The Rivière Gauthier is a tributary of the Saguenay River, flowing in the territory of the city of Saguenay, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. This small valley is served by "Chemin du Lac-des-Maltais", Chemin Saint-Isidore, route 170, Chemin Saint-Roch, l'autoroute 70, chemin du Plateau Nord, boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste, "chemin du rang Saint-Joseph" and "chemin du rang Saint-Martin", for agriculture, forestry, recreational and tourist activities and residents of this area. Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second. The surface of the Gauthier River is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally made from mid-December to mid-March.
Geography
The main watersheds adjacent to the Gauthier river are:
south-west of the confluence of the rivière à Mars and the Baie des Ha! Ha!.
From its source, the Gauthier river flows over with a drop of especially in agricultural area, according to the following segments:
to the north by crossing the Lac-des-Maltais road as well as the mid-segment railway, and forming a curve towards the west, as well as crossing the Roger-Pedneault Lake. Note: this body of water receives from the southeast the discharge from the Frenière River;
northwards passing west of Bagotville Airport, crossing Saint-Isidore road and bending towards west to route 170;
towards the north by forming a curve towards the east at the start of the segment, up to the route 372 that the current cuts east of a village;
towards the northwest by winding up to the Crères stream ;
meandering northwest, then north, to a bridge on rang Saint-Joseph road;
north-east, up to the outlet of the Paradis brook ;
to the north by forming a few serpentines in the middle of the segment, then by bending towards the northeast to the bridge on chemin du rang Saint-Martin;
north-east, to its mouth.
The Gauthier River flows into the bottom of a small bay of on the south bank of the Saguenay River, in the sector of La Baie, either on the west of "Pointe à Gonie". This confluence is located at:
north-west of the confluence of the rivière à Mars and the Baie des Ha! Ha!
north-west of the mouth of the Ha! Ha! River.
From the confluence of the Gauthier river with the Saguenay River, the current follows the course of the Saguenay River on eastward to Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence Estuary.
