Gaspé Peninsula, or Gaspésie as the locals call it, is home to quite a few lighthouses. Many of them have been transformed into museums or tourist information centers. 5 Lighthouses in the Gaspé Peninsula are quite easy to visit as you’re travelling along the Quebec Scenic Route – 132.
English: “Lighthouse” = French: “Phare”
5 Lighthouses in the Gaspé Peninsula
1. Phare de Cap-des-Rosiers
Location: Gaspé, Quebec
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/b8XGR6DAwNV6vZTb9
The Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse is 34 meters talls and was built between 1853 and 1858. This is the tallest lighthouse in Canada, and still works today, guiding ships to safety in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
2. Phare du Cap-de-la-Madeleine
Location: Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine, Quebec
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/zb6hTLgqQ4vtbfpY9
Cap de la Madeleine Lighthouse was first built as a wooden lighthouse in 1871. In 1908 it was reinforced with concrete. It stands about 17 meters tall on a point in the Madeleine River. There is a museum on site where you can learn more about the history of this lighthouse.
3. Phare de La Martre
Location: La Martre, Quebec
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/uoELc4ncCCZ3q8bd9
The first lighthouse at this site was built in 1876 and was built on the roof of the lighthouse keeper’s house. Later, in 1906, the current lighthouse was built and is 19.2 meters tall.
4. Phare de Pointe-au-Père
Location: Rimouski, Quebec
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/ucrNRnNr6oAH6Eno9
The Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse was built in 1909 and is 32.9 meters tall. It is characterized by an octagonal reinforced concrete tower inserted between eight buttresses (also in concrete) braced at each floor level.
5. Site historique de Pointe-à-la-Renommée
Location: Gaspé, Quebec
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/HpsC7GfvmJ5zTmFA9
This lighthouse stands tall in Pointe-à-la-Renommée’s history. Marconi chose to install North America’s first marine radio station at this site. In 2011, The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has designated the Marconi Station as a national historic site. Today it’s a museum that anyone can visit.
