| Rivière de l'Enfer | |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Capitale-Nationale |
| Subdivision Type4: | Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Mékinac |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipalities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Lac-Pikauba |
| Length: | 16.2km (10.1miles) |
| Source1: | Grand lac des Enfers |
| Source1 Location: | Lac-Pikauba |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 47.7134°N -70.9948°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 950m (3,120feet) |
| Mouth: | Malbaie River |
| Mouth Location: | Lac-Pikauba |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 47.6753°N -70.8456°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 720m (2,360feet) |
| Tributaries Left: | (Upward from the mouth) . |
| Tributaries Right: | (Upward from the mouth) . |
The Rivière de l'Enfer (English: Hell's River) is a tributary of the eastern bank of the Malbaie River, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. This watercourse crosses the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve and Grands-Jardins National Park.
This valley is served by a secondary forest road going up by the north bank. The upper part is served by some secondary forest roads linked to road R0304. Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second.
Because of the altitude, the surface of the Hell River is generally frozen from the end of November until the beginning of March; however, safe circulation on the ice is generally done from the beginning of December to the beginning of April. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood generally occurs in April.
The "rivière de l'Enfer" rises from Grand lac des Enfers (length: in the shape of a misshapen banana with four large peninsulas; altitude:), located in a forest area in Lac-Pikauba. This lake is landlocked between the mountains, particularly the cliffs of the North shore. This lake is mainly fed by the outlet of Lac Tobin du Lac du Styx, as well as two streams (one coming from the northwest and the other coming from the north). The mouth of this small lake is located to the southwest, at:
From the mouth of Grand lac des Enfers, the course of the Hell river descends on, with a drop of, depending on the segments following:
The Hell River flows into a bend on the west bank of the Malbaie River, in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba, in Grands-Jardins National Park. This mouth is located at:
From the mouth of the Hell river, the current descends on with a drop of following the course of the Malbaie river which dump at La Malbaie in the St. Lawrence River.[1]
In French Canadian toponymy, already in the 19th century, the term Hell was used to designate these entities as well as a mountain pierced by a deep crevasse, located southeast of Grand lac des Enfers. The stream has the same name as its head lake; these toponyms appear in the 1914 Dictionary of Rivers and Lakes of the Province of Quebec.
The toponymic designation "Rivière de l'Enfer" was first approved on April 3, 1959, by the Commission de géographie du Québec.[2]
The toponym "Rivière de l'Enfer" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]