This gemlike, UNSECO-listed isle is Canada’s best-kept little secret

Sure, you’ve been to Montréal, and perhaps Québec City, but here’s a retreat that has likely been flying under your radar: Anticosti Island.

Part of the pristine and aqueous Côte-Nord region, Anticosti is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, spanning some 3,000 square miles with only around 180 inhabitants.

Now, this unassuming coastal stunner has some new bragging rights as one of the 42 geological sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2023.

Singled out for the most complete and best-preserved fossil record documenting the first mass extinction of animal life 447 to 437 million years ago, there’s still plenty to see in modern times.

Killer instinct: Polar bear safaris put travelers in touch with a dying breed

Say, scuba diving to fabled shipwrecks (this is the “Graveyard of the Gulf,” with roughly 400 shipwrecks in the past 400 years), wildlife spotting of whales and seals, and darling inns ripped from the pages of a Shari Lapena novel.

First, you’re going to want to get there. Visitors can either fly to Anticosti from Montréal (and other Canadian destinations) or take the Relais Nordik ferry from Rimouski or Havre-Saint-Pierre. Note: in the fall, Anticosti is a popular deer-hunting destination, so expect higher prices.

The island’s hub is the sparsely populated fishing village of Port-Menier, established during the late 19th century by French chocolatier Henri Menier.

Unless you’re one for pitching a tent at one of the island’s campgrounds (only available during summer), Monsieur Menier’s stomping grounds are probably the best bet for your digs.

This Canadian train adventure is the ultimate way to enjoy the fall colors

Choose from either Gîte du Copaco , a bed and breakfast that runs guided tours for guests with transportation around the island included (from $120 per night) or Auberge Port-Menier, a 16-room inn with meals, island transportation and airfare to and from Mont-Joli included (from $1,637 per person for five nights). Another option is Auberge MacDonald Inn, roughly 30 miles from Anticosti National Park, which includes meals and transportation (from $1,482 per person for five nights).

As for filling your time on this mythical isle, place your trust in the Francophone locals (some speak English, too). On any given day, they can whisk you off on an itinerary that includes picnics by the sea, spotting shipwrecks and seal haul-outs along the shoreline and examining some of the world’s most amazing fossils in plain sight.

No trip to Anticosti would be complete without a jaunt to Chute (waterfall) et canyon Vauréal. One of the island’s main attractions, the two-hour drive from Port-Menier is well worth the trek to the 250-foot-high Vauréal Falls.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR MORNING REPORT NEWSLETTER

The journey is as breathtaking as the destination: You’ll hike along the riverbed to the falls via a 2-mile-long limestone canyon, with each side reaching to nearly 300-feet tall. Take it slowly as over 600 fossil species have been seen in the canyon and each meter — approximately 3.3 feet — represents roughly 15,000 years of marine deposits. (The canyons at Brick River and Observation River are also great vantage points for examining beautifully preserved fossils.)

Other must-sees: Trois-Plaines Cave, one of the longest caves in the province, about 30 minutes from Port Menier, and Chute Kalimazoo, just shy of an hour away from the fishing village. Or, explore greater Port-Menier with a visit to Baie Sainte-Claire to see the foundations of the houses of the first village built by Mssr. Menier in 1895 and the Chute à Boule, reminiscent of a staircase. About 25 minutes away, you can scope out Bateau Calou on the beach, which sank at Pointe-Ouest.

You also have the chocolate baron to thank for all those white-tailed deer you’re spying.

The island’s owner introduced about 220 of them in the late 1890s, and today that population has blossomed to around 115,000. Locals aren’t kidding when they say hunters can get more up close and personal with deer in one trip to Anticosti than they would in a decade journeying to parts better known.

After a few restorative days spent pebble tossing on beaches, mingling with rare seabirds and small penguins, and savoring la belle vie, you’ll officially be a part of the Anticosti club.

For the latest in lifestyle, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/lifestyle/