Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Nature reserve in North Shore of Quebec, Canada

The Mingan Archipelago is a nature reserve spreading along the North Shore coast with thousands of islands and small islets marked by tall limestone rock formations. These stone columns rise from the water and create the distinctive character of the landscape.

The archipelago's bedrock is Ordovician, roughly 450 million years old, laid down as limestone, dolomite and shale in a shallow sea. The islands were proposed as a park in 1979 and the reserve was created in 1984, after Highway 138 reached the coast in 1976. Brothers Marie-Victorin and Rolland-Germain explored the flora here between 1924 and 1928.

The name Mingan comes from the Innu, and the islands lie within the traditional territory of the Innu and later the Acadian and Quebecois settlers of Havre-Saint-Pierre. Some islands or sectors are closed to visitors during the nesting season to protect breeding birds, so check local notices before landing.

Access to the islands is by boat tours departing from Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan or Havre-St-Pierre, usually lasting three to five hours depending on the route. Bring weather-appropriate clothing and plan visits during warmer months when conditions are best.

The reserve holds Canada's largest concentration of erosion monoliths, limestone columns up to several metres tall standing offshore. Botanists Marie-Victorin and Rolland-Germain explored the islands from 1924 to 1928, and their work led to the area's protection as a park reserve in 1984.