pikauba river on 61.6km (38.3miles) to the northeast, then the current crosses the Kenogami Lake on 17.6km (10.9miles) north-east to Barrage de Portage-des-Roches, then follows the course of the Chicoutimi River on 26.2km (16.3miles) to the east, then the northeast, and the course of the Saguenay River on 114.6km (71.2miles) east to Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.[1]
The Dictionary of Rivers and Lakes of the Province of Quebec (1914 and 1925) calls this stream "Upika River". The toponymic designation of this river appears under the spelling "Upica" on the map of the province of Quebec by Eugène Taché (1870), in Studies by Stanislas Drapeau on the developments of the colonization of Lower Canada (1863), and in an 1850 report from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, JH Price, with the spelling "Upika". The Innu term "upica" means "it is constricted" when speaking of a watercourse. This term could also mean "carrying strap", according to an interpretation known formerly. Long used, the name "Upica" was changed in 1961 to "Apica" as was the new designation "Mount Apica". This mountain then acquired a certain notoriety following the installation, nearby, of a radar station, today disused.[2]
The toponym "Apica river" was formalized on June 6, 1973, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]