Ashuapmushuan Lake

Ashuapmushuan Lake is a freshwater body of the Lac-Ashuapmushuan, Quebec unorganized territory of the Regional County Municipality (MRC) Le Domaine-du-Roy, north-west of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean administrative region, in province of Quebec, Canada.

This lake is fully contained in the township of Lorne and the Ashuapmushuan Wildlife Reserve.

Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector. Recreational tourism activities come second.

The forest road route 167 linking Chibougamau and Saint-Félicien, Quebec passes to the northeast of the lake, as well as the Canadian National Railway. Other secondary forest roads serve the vicinity of the lake.

The surface of Ashuapmushuan Lake is usually frozen from early November to mid-May, however, safe ice movement is generally from mid-November to mid-April.

Geography
• This lake has a length of 13.4 km oriented north-west, a maximum width of 2.4 km and an altitude of 371 m. Towards the center of the lake, a first bay stretches over 0.8 km to the east; a second stretches southward on 1.6 km. In addition, a third bay stretches 0.5 m northeasterly from its southern tip to the mouth of the Licorne River.

• The mouth of Lake Ashuapmushuan is located at:

• 8.8 km southwesterly of the route 167;

• 12.3 km south of the mouth of the Hilarion River (confluence with the Ashuapmushuan River);

• 122.4 km northwest of the mouth of the Ashuapmushuan River (confluence with lac Saint-Jean);

• 160.7 km east of the mouth of lac Saint-Jean (confluence with the Saguenay River);

• 292 km east of the mouth of the Saguenay River (confluence with the Estuary of Saint Lawrence.

• The main hydrographic slopes near Lake Ashuapmushuan are:

• North side: Aigremont Lake, Denaut Lake, Ashuapmushuan River, La Loche River;

• East side: Chiboubiche Lake, Licorne River, Ashuapmushuan River, Chigoubiche River;

• South side: Arlequin Creek, Marquette River, Laon Lake;

• West side: Marquette River West, Poutrincourt Lake, Normandin River.

• From the mouth of Ashuapmushuan Lake, the current of the Ashuapmushuan River flows northward on 35.9 km, then 144 km south-east to its confluence with lac Saint-Jean where it empties onto the west shore.

Toponymy
On the peninsula at the northwestern end of the lake, at the confluence of the Marquette River, Normandin River, and Ashuapmushuan River, a trading post was built in the early eighteenth century. It has been in operation for several decades.

In the Ilnue language, ashuapmushuan means "where moose are being watched". Since the late nineteenth century, a dozen different spellings of the name of this body of water has been noted, whose form "Lac Chamouchouan" noted on a map of 1897.

The toponym "Lac Ashuapmushuan" was formalized on October 5, 1982, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec.