Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! - parish municipality in Quebec, Canada

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is a tiny village on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec.

Understand

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is an agricultural village of 1300 people (2011), rivals Wawa (a former mining town in northwestern Ontario named with an Indigenous word for "goose") as an example of a tiny place with a ridiculous-sounding name. It is the only town in the world with two exclamation marks in its name.

"Ha! Ha!" refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, haha here being an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path.

Most traffic from the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada must pass through the narrow Edmundston-Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!-Rivière-du-Loup highway to reach the other regions of Canada. There is one alternate route, an equally-narrow road from New Brunswick through Amqui to Rimouski, but the Trans-Canada mainline is the more direct route.

Get in

By car

Autoroute 85 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway. It connects from Rivière-du-Loup in the north, and the New Brunswick provincial border in the south. In New Brunswick, the highway is named Route 2, and continues to Edmundston.

Get around

See

• Aster scientific station, 170 chemin Jacques-Pelletier, 47.6656°, -69.00928°, +1 418-854-2172, info@asterbsl.ca. By reservation only, open in summer 16:00-23:30. An interactive exhibition and a telescope of 356 mm (14 inches) for all those, including children, who want to learn about the oldest science of humanity and discover the beauties of the world. Adult $18, students (12 and over) $13, seniors $15, family $50 2022-06-27

Do

• Témiscouta Valley Golf Club (Club de golf de la Vallée du Témiscouata), 265, ch. du Golf, 47.67689°, -68.95357°, +1 418-854-0539. Eighteen-hole course with restaurant and pro shop, advance reservations accepted.
• Petit Témis bike path, +1 418-868-1869. 134 km of gravel tracks, entirely reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. This linear park is on an old railway line: the Northern section is more than 70 km long, bordering rivers and a bustling forest, with several stops, 3 rustic camping sites and a snack bar. Also, a section of the Trans Canada Trail for hiking. 2019-04-14

Buy

Eat

• Cantine Choupi, 109, rue St Charles, 47.66965°, -68.9789°, +1 418-854-2767. 7:00-20:30. Pizza, burger, poutine. 2022-06-27

Drink

• Bar/Brasserie St-Louis, 219 Rue Commerciale, 47.67295°, -68.98123°, +1 418-854-6767. 2019-04-14

Sleep

The primary hotel and motel district for Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is 10 km to the east in Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, a small lakeside suburb on the main highway. The provincial park (Parc national du Lac-Témiscouata) is on the opposite side of this lake.

• Motel Francoeur, 179, route 185, 47.67675°, -69.01492°, +1 418-854-3431.
• Dole Lake Campground (Camping du Lac Dôle), 47.642635°, -68.97261°, +1 418-854-3563. The campsite has more than 65 sites including a wild camping area. Visitors can also rent a cottage in the summer season. Trailer campsite: $37, Chalet: $120 2022-06-27

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