With over 250 km of trails, Montreal's parks are primed for cross-country skiers. Ready, set, snow!
by John Symon
Greater Montreal has something going for it in winter that few locals seem to realize: it's a paradise for those wishing to go cross-country skiing. The 12 largest municipal parks and green spaces around Montreal collectively boast some 258 km of ski trails. In contrast, Mont-Ste-Anne, the largest cross-country ski resort in Canada, has only 212 km of trails. Nowhere around Montreal is one more than a 15-minute drive from a groomed ski trail, provided there is snow on the ground of course.
Peter Feldstein, a resident of the Plateau, came to appreciate Montreal's ski trails after a friend from New York City called him last winter, suggesting that they meet halfway at a New England cross-country centre. Feldstein rented a car and drove south for three hours to arrive at a ski centre in southern Vermont where access to the 20-km trail system cost $20 US. "And the skiing wasn't that great!" complained Feldstein. "It was good to see my friend, but as for the skiing, I should have simply walked over to Mount Royal to ski on its hilly 22 km of trails for free."
Compared to downhill skiing, cross-country is easy to learn, relatively injury-free and cost-effective; complete packages of new equipment start at about $200. And, if you know what you're doing and are not adverse to unfashionable equipment, you can equip yourself at Village des Valeurs for under $20. What's more is that the equipment can last for decades; one of my friends still skis on wooden skis that his parents bought second-hand in the 1940s.
Cross-country skiing can burn up to 650 calories an hour, almost 25 percent of the 2800 total calories it's recommended we burn in a week.
The experience of cross-country skiing in a local park has little to do with zipping down a Laurentian ski hill and compares better to a walk in the woods. It's also a healthy and continuous workout: cross-country skiing can burn up to 650 calories an hour, almost 25 percent of the total 2800 calories it's recommended that we burn in a week.
All of the parks listed below offer a heated chalet where you can pick up ski rentals, wax your skis (unless they're waxless) and grab a hot chocolate after your ski. Schedules vary, but full services are often offered only on weekends. It's free to ski in most of the parks listed here, but parking charges (of $5 maximum) may apply. Mount Royal has the biggest hills and the most challenging skiing while Longueuil alone offers lit trails for night skiing. Mount Royal is also fairly popular at night for those skiing with headlamps.
Note that because it can be difficult to measure trail distances, the kilometers listed below can vary a touch. Also, before you set out to any of these parks, you're best to call in advance just to make sure they're operating. Happy trails.
| INFORMATION |
| Parc Mont Royal |
(514) 843-8240 |
22 km |
| Parc Jean Drapeau |
(514) 844-4928 |
10 km |
| Parc Nature du Cap-St-Jacques |
(514) 280-6743 |
32 km |
| Parc Nature de L'ile Bizard |
(514) 280-8517 |
20 km |
| Parc Nature du Bois de Liesse |
(514) 280-6678 |
18 km |
| Parc Nature de L'Ile de la Visitation |
(514) 280-6733 |
8 km |
| Parc Nature de la Pointe des Prairies |
(514) 280-6688 |
24 km |
| Parc de Rivière des Mille Iles |
(450) 622-1020 |
7 km |
| Coureur de Boisés |
(450) 661-1766 |
25 km |
| Île Perrot |
(514) 453-7600 |
30 km |
| Parc Régional de Longueuil |
(450) 468-7617 |
12 km |
| Domaine Vert |
(450)435-6510 |
50 km |
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