Mount Bélair

Mount Bélair
Mont Bélair
View of Mount Belair from the intersection of Chauveau Avenue and Autoroute Henri-IV.
Elevation	485 m (1,591 ft)
Listing	List of mountains in Canada
Location
Mount Bélair  Quebec,  Canada
Range	Laurentian Mountains
Coordinates	46°49′23″N 71°29′38″W / 46.82306°N 71.49389°W / 46.82306; -71.49389Coordinates: 46°49′23″N 71°29′38″W / 46.82306°N 71.49389°W / 46.82306; -71.49389

Mount Bélair is a peak in the Laurentian Mountains, Quebec, Canada, with an altitude of 485 m (1,591 ft). It is located in the Val-Bélair section of Quebec City, approximately 24 km (15 mi) west of downtown.

Activities

Mount Bélair is a popular site for outdoor activities. Year round, the summit offers a panoramic view from which one can see downtown Québec, and visitors may use the trails on stilts.^[1] In the autumn, it is decorated with the ornate colors of the boreal forest. In winter, available activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and walking.^[1] During warmer temperatures, one may take advantage of a pool, volleyball and soccer nets, a playground, hiking trails, and campground.^[2]

As of 2001, a telescope was placed in the park, making it the first and only observatory in Québec City, and club members periodically hold obvservation nights open to the public (weather permitting).^[3]

Telecommunications

Communication towers and transmitters atop Mount Bélair.

The mountain is also used as a transmission site for many of Quebec City's radio stations, as well as for television stations CBVT-DT, CBVE-TV and CKMI-DT. It is also used as an easement for Hydro-Québec's transmission lines.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Parc naturel du mont Bélair" (in French). Association forestière des deux rives. http://www.parcsnaturelsquebec.org/spip.php?article10. Retrieved 3 Sept. 2011. 
2. ^ "Base de plein air La Découverte" (in French). City of Québec. http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/loisirs_sports/equipements_loisirs/base_plein_air_decouverte/index.aspx. Retrieved 3 Sept. 2011. 
3. ^ "Histoire" (in French). Club d'astronomie io de Val-Bélair. http://www.clubdastronomie-io.org/club_historique.html. Retrieved 3 Sept. 2011.