Montréal

Places to explore

• Plage Jean-Doré

  About 10 min by car · Sandy lake beach on Île Notre-Dame, ten minutes from downtown, filtered water, paddle rentals, food kiosks. Buy tickets online on hot days.

• Plage urbaine de Verdun

  About 15 min by car · Free river beach behind the Verdun Auditorium, open Jun 13–Aug 30 with lifeguards. Metro-accessible; small and fills up fast on heat waves.

• Cap-Saint-Jacques

  About 40 min by car · Two natural beaches on Lac des Deux Montagnes, plus an eco-farm and shaded trails. Individual visits are drop-in; admission and parking are paid.

• Parc national d'Oka

  About 60 min by car · SEPAQ park with a huge Lake of Two Mountains beach and the Calvaire d'Oka hike. Buy your daily access pass on sepaq.com before driving out; summer weekends sell out.

• Plage de Saint-Zotique

  About 50 min by car · Long shallow beach on Lac Saint-François with volleyball courts and calm, warm water, an easy family day 50 minutes southwest.

• Parc du Mont-Royal

  About 10 min by car · The mountain in the middle of the city: the Olmsted path to the Kondiaronk lookout, Beaver Lake, and the Camillien-Houde viewpoint. No car needed.

• Parc national du Mont-Saint-Bruno

  About 30 min by car · Gentle lake-dotted trails through an old orchard forest, 30 minutes over the bridge. SEPAQ daily access, buy online before you go.

• Gault Nature Reserve (Mont Saint-Hilaire)

  About 40 min by car · McGill's protected mountain with the Pain de Sucre summit over Lac Hertel, the classic Montérégie hike. Entry fee per visit; arrive early on weekends.

• Parc national du Mont-Tremblant

  About 105 min by car · Québec's biggest SEPAQ park. La Diable sector has the La Roche/La Corniche lookouts and river beaches. Daily access must be purchased before your visit.

• Chutes Dorwin

  About 60 min by car · Rawdon's 30-metre falls with boardwalk lookouts and a forest trail, an hour north. Open daily 10 AM–6 PM, pay at the entrance, no reservation needed.

• Parc régional de la Chute-à-Bull

  About 95 min by car · Short family loop in Lanaudière to an 18-metre cascade, with forest viewpoints and logging history. Drop-in park access is paid at the meter.

• Parc des Chutes de Sainte-Ursule

  About 75 min by car · A chain of falls dropping through a gorge in Mauricie with suspension-bridge views. Entry fee at the gate; open since early May.

• Parc des Rapides

  About 20 min by car · A 30-hectare river park with Lachine Rapids views, more than 225 bird species and Québec's largest great-blue-heron colony.

• Parc Frédéric-Back

  About 20 min by car · A former quarry and landfill transformed into a huge environmental park, known for grassy valleys, skyline views and white biogas-capture spheres.

• Parc René-Lévesque

  About 25 min by car · A sunset peninsula at the end of the Lachine Canal with broad river views and 22 monumental sculptures in a free open-air collection.

• Vague à Guy

  About 20 min by car · A famous standing wave in the St. Lawrence with a purpose-built access trail and riverside rest area. It is also a striking spectator stop from shore.

• Berlin Wall at the World Trade Centre

  About 5 min by car · A free indoor oddity: a graffiti-covered Berlin Wall segment gifted to Montréal in 1992, beside the fountain and glass-roofed Ruelle des Fortifications.

• Summit Woods and Lookout

  About 15 min by car · A quiet bird sanctuary on Mount Royal's western peak, paired with a nearby lookout over Westmount, downtown and the St. Lawrence.

• Ruelle bleue-verte

  About 10 min by car · Québec's first blue-green alley redirects roof runoff into planted beds beside Bâtiment 7, turning climate infrastructure into a small neighbourhood stop.

• La Grande Roue de Montréal

  About 10 min by car · A 30 to 40-minute Old Port stop with a 15 to 20-minute ride in a private, climate-controlled cabin and wide city, river and mountain views.

• Parc-nature de l'Île-de-la-Visitation

  About 25 min by car · An easy Rivière des Prairies outing linking historic mill ruins, birding habitat, picnic areas and quiet waterside lookouts.

• Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-Prairies

  About 35 min by car · Marsh, woodland and river loops at Montréal's eastern edge, with birding lookouts and a chance of spotting white-tailed deer.

• Parc-nature du Bois-de-Liesse

  About 30 min by car · Short forest loops beneath rare old black maples, with observation stations, river lookouts and a practical all-terrain mobility option.

• Grand parc de l'Ouest, Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard

  About 45 min by car · Wetland boardwalks, forest paths, lake views and a small family beach whose live water-quality status must be checked before swimming.

• Parc-nature du Ruisseau-De Montigny

  About 30 min by car · Montréal's overlooked urban cascades on a short streamside path that runs north to the Rivière des Prairies.

• Parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville

  About 30 min by car · Walk, cycle or paddle among five quiet St. Lawrence islands, with routes that fit a short outing or a full day.

• Parc régional de la Rivière-du-Nord et chutes Wilson

  About 50 min by car · Riverside forest trails to Chutes Wilson, former pulp-mill remains and birding areas just outside Saint-Jérôme.

• Parc régional des Chutes Monte-à-Peine-et-des-Dalles

  About 80 min by car · A flexible network of forest paths, footbridges and six overlooks above three waterfall sectors on Rivière L'Assomption.

• Parc régional de la Forêt Ouareau

  About 90 min by car · Choose a short lookout climb or a full mountain loop in one of Lanaudière's largest wilderness trail networks.

• Parc régional des Sept-Chutes

  About 120 min by car · Pair a waterfall walk with a summit route over Laurentian ranges, Mont Brassard and the 150-metre Lac Rémi cliff.

• Parc régional Val-David–Val-Morin

  About 75 min by car · Several Laurentian viewpoints in one outing, plus an easy interpretation trail for families who want a gentler route.

• Sentiers de L'Escapade, mont Rigaud

  About 70 min by car · Pick an easy forest route to a panoramic lookout or the longer Haut-Lieu loop through marshes and mature woodland.

• Réserve naturelle Alfred-Kelly

  About 55 min by car · Rugged cliff-top trails above lakes, wetlands and beaver habitat in a protected Laurentian reserve near Prévost.

• Parc de la Rivière Doncaster

  About 70 min by car · A family-friendly trail beside the Doncaster's cascades, including a two-kilometre section designed for wheelchairs and strollers.

• CIME Haut-Richelieu, mont Saint-Grégoire

  About 50 min by car · A short but steep protected climb to a broad panorama over farms, towns and the Monteregian Hills.

• Parc-nature du Bois-de-Saraguay

  About 30 min by car · A low-key 96-hectare forest and wetland preserve with rare ancestral trees, useful when you want nature without a long drive.

• Parc d'environnement naturel de Sutton

  About 95 min by car · Protected mountain routes to Round Top and Dos d'Orignal, with long views over the Eastern Townships and several strenuous options.

• Parc national de la Yamaska

  About 80 min by car · A gentle reservoir-side national park with an easy 5.8-kilometre loop and a much longer circuit for ambitious walkers.

• Parc national du Mont-Orford

  About 95 min by car · A substantial Eastern Townships summit day, with Mont-Chauve offering a 10.6-kilometre loop and broad mountain views.

• Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

  About 35 min by car · Paddle among marshes and small islands in a protected wildlife refuge, or use the free trails when boats are unavailable.

• Parc régional éducatif Bois de Belle-Rivière

  About 50 min by car · An all-level mix of mature forest, gardens and nearly 20 kilometres of paths, useful for families who want flexible distances.

• Tour de Lévis

  About 10 min by car · A newly reopened 1930s tower with 157 steps and a 360-degree panorama over the islands, Montréal skyline, river and Montérégie.

• Plage de l'Est, activités nautiques

  About 40 min by car · A riverfront splash area and seasonal GUEPE kayak site in Pointe-aux-Trembles. The beach name does not mean swimming is allowed.

• Site nautique Sophie-Barat

  About 25 min by car · An urban, car-free-friendly kayak and canoe rental point on Rivière des Prairies, with family tandem options and walk-in equipment.

• Rafting Montréal

  About 25 min by car · Guided St. Lawrence rafting with a family class I–II option and an adventure route that can reach class IV rapids.

• Canal de Lachine en kayak

  About 10 min by car · Beginner-friendly paddling on the historic canal from a dock near Charlevoix metro and the waterfront bike path.

• Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive

  About 20 min by car · A flat 2.2-kilometre St. Lawrence promenade for picnics, shore fishing and ship watching, with a seasonal river-shuttle dock nearby.

• Plage du RécréoParc

  About 30 min by car · A family natural swimming basin on the South Shore with slides and play structures. Check the live open-or-closed widget before travel.

• Plage de Saint-Timothée

  About 55 min by car · A supervised Valleyfield beach with current water grading, paddling rentals and unusually strong adaptive beach and SUP equipment.

• Plage municipale de Rawdon

  About 75 min by car · A supervised Lanaudière beach with live water-quality information, boat rentals and one admission bracelet for nearby municipal parks.

• Plage Douglass

  About 80 min by car · A free-entry Lac-Brome beach with picnic space and a canteen. Its recent close-and-reopen cycle makes the live water page essential.

• Refuge faunique Marguerite-D'Youville, île Saint-Bernard

  About 35 min by car · Eight kilometres of protected wetland, river and lake-edge trails on an island refuge, with a seasonal free local shuttle.