| Gravel River | |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Administrative region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Côte-Nord |
| Subdivision Type4: | RCM |
| Subdivision Name4: | Sept-Rivières |
| Subdivision Type5: | Unorg. Territory |
| Subdivision Name5: | Lac-Walker |
| Mouth Location: | Aux Rochers River |
| River System: | Aux Rochers River |
| Basin Size: | 939.3km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Petite rivière Gravel |
| Custom Label: | NRC id |
| Custom Data: | EIQAA |
The Gravel River (French: '''Rivière Gravel''') is a river in Quebec, Canada, to the north of the lower St. Lawrence River. It is a tributary of the Aux Rochers River in the Lac-Walker territory of Côte-Nord.
The Gravel River is in Lac-Walker, Sept-Rivières in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. The name of the river, Rivière Gravel, was made official by the Commission de toponymie du Québec on 25 February 1976. For most of its length the river flows south through the Port-Cartier–Sept-Îles Wildlife Reserve.
A map of the proposed Lake Walker National Park shows the river entering the park near Lake Goéland and flowing south with a meandering course to the north end of Lake Walker, roughly parallel with the Schmon River.
The Gravel is one of the main tributaries of the Aux Rochers River, the others being the MacDonald, Pasteur and Schmon. It drains a basin of 939.3km2. During deglaciation the ice in the Schmon and Gravel river valleys was probably slow to melt, then poured their water into Lake Walker. The high waters of this period were the source of much of the material in the meanders of the river, although other material comes from erosion of the valley slopes, banks and bed.
Within the proposed park, the river's valley flows north northeast-south southwest for about 12km (07miles) before entering Lake Walker. It has a trough-shaped cross-section. The valley has an irregular profile along its length, with some glacial locks, or riegels. Upstream of the locks are glacial umbilicals filled with glaciofluvial sediments. In the Lake Ulysse-Morin sector the river is fed by a series of parallel tributaries down to the point where it meets the Petite Gravel River, after which the valley broadens out and the river flows quietly, with many meanders. This is an area of great natural beauty.
A map of the Ecological regions of Quebec shows the river rising and flowing south through the eastern spruce/moss domain of the boreal zone.
Some of the lakes in the Gravel River basin are:
| Lake | Coordinates | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lac Trouvé | 51.085°N -67.2894°W | [1] | |
| Lac aux Chiens | 50.9892°N -67.2658°W | [2] | |
| Grand lac du Nord | 50.9033°N -67.0883°W | [3] | |
| Petit lac du Nord | 50.8281°N -67.145°W | [4] | |
| Lac Harbour | 50.8467°N -67.2122°W | [5] | |
| Lac Hervieux | 50.7589°N -67.1322°W | [6] | |
| Lac du Rat Musqué | 50.6672°N -67.1706°W | [7] | |
| Petit lac des Noyés | 50.6392°N -67.1578°W | [8] | |
| Lac Ulyesse-Morin | 50.5658°N -67.1753°W | [9] | |
| Petite rivière Gravel (50.5247°N -67.1575°W[10]) | |||
| Lake | Coordinates | Reference | |
| Lac Adams | 50.7961°N -67.0231°W | [11] | |
| Lac Large | 50.7186°N -66.9458°W | [12] | |
| Lac Travers | 50.7092°N -67.0578°W | [13] | |
| Lac Bouchard | 50.6533°N -67.0722°W | [14] | |
| Lac Goéland | 50.5814°N -67.1383°W | [15] | |