Walking Tour 4

Mont-Royal

Start: At the corner of rue Peel and avenue des Pins.

Finish: At the cross (la Croix du Mont-Royal) on top of the mountain.

Time: 1 hour to ascend directly to the Chalet du Mont-Royal and its lookout over the city and come back down; 3 hours to take the more leisurely chemin Olmstead route and see all the sites listed. It's easy to leave out some stops to truncate the walk.

Best Times: Spring, summer, and autumn mornings.

Worst Times: Winter, when snow and slush make a sleigh ride to the top of the mountain much more enticing than a hike, and during the high heat of midday in summer.

Join the locals: Assuming a reasonable measure of physical fitness, the best way to explore the jewel of Parc Mont-Royal is simply to walk up it from downtown. They call it a mountain but it's really more of a very large hill, and a broad pedestrian-only road and smaller footpaths form a web of options for strollers, joggers, cyclists, and in-line skaters of all ages. Anyone in search of a little greenery and space heads here in warm weather, while in winter, cross-country skiers follow miles of paths and snowshoers tramp along trails laid out especially for them. The 200-hectare (494-acre) urban park was created in 1876 by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York City and parks in Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago (although in the end, relatively little of Olmsted's full design actually came into being). For more about the history of the park, as well as the most current events and happenings, go to www.lemontroyal.qc.ca.

Start this tour at the corner of rue Peel and avenue des Pins, at the:

1. Downtown park entrance

A map at the site helps to set bearings. From here, it's possible to reach the top of this small mountain by a variety of routes. Hearty souls can choose the quickest and most strenuous approach -- taking the steepest sets of stairs at every opportunity, which go directly to the Chalet du Mont-Royal and its lookout at the top (no. 7, below). Those who prefer to take their time and gain altitude slowly can use the switchback bridle path. It's possible to mix and match the options as you go along. Don't be too worried about getting lost; the park is small enough that it's easy enough to regain your sense of direction no matter which way you head.

Head up either foot path from the entrance, and in a few steps you'll reach the broad bridle path:

2. Chemin Olmsted (Olmsted Rd.)

Frederick Law Olmsted designed this road at a gradual grade for both pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. Horses could pull their loads up the hill at a steady pace, and on the way down would not be pushed from behind by the weight of the carriage.

Chemin Olmsted is closed to automobiles. Early on, it passes some beautiful stone houses off Redpath Circle, to the left. If you want to bypass some of the switchbacks, you can use any of a number of paths for a shortcut (please stay only on established paths to prevent erosion, though).

After about the fourth switchback, you'll reach an intersection with the option to go left or right. Turn left. Following this shaded and pleasant road in the woods will get you to Maison Smith (no. 4, below) in about 45 minutes.

Another option to taking chemin Olmstead is to follow the:

3. Steps

There are numerous sets of stairs through the woods that let you bypass the broad and flatter switchbacks of chemin Olmstead. They get walkers to the Chalet du Mont-Royal and its lookout (no. 7) more quickly. Fair warning: The last 100 or so steps go almost straight up. On the plus side, you'll get to share sympathetic smiles with strangers. Taking the steps bypasses sites no. 4, 5, and 6.

If you're taking the chemin Olmsted, you eventually arrive at a:

4. Maison Smith

Built in 1858, this structure has been used as a park rangers' station and park police headquarters. From 1983 to 1992 it served as a small nature museum. It currently houses an information center with a small exhibit on the park and a gift shop. Nearby is the 90m-high (295-ft.) Radio Canada Tower.

From the Maison Smith, walk through the field of sculptures, away from the radio tower, until you reach:

5. Lac des Castors (Beaver Lake)

The name refers to the once-profitable fur industry, not to the actual presence of the long-gone animals. In summer, it's surrounded by sunbathers and picnickers and filled with boaters. In the cold winter, before the snow sets in, it becomes an ice skater's paradise.

There's a small concession stand in the pavilion here, but if you're looking for something to eat, you might want to wait for the snack bar at the chalet (no. 7). Both the pavilion and chalet have restrooms and telephones.

Walk across the road, called chemin de la Remembrance (Remembrance Rd.) behind the pavilion, to enter:

6. Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

This is the city's predominantly Catholic cemetery, and from here you can visit the adjacent Protestant Mount Royal graveyard, and then behind it (to the north), if you're up for a longer walk, the small adjoining Jewish and Spanish-Portuguese cemetery. Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery reveals much of the ethnic mix in Montréal: there are headstones, some with likenesses in photos or tiles, for Montréalers with surnames as diverse as Zagorska, Skwyrska, De Ciccio, Sen, Lavoie, O'Neill, Hammerschmid, Fernandez, Müller, Haddad, and Boudreault.

If you've had enough walking, you can find a bus on chemin de la Remembrance that heads east toward the Guy Métro station. To continue the tour, head back to the Maison Smith and follow the signs on the main path for:

7. Chalet du Mont-Royal and its Lookout

The front terrace here offers the most popular panoramic view of the city and the river. The chalet itself was constructed from 1931 to 1932 at a cost of $230,000 and has been used over the years for receptions, concerts, and various other events. Inside the chalet, note the 17 paintings hanging just below the ceiling, starting to the right of the door that leads into the snack bar. They relate the history of the region as well as the story of the French explorations of North America. In winter, there's a warming room for skiers here.

Take a Break

The concession stand in the Chalet du Mont-Royal is usually open from 9am to 5pm daily and sells sandwiches, fruit, ice cream, and beverages. Heed the signs that ask patrons to refrain from feeding the squirrels, no matter how adorably they're begging.

Facing the chalet from the terrace, locate the path running off to the right, marked by the sign CROIX. Follow it for about 10 minutes to a giant:

8. Steel cross

Legend has it that Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve (1612-76) erected a wooden cross here in 1643 after the young colony survived a flood threat. The present incarnation of the Croix du Mont-Royal, installed in 1924, is lit at night and visible from all over the city.

Beside the cross is a plaque marking where a time capsule was placed in August 1992, during Montréal's 350th-birthday celebration. Some 12,000 children ages 6 to 12 filled the capsule with messages and drawings depicting their visions for the city in the year 2142, when Montréal will be 500 years old and the capsule will be opened.

To return to downtown Montréal, go back along the path to the chalet terrace. On the left, just before the terrace, is another path. It leads to the staircase described in no. 3 and descends to where the tour began. The walk down by this route takes about 15 minutes. The no. 11 bus also runs from the summit to the Mont-Royal Métro, and there are buses at Beaver Lake and along the chemin de la Remembrance.