Trifter

The James Bay Road runs northwards from Matigami to Radisson Quebec. The road was purposely built by Hydro-Québec to accommodate the building of the Robert Bourassa hydroelectric facility to the northeast of Radisson on the Laforce River of central Québec. You might say this is the highway to the north as it ends in Radisson. However from the Robert Baroussa facility another highway finds its way eastward through the boreal forest That is normally called the taiga, hence its name is the Taiga Highway.

The best way to get to Matigami is to follow Québec Route 109 from Val’Dor to Malarctic and through to Cadillac. From Cadillac you can follow Québec Route 109 through a wilderness to Matigami. Matigami marks the beginning of the Hudson Bay Road. From Matigami it is 680 km to Radisson that marks the northern end of the James Road. This is the longest stretch of highway in eastern North America with no towns. There is only a rest station at the 381 km mark that includes a gas station, a hotel/motel and a campground is only open in the summer. This road takes you through one of the wildest wildernesses in eastern North America. It is located in the east side of Hudson Bay in mid-Québec. The end of the road marks the beginning of the Taiga Highway built by Hydro-Québec to accommodate the construction of their hydroelectric plants in central Québec.

As wild as Route 109 is in getting to Matigami you will find that the road north of Matigami becomes even wilder. The James Bay Road is noted as the greatest wilderness highway in North America. Although it is a hardtop road maintained by Hydro-Québec throughout its length and has no towns other than Matigami at the South is and Radisson at the north end. The end of the James Bay Road is almost as far north as you can drive in eastern North America. The Trans-Taiga Road Is truly as far north as you can drive in eastern North America eastern end of this road is 745 away from the nearest town. Radisson is a town at the northern end of the James they-year-old was purpose built in 1974 by Hydro-Québec to accommodate the workers on the Robert Bourassa hydroelectric project on the LaForce River just outside the town.

One of the spectacular sights as you drive north on the James payroll is the great rapids on the Rupert River that is going to be diverted as part of the Hydro-Québec project in 2009. This year will mark the end of these rapids and if you want to see them the diversion will occur at the end of this year. The James Bay Road crosses the Rupert River at kilometer 257 over a modern bridge. The Rupert River in northern Québec is truly a wild river is slated to be tainted by a man in the late autumn of 2009. Just this one scene along the James Bay Road is well worth the trip north.

While driving the James Bay Road you will literally see billions of spruce up all some trees that make up the take of forests of the far North. You will also have the chance to see a lot of the wildlife that is native to this part of the country. This will include the woodland reindeer, moose, wolves among others.

You’ll find yourself so far north in Quebec that French becomes a rarity acceptance of the larger towns. The Cree Indians and the Inuit for the most part speak their own native languages or English. Some of the younger Cree Indians are capable of speaking in French because they have recently learned the language. English-Speaking travelers should have no trouble at all in traversing this country for this reason.

References:

James Bay Road, http://www.jamesbayroad.com/