The border between Quebec and Labrador is defined as the watershed divide between rivers flowing east to the Atlantic and those flowing west into Ungava Bay. This peak, the highest point on this divide, was unnamed until 1971. The name “Mont d’Iberville” was given to this never-climbed mountain by the Quebec Toponym Commision in that year.
Mount D’Iberville. 1,652 metres. 5,420 feet
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1,652 m, 5,420 ft |
| Location | 58° 43′ N, 63° 43′ W |
| NTS Map | O14L1 O14L13 Cirque Mountain 14 M/4 Nachvak Fiord |
| Calendar | August or September |
| Parks | N/A |
| Fast Facts | CAPITAL: Quebec City, Quebec PROVINCIAL FLOWER: Blue Iris PROVINCIAL BIRD: Snowy Owl PROVINCIAL TREE: Yellow Birch |
| Web Links | Nunavik Parks – Trek Mont Iberville Peakbagger – Mountain Info Andrew Lavigne’s Outdoor Adventures – Torngats |
History
The highest summit in Quebec, at 1,652 metres, is Mont d’Iberville in the Torngat Mountains. This name was given in 1971 by the Commission de toponymie du Québec for Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville (1661-1706). D’Iberville led many ruthless expeditions in North America, including a destructive rampage in St. John’s and the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in 1696 and 1697. Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d’Iberville was a French officer who twice burned all of Newfoundland’s major towns to the ground.
In 1981, the Newfoundland Geographical Names Board ascertained that the peak so named was on the Quebec-Labrador boundary and decided that it should be assigned a name more suitable to that region’s history. The board gave it the name Mount Caubvik in honour of one of the five Inuit who accompanied George Cartwright, a trader on the Labrador coast, to England in 1772. So it is no coincidence that the heights of the highest points in Quebec and Newfoundland are identical: they are the same feature, but with two quite different names.
Routes
Drive to Goose Bay, NF, take a PAL flight to Nain and charter a boat to Nachvak Fjord. Requires 2 days of travel and a 7 month advance reservation. Boat would return in 7 days for pickup. Climb to summit would take approximately 4 or 5 days. Estimated cost $1000/return.
Alternative Route
For a different approach and climb, check out the route taken by the CanaTREK Summits of Canada Team in July & August, 2014. This requires flying in to the headwaters of the Koroc River via Twin Otter plane. The flight can be scheduled from Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River). Summit route used the Koroc Ridge, and descent was along the Minaret Ridge. See details including planning resources/guides, photos, and an interactive GIS map (with GPS marked route, topographic and satellite views, etc.).