Andante Mount (French: Mont Andante) is a peak rising to 810 metres (2,660 ft) in elevation, located in the western sector of Jacques-Cartier National Park, within the unorganized territory of Lac-Croche, in the La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Laurentian Mountains range.
Geography
The mountain runs along the west bank of the Jacques-Cartier River north of the city of Quebec. Its summit is situated approximately 1.6 km west of the Jacques-Cartier River, 3.0 km from the western limit of Jacques-Cartier National Park, 7.3 km southeast of Petit lac Jacques-Cartier, 19.5 km northwest of the village center of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, and 20.4 km west of Route 175. The eastern cliff of the mountain overlooks the Jacques-Cartier River, while access to the summit is easier from the north and west sides.
Mountain Path
The Scotora trail, a well-developed path within Jacques-Cartier National Park, provides access to the summit. It is the farthest trail from the park entrance (located at 103 chemin du Parc-National in Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury). To reach the trailhead, visitors drive approximately 30 km along Chemin du Parc-National to a parking lot, cross a bridge, and follow the signs for Le Scotora trail. The stony path runs through forest cover and follows a stream in the valley where beavers have built dams.
History
Historically, this segment of the path was used by Amerindians and Jesuit missionaries traveling from Quebec to their mission at Métabetchouane on Lac Saint-Jean, where a fur trading post established in 1676 operated until 1703.
Toponymy
In 1989, the Commission de toponymie du Québec designated three mountains in Jacques-Cartier National Park with the names Adagio, Allegro, and Andante. These three words of Italian origin correspond to three types of musical movements—adagio (slow), allegro (lively), and andante (moderate)—found in classical music (symphonies, concertos, sonatas, etc.). The toponyms were chosen to evoke the titles of the first literary works of Félix Leclerc (1914–1988), a renowned Quebec singer-songwriter and author. Leclerc's collection of stories Adagio was published in 1943, and the fables and poems contained in Allegro and Andante were published in 1944. The toponym "Mont Andante" was formalized on February 7, 1989, in the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
