Know Before You Go
Address and GPS lead to Parc des Chutes de Montauban.
Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, Québec
Les Chutes du $5
The falls were named for the mistaken idea that they were the ones pictured on the Canadian $5 bill.
For many years, people thought these falls on Quebec’s Batiscan river were the very same ones printed on the Canadian $5 banknotes that were issued back in 1954. Unfortunately, it isn’t actually true.
The waterfall’s real name is Fall of Nine because it was the ninth port settlers reached while traveling up river. But that didn’t stop the site from becoming best known as Les Chutes du $5, or “Waterfall of the $5 Bill.”
Les Chutes du $5 is a well-kept secret. Just upstream from a small town in Québec, they offer a rare public access point to the Batiscan. And though the falls may lack $5 bill fame, the area is still worth visiting. There’s a bridge that offers beautiful views of the falls, and even a walkway that takes people to a tiny island in the middle of the rapids.
The nearby public park offers walking trails, one of which is a segment of the Great Trail. The park was dedicated in 1979 to celebrate the centenary of the municipality. The waterfall is its star attraction.
You can spend an afternoon staring at the hypnotizing rapids and listening to the rushing water, legally camp at the nearby campsite, or even try your hand at fishing.
