Rouge River (Quebec)

This article is about the river in Quebec, Canada. For other rivers with the same name, see Rouge River (disambiguation).
Rouge River from a bridge at Rivière-Rouge, Quebec

The Rouge River (red river) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which empties into the Ottawa River near Pointe-au-Chêne and flows north of Mont Tremblant.

It is located in the Laurentides, about halfway between Ottawa and Montreal. The name is derived from the reddish tint of its sandbanks.

The river is a popular destination for whitewater rafting. It is the main body of water in an area comprising hills, valleys, lakes, and waterfalls.

Communities along the Rouge:

River Features

"The Forgotten Wonder of the Rivière Rouge"

"The Forgotten Wonder of the Rivière Rouge," also known as "Bisso," is a creature from Canadian folklore that is said to inhabit the Rouge River. As the story goes, a man from the nineteenth century was riding down the country road in a horse drawn carriage when he suddenly lost control of the vehicle and plunged into the depths of the river. After being presumed dead for several years, the man took the form of a husky aquatic creature who meandered in the river, only coming to the surface to hunt. Bisso is said to possess an insatiable appetite and would hunt whatever animals would venture to the river bank. Swimming with just its eyes above the water, Bisso is said to often use floating vegetation as camouflage when it is stalking its prey. There have been alleged spottings of the creature in the Rouge River, with witnesses claiming to have seen Bisso's eyes as well as the trail of bubbles from its "snaps" (gaseous bowel movements.)

References

New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.