| La Belle Rivière | |
| 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: | Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipalities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Belle-Rivière, Saint-Gédéon |
| Length: | 33.8km (21miles) |
| Discharge1 Location: | Saint-Gédéon |
| Source1: | Lac de la Belle Rivière |
| Source1 Location: | Belle-Rivière |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 48.2364°N 71.7197°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 346 |
| Mouth: | Lac Saint-Jean |
| Mouth Location: | Saint-Gédéon |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 48.46°N -71.7894°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 101m (331feet) |
The Belle Rivière is a tributary of Lac Saint-Jean, flowing the unorganized territory of Belle-Rivière and in the municipalities of Hébertville and Saint-Gédéon, in the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in Quebec, Canada.
The Belle Rivière valley is served by route 169, chemin du 3e rang, chemin du 2e rang, chemin du rang Caron, route des Savard, chemin du rang de la Belle-Rivière (north side of the river) and chemin du rang Sainte-Anne (south side). This valley is also served by some secondary forest roads, especially for forestry and recreational tourism activities.
Forestry and agriculture are the main economic activities in this valley; followed by recreational tourism, as a second economic activity.
The surface of the Belle Rivière is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally made from mid-December to mid-March.
Taking its source from Lac de la Belle Rivière (48.2364°N -71.7197°W), this river is 33.8km (21miles) long. This river empties into Lac Saint-Jean at Saint-Gédéon.
The main watersheds neighboring the Belle Rivière are:
The La Belle Rivière rises at Lac de la Belle Rivière (length: 10.1km (06.3miles); altitude: 346m (1,135feet)) in the forest area. This source is located at:
From its source (lac de la Belle Rivière), the Belle Rivière flows over 33.8km (21miles) with a drop of 245m (804feet) entirely in the forest and agricultural zone, according to the following segments:
La Belle Rivière pours into the bottom of a bay on the eastern shore of lac Saint-Jean. This confluence is located at:
From the mouth of La Belle Rivière on the east shore of lac Saint-Jean, the current goes north on 15.4km (09.6miles) crossing this last lake, follows the course of the Saguenay River via La Petite Décharge on 172.3km (107.1miles) until Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.[1]
Its name comes from the montagnais "Mirochip8" which means "beautiful river".[2]
It has also previously been known as the Couchepagane River[3] Kushpahigan or .[4] [5]
The toponym "La Belle Rivière" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[6]