Le Gros Bras is a tributary of the eastern bank of the lower part of the rivière du Gouffre, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba and the municipality of Saint-Urbain, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The upper part of this watercourse begins in Grands-Jardins National Park. This valley is mainly served by the route 138 whose segment near the Saint-Laurent river is designated boulevard Monseigneur de Laval; then consecutively going up north rue Saint-Édouard in Saint-Urbain, chemin Saint-François entering the forest zone, then "chemin du Parc-des-Grands-Jardins" further north. Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second. The surface of Le Gros Bras is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the beginning of April; however, safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to the end of March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood generally occurs in April.
Geography
The Gros Bras rises at the confluence of two forest streams located in the forest zone and encased between Mont Jean-Palardy and another mountain. This source of the river is located at:
From its source, the course of Le Gros Bras descends on in a generally deep valley, with a drop of, according to the following segments:
towards the south-east in a deep valley by collecting the discharge of a small lake, until the discharge of the Lake du Gros Ruisseau;
towards the south-east in a deep valley, by collecting the discharge of Lake Georges, then by forming a small loop towards the south-west, that is to say on the side north of a campsite in the park, and leaving Grands-Jardins National Park at the end of the segment and passing in front of the hamlet "Le Pied-des-Monts", up to a stream. Note: this confluence is very close to the eastern limit of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve;
towards the south-east in Saint-Urbain by collecting the discharge of a small lake and by forming a loop towards the south-west where an exploitation is located mining, to the confluence of the Rivière des Monts ;
to the southeast by forming a small loop to the northeast, to Parent stream ;
towards the south-east by forming some isolated serpentines, in a deep valley, and by collecting the discharge of a small lake, until the confluence of the Le Petit Bras ;
towards the south-east by crossing the route 381 and forming a loop towards the south, until its mouth.
The Gros Bras flows downstream from a river loop on the west bank of the Rivière du Gouffre, in the municipality of Saint-Urbain. This mouth is located at:
upstream of the road bridge in the village of Saint-Urbain;
From the mouth of Le Gros Bras, the current descends on with a drop of following the course of the Rivière du Gouffre which flows into Baie-Saint-Paul in the St. Lawrence River.
Toponymy
This toponymic designation appeared for the first time on a map in 1870. This designation is always used by local informants. The name appears on the draft of the Saint-Urbain map, 1958-12-17, item 170. The toponymic variants are: Bras Nord-Ouest, Rivière à Yves and Rivière du Gros Bras. The toponym "Le Gros Bras" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
