La Mauricie National Park 4.5

La Mauricie National Park is located near Shawinigan in the Laurentian mountains, in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It covers 536km2 in the southern Canadian Shield region bordering the Saint Lawrence lowlands. The park contains 150 lakes and many ponds.The park lies within the Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion. The forests in this region were logged from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century. The park's forests have regrown and contain a mixture of conifers and mixed deciduous trees.Wildlife in the park includes moose, black bears, beavers and otters. It supports a small number of wood turtles, rare in Canada. The park is a popular location for camping, canoeing and kayaking.The park is named after the nearby Saint-Maurice River to the east of the park. The Matawin River flows along the west and north borders of the park.