| Malbaie River | |
| Name Other: | Rivière Malbaie (in French) |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Capitale-Nationale |
| Length: | 161km (100miles)[1] |
| Source1: | Petit lac Tristan |
| Source1 Location: | Lac-Jacques-Cartier (unorganized territory), Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 47.4771°N -70.1472°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 893m (2,930feet) |
| Mouth: | Saint Lawrence Estuary |
| Mouth Location: | La Malbaie, Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 47.655°N -70.1472°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0m (00feet) |
| Basin Size: | 2059km2[2] |
| Tributaries Left: | (upstream) |
| Tributaries Right: | (upstream) |
The Malbaie River in the Charlevoix region empties into the Saint Lawrence River at La Malbaie. Until 1985 the river was used to transport logs downstream. It flows through a steep valley known as Les Hautes Gorges. A sugar maple and American elm forest grows in the gorge and has remained largely undisturbed for hundreds of years.
Its course successively crosses Grands-Jardins National Park, Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, Zec des Martres, Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park and Zec du Lac-au-Sable. It winds first towards the north-east, towards the east, then towards the south-east, in a narrow and deep glacial valley, for 161 kilometers and a drop of 820 meters.
Its course forms a semicircle stretching towards the north and completely encircling in its center the hydrographic slope of the Rivière du Gouffre. For example, there is a distance of between the mouth of the rivières des Martres and the mouth of a stream flowing on the east bank of the upper part of the Malbaie River; at the height of this imaginary line, the course of the Malbaie river stretches north to . While there is a distance of between the mouth of the Malbaie river and the mouth of the Petite rivière Malbaie which flows onto the east bank of the upper part the Malbaie River; at the height of this imaginary line, the course of the Malbaie river stretches north to .[3] Its watershed and that of the rivière du Gouffre form the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve.
Le Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park is home to Eastern Canada's tallest rock-faced cliffs. Designated a national park (of the province of Québec) in 2000, the 233-km2 Hautes-Gorges is the centrepiece of the UNESCO Charlevoix biosphere reserve.
"Little Tristan Lake" is the "head lake" of the Malbaie River hydrographic slope. It is located in a swampy area in a small valley of mountains. It discharges to the north where water flows through swamps to Tristan Lake (long) that flows through its full length from south to north. The landfill continues for north to Gamache Lake (0.86 km), which crosses the stream from south to north for . This last lake has a large central island.
From Gamache Lake, the waters flow north for to the outlet of Lamfort Lake. From there, the Malbaie River descends for to Fradette Lake (oriented to the northeast), which flows through to its full length. Lake Frenette receives by the north-west the waters of lakes Carroll, Milton and Brunette. From the mouth of Fradette Lake, the river flows northeast to Lake Malbaie. The current of the Malbaie River crosses this lake from south to north for .
The Malbaie Lake outlet is located to the north.
Upper course of the Malbaie River downstream of Malbaie Lake (segment of)
Intermediate course of the Malbaie river downstream of the Cruche River (segment of)
Lower course of the Malbaie river downstream of the Martres river (segment of)
Lower course of the Malbaie river downstream from the ruisseau des Americans (segment of)
The Malbaie River flows into downtown La Malbaie on the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River.
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain named this stream "Rivière Platte" or "Malle Baye". After the English conquest, the seigneuries of Mount Murray and Murray Bay, so that the English have long named this river Murray River. With time, the Malbaie river finally prevails.
Champlain calls the bay "Malbaie" in the sense of bad because at low tide the latter dries up and the boats run aground. As for "Murray", he owes his name to James Murray, first governor of province of Quebec, which conceded two seigneuries at the mouth of the river.[5]