The Petite rivière Saint-François is a tributary of the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River. This river flows in the municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The lower part is served by rue Principale de Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, which runs along the Saint-Laurent river. The economic activities of this valley are concentrated on the bank of the river where recreational tourism activities are developed. In addition, the peaks and flanks of the surrounding mountains are used for recreational tourism activities, in particular the important alpine ski center of Massif de Charlevoix which is located very close to the south side of this river and whose flank the mountain for alpine skiing faces the river. The surface of the lower part of the Petite Rivière Saint-François is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the end of March, except the backwater zones; however, safe traffic on the ice is generally from mid-December to mid-March. The upper part has an additional week's freezing period. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.
Geography
The Petite Rivière Saint-François rises at the confluence of two mountain streams, in the municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, on the north side of the mountain peak at Liguori. This source is located at:
From its source, the course of this river descends on towards the south-east, bending towards the east at the end of the segment, with a drop of, by cutting Principale Street and the railway which runs along the river, to its mouth. The Petite Rivière Saint-François flows onto the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François. This confluence is located at:
south of the center of the village of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François;
east of route 138;
north of the hamlet of Grande-Pointe.
Toponymy
During his exploratory journey of 1603 on the St. Lawrence River, Champlain designated this river in the form of "Little River". This watercourse was later designated under the following variants: “Bergeron river” and “Rivière du Sot”. The toponym "Petite rivière Saint-François" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
