rousseau

Wife and I are going to spend the long weekend in Montreal. We'll be staying somewhere downtown. What would be some good 40 or 50-km routes starting from downtown?

Thanks.

jimnolimit

I'll be riding in Montreal next weekend, but most of my riding will take place in the city (through the streets).

i found this online: https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...art-to-Old-Mtl

dbc

I can recommend the Lachine Canal path heading west. The path is easily accessible from anywhere in downtown, but can be busy on weekends. You can stay on a segregated path until you hit Dorval, and then it's a nice quiet and scenic ride on Lakeshore. Turn back when you feel like it. You can mix it up by trying the path along the southern edge of the island in LaSalle / Verdun, but it may still be a bit buggy this time of year. Or you can cap off the ride with a climb into Mont Royal.

Here's a good resource to keep yourself oriented:

https://www.pedalmontreal.ca/en/index.html

rousseau

Thanks very much for the link. What might be a less busy road (car-wise) to get between Mont Royal and the Lanchine Canal?

dbc

Good question, since there is no direct bike path between the two, and you essentially have the bulk of downtown in-between, so there's no way to avoid cars.

If say, you work north from the canal, a good strategy would be to intercept the de Maisonneuve path (runs east-west), and head east until about Jeanne-Mance. Head north and once you cross Sherbrooke, you can jump on Parc which is one block west of Jeanne-Mance. Continue north on Parc, and you'll bump into short section of path that will bring you to the main park entrance.

If you enter Mont Royal from there, you can climb the gentle slope of Olmstead up into the park. Note that this is unpaved (hardpack / gravel) and the pedestrian traffic is thick. But you'll have easy access to the main lookout, and you can pass near the cross close to the summit.

If you continue north and turn west at Mont Royal (the street), you can climb the road that crosses over the park - Camillien Houde. This is a steeper climb, and you'll have a bit of road shoulder to use, but the shoulder disappears as you approach the peak. Car traffic is not super thick on this road, so you should be OK if you don't mind co-mingling with cars. After you pass the peak, you'll descend a bit until you see parking lots to the left, where you can enter the park.

rousseau

We're going for Labour Day weekend again this year. Last year I went up Mont Royal and then went along the Lachine Canal, and enjoyed it very much. But I might do two rides this year, and in addition to the canal ride I'd like to go somewhere else. Isn't there some decent riding going north from downtown, maybe along the northern edge of the island?