Mont-Royal, Montreal

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I stopped in Montreal for a night in May 1996, on my way back from Boston (to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) - and on that occasion I climbed the big hill that gives the city its name. Mont-Royal Park is an excellent place for a stroll. You're only a few minutes away from the commercial center of Quebec, but you have the feeling of being in the middle of an enchanted forest. (At least you do if you have a rich imagination.) Note - these photos were taken around the 20th of May. Spring comes late in Montreal.

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On a wet afternoon our group went to Mount Royal to view St Josephs and the fine city view. Our city view was dampened by the misty rain and poor light but with a little imagination one could visualise how good the view would be on a fine and sunny day.

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Situated in the park, immediately above the city, you will find the substantial Chalet de Mont Royal, shown in the heading photo and photo 2. I’ve not been able to find much information about it, and it was closed during our visit. At first I thought it was intended as a kiosk, but I surmise it may be used as a reception centre. Certainly it is well maintained and someone obviously attends to the flags!

What is important, however, is the terraced area immediately in front of it, known as the Belvedere Kondiaronk and, from here, you gain excellent views over the city (photo 3 and my Montréal page intro photo). If you’ve developed a thirst on your walk this far, you’ll be glad to know that several drinking fountains are available (photo 4).

Not quite relevant to the Chateau, but I’ll include it here as I don’t feel it warrants a separate tip, can anyone tell me what are these curious gibbet devices (photo 5) we saw at quite a few places throughout the park? We surmised that they’re something to do with snow depth. Addendum. My very real thanks to my good VT mate Bwana_Brown for the advice that "...those strange-looking 'gibbet' contraptions are winter bird-feeders, equipped with a post-mounted barrier to try to keep Grey (and maybe the smaller Red) Squirrels from stealing all the goods!"

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Head back from your walk to a building known as Maison Smith. This building gains its name from its original owner in the mid-1800s, but now serves as the headquarters for the park management. Here you will find some very interesting displays, plus a kiosk for those needing refreshments (the coffee was good when we visited).

The display which really caught my imagination centred on this rock (photo 2) in the basement of the building (additional information for those not looking for rocks: it’s near the toilets). The sign in photo 3 tells you of the significance: only 20,000 years ago, this rock (and presumably the toilets) was covered by ice 2km thick! Yes, people, whether or not you believe in the greenhouse effect, this clearly shows that climate change is very real and climates can change dramatically over quite (geologically) short periods! A period of cooling climate (“The Little Ice Age”) was a large part of the reason for abandoning the Viking settlement in Canada, long before Columbus reached America.

You can catch the bus back to Mont Royal Métro station from just uphill of Maison Smith.

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Every so often in your travels, you find something which excites the locals, but leaves you completely unimpressed. This seems to be a standout illustration that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”! The guidebooks rank it as a major attraction but I’m afraid that, when I looked, all I saw was an assemblage of of rather inelegant left-over scaffolding with overtones of mobile phone tower. Apologies to any Montrealers or other enthusiasts I may offend with those thoughts.

The guidebooks tell me that it was erected in 1924 on the site of an original steel cross dating from 1643 by the city’s founder, and that it is 31M high. I also gather that it is lit at night, though I find myself wondering why one would wish to!

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I think it’s fitting that the photo heading this tip shows the plaque commemorating the work of Frederick Law Olmstead, responsible for development of the park on Mont Royal. You’ll see it in more detail in photo 2 or, even better, by visiting the park yourself! Montréal certainly owes Olmstead a debt of gratitude for his far-sighted vision, which broke with the traditions of the 1800s in having a natural park, rather than formal gardens.

As mentioned in the previous tip, the explorer Jacques Cartier was the first European to travel the St Lawrence River and, in 1535, to climb and name Mont Royal. He made three trips to Canada and is commemorated on the plaque shown in photos 3 and 4.

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The city of Montréal takes its name from Mont Royal, the hill behind the city which, in turn, was named by Jacques Cartier (we’ll get around to him shortly). Mont Royal is now public parkland and, without doubt, the jewel of the city – count a visit as a “must do”.

We went there by public transport (frequent) and had a very pleasant walk shared with many others, some walking, some jogging, and some cycling. It’s that kind of place. (photos 2,3) Along the way, we were excited to see yet another squirrel, a different type from the one we’d seen in Vienna (photo 3). As I mentioned in my “Intro” page, we were a little jaded after our arrival in Montréal – the visit to Mont Royal was the ‘breather’ we needed.

Mont Royal is the city's central mount and it also gave Montréal its name. Climbing the hill through the shady and rather dense forest demands some breath as the paths and later stairs are pretty steep, but you'll be rewarded with a great view on Downtown Montréal. A large plateau with some benches is on top, and after having regained your breath you can let your view wander over the skyscrapers below. In the distance, you can also see St. Lawrence River and the area around the old port. The view is very nice, and I'm sure that sunrise or sunset from up there are cool, too. I, however, went there at around noon.