Miguasha National Park

Miguasha National Park is a fossil site on the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada, renowned for its Late Devonian fish and plant fossils. The outcrops preserve a diverse assemblage from about 380 million years ago and are important for studies of early vertebrate evolution.

Visitors encounter exposed sedimentary cliffs and foreshore rock faces containing abundant and well preserved fossils of lobe-finned fishes, placoderms and early plants. An on-site interpretation centre displays key specimens and provides contextual information about the Devonian environment and the significance of the finds.

Fossils from Miguasha have been collected and studied since the 19th century, with systematic scientific work documenting the exceptional preservation and diversity of the assemblage. The area is protected as a national park and managed for research, conservation and education.

The park is located on the Baie des Chaleurs coast in eastern Canada at the border area between the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, with the interpretation centre providing public access and information.

• Geological age: The fossil assemblage dates to the Late Devonian, about 380 million years ago, and includes exceptionally preserved fish and plant fossils important for understanding vertebrate evolution.

What to See#

• Fossil cliffs and outcrops: A series of Late Devonian fossil-bearing sandstone and shale cliffs and foreshore exposures that preserve thousands of fish and plant fossils dating to the Devonian period.
• Miguasha Interpretation Centre: An interpretation centre and small museum that houses major fossil specimens, educational displays and guided walk information for visitors.

• Visit in the shoulder seasons (late spring or early autumn) and early morning for the best light on the fossil-bearing cliffs and far fewer visitors than mid‑summer; interpretive panels and the park's paleontology centre open earlier in the day.
• Use the museum/visitor centre as your starting point - it houses the main exhibits and guided-visit information and is where organized walks and talks are posted; viewing platforms along the trails give the safest, allowed vantage points of the cliffs.
• Don't assume you can walk the whole foreshore: fossil exposures are fragile and unstable, so stick to marked paths and platforms and check with staff for any temporary cliff closures or guided fossil‑viewing opportunities many visitors miss.