Trou du Diable

Saint-Casimir, unnamed tributary of the Sainte-Anne River at its exit from the cave of Trou du diable, a few meters from its mouth

Trou du Diable entrance

The Trou du Diable (translated in English as Devil's Hole) is a cave situated in St-Casimir municipality, in the province of Quebec, Canada.

The Trou du Diable is crossed by a stream (Nameless) whose last 900 meters are underground. The stream is a tributary of the Rivière Ste-Anne, few kilometers upstream of St-Casimir. The cave is the second longest in Quebec.

The Trou du Diable highest point is 6.8 metres above the bottom of the cave, at some places visitors have to crawl to move forward.

Science

A systematic study of karsts in Eastern Canada

In Saint-Casimir de Portneuf is the largest cave in Quebec and Eastern Canada: the Trou du Diable. On the south bank of the Sainte-Anne River, a tributary of the river is lost and joins the river by a large hypogeal system. Underground we can follow the entire course of the river.

We notice:
— the presence of a network of dry galleries, the most typical of which is the pot gallery with beautiful forms of vortex erosion
— the vast dimensions of certain parts of the cave
— the arrival of underground tributaries joining the main channel
— the mediocrity of concretions, which testifies to the importance of dissolution actions

Legend about the Devil

... When New France was discovered, people thought they had found a virgin continent, an earthly paradise, a place where malevolent minds had not set foot.

... Rather, the Devil had taken refuge on this land, enjoying a place where he could take some time off, telling himself that the most prosecuted entity of this world certainly deserved this perfect sanctuary. This is how the Devil found a home in an endless cavern, at the base of a waterfall where he was sheltered by an immense and eternal whirlpool. There he found tranquility and peace, as well as a place where he could drink and feast without being disturbed.
... Sometimes he even allowed himself to torment some poor, lost souls who had the misfortune of falling into the waterfall.
...They called that place ‘The Den of Evil Manitous’. Later, it was named the ‘Trou du Diable’, meaning the Devil’s den. People said it would forever imprison those who fell into it. The Iroquois threw into it the remains of Father Buteux.

Source: Trou du Diable, microbrewy

Photos

• Trou du Diable (Devil's Hole) cave in St-Casimir, Quebec municipality
• 
  Upstream exit of the stream (Unnamed)
• 
  Rock face (Frost weathering) and downstream exit of the stream (Unnamed)
• 
  Downstream exit of the stream (unnamed) and the cave

External links

• Description and images from Nichole Ouellette(in French)
• Tourist website about the trou du Diable(in French)
• Spéléo Québec - La Société québécoise de spéléologie (SQS), a private non-profit organization founded in 1970. (French)