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THE PARK
Another offering by the father
of landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted, the 1876 Mont-Royal
Park is his only creation outside of the United States. It features
trademark twisting paths that lead gently to the top of 765-foot
Mont-Royal. The mountain, from which the city takes it name,
was climbed by Jacques Cartier in 1535.
WALKS
You can leave the wide paved
trails and explore dirt paths in the upper regions of the park
that pass through light woods. At the base of the mountain are
plenty of grassy lawns to sprawl with your dog. At the summit,
reached via Douglas MacArthur Bridge from Jefferson Avenue, are
views of downtown Montreal and across the St. Lawrence River
into New York's Adirondack Mountains.
About one-half hour north of downtown Montreal is Chemin de la
Presqu'île. Long ago, "Chemin de la Presqu'île"
was the name of the horse and buggy road that linked Mascouche
and Repentigny. To commemorate the road that led citizens to
Repentigy lands recessed between Assomption river and the Saint-Lawrence,
Jean-Marie Desrosiers decided to give the same name to the vast
network of trails he created in Le Gardeur in 1978.
The Presqu'île Trail boasts a network of four well-marked,
pleasing hiking trails ranging from a little over a mile to about
3 miles. Since the early 1990s, dogs have been welcome on the
park trails and can even be walked without a leash.
The canine hiking is at an easy clip on the flat trails along
the Le Gardeur section, however the hike becomes more challenging
along the undulating loops that meet the Mascouche section. Small
ponds provide a spot for dogs to cool off but also bring squadrons
of mosquitoes. Bring plenty of insect repellent for you and your
dog - the females get so hungry for a blood meal that hikers
are not charged admission in summer.
DIRECTIONS
Parc Mont-Royal is reached via Exit 5 of Route 720 on Avenue
du parc. The dog-friendly Chemin de la Presqu'île is located
in Le Gardeur and reached from Highway 40 or 640, Exit 97.
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