Outdoor Activities

Experiencing nature

For an outdoor experience that doesn’t require driving for kilometers, there’s only one place to go! Mount Royal is the place to fully enjoy nature in every season.

Mount Royal Park provides the terrain and the scenery and Les amis de la montagne the rental equipment needed for unforgettable moments on the mountain: inner tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, Nordic kicksledding, pedal-boating and bird-watching.

You can find complete information on opening hours and fees online under the heading "Calendar of Activities."

“Jackrabbit” cross-country ski lessons on Mount Royal

Enroll your children today

Les amis de la montagne are now accepting registrations for the Ski de Fond Québec “Jackrabbit” initiation courses in cross-country skiing for children on Mount Royal. The registration period will close on January 4, 2010.

The Jackrabbit program is suited for children 6 to 10 years old and initiates students to both classical and freestyle cross-country skiing. The program features 4 levels and places an emphasis on the progressive integration of other ski-related knowledge and techniques. To ensure that students perfect their style while having fun, the instructor will use a variety of pedagogical materials including 70 activity files, as well as games, races, relays and trails.

The lessons include one evaluation session followed by seven (7) 1.5 hour lessons scheduled on 8 consecutive Saturdays from January 9 to February 27, 2010, at 10 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m. Children will be divided into beginner and advanced levels, with 8 children per group.

The cost of the program is $225 plus tax including rental equipment (boots, skis and poles) or $180 plus tax, if your children have their own equipment.

To register, please come in person to complete the registration form and make the payment in full:

As of now: at Les amis de la montagne’s boutique in Smith House, 1260 Remembrance Road, located mid-way between Beaver Lake and the chalet near the lookout
- Daily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

As of December 5: at Les amis de la montagne’s equipment rental counter located on the ground floor of the Beaver Lake pavilion (2000 Remembrance Road)
- Sunday to Thursday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

For more information, please contact Daniel Leblanc, director of outdoor activities and sales.

Group reservations

A reservation service is available for groups - contact us for more information by calling 514 843-8240, ext. 235.

Les amis’ summer day camp is back – for a mountain of fun and discoveries!

Les amis de la montagne, in collaboration with the Ville de Montréal, are pleased to offer their summer day camp for a second year, where children aged 6 to 9 years old will discover the treasures of Mount Royal in a natural environment in the heart of Montreal.

Supervised by an experienced and passionate team of environmental educators, Les amis’ summer day camp will be offered from June 28 to August 13, for a duration of one or two weeks, consecutive or not.

Two themes are being proposed this summer, “Les Renards Futés” (the wily foxes), an initiation to nature, fauna and flora, and “Les Explorateurs de la Montagne”, for the discovery of Montreal’s history through encounters and adventures in the forest. Animation will be provided in French with bilingual educators.

Each morning, campers will gather at Smith House, Mount Royal Park’s central meeting place, to play under the centuries-old Oak trees; to walk through the forest and discover a diversity of flora; to explore the area with a magnifying glass or binoculars in search of animals; to create original projects in a stimulating group environment; and most of all, to experience nature first-hand in the centre of the city.

Registration is open as of today. You may visit Les amis’ booth at the Montreal Families Camp Fair being held February 21 and 22 at the Holiday Inn Pointe Claire at 6700 Autoroute Transcanadienne (corner highway 40 and Boulevard St-Jean). For more information, please call 514 843-8240, ext. 235 or send us an email.

A mountain for all, a day camp for all!

In order to provide 35 children aged 6 to 9 years old from the disadvantaged areas of the Côte-des-Neiges Borough the opportunity to enjoy an enriching summer day camp experience on Mount Royal, Les amis de la montagne are partnering with the Centre Communautaire de la Côte-des-Neiges to launch a sponsorship program providing a one-week summer camp program for donations of $200 per child.

With roots in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood for close to 30 years, the Centre Communautaire de la Côte-des-Neiges has developed strong partnerships with 6 local elementary schools as part of a project aimed at helping children in difficulty achieve success in school and in life through leisure activities. The identities of the children selected for this sponsorship program will remain confidential.

The Côte-des-Neiges Borough has a population of 100,000 individuals, 17% of whom are children aged 0 to 14 years. 41% are from low-income households and 53% were born outside of Canada.

To make a donation

Individuals or companies wishing to participate in the sponsorship program may send their donations by mail made payable to “Les amis de la montagne”, at 1260 Chemin Remembrance, Montreal, Quebec, H3H 1A2, by specifying “for the summer day camp 2010 program”. Donations may also be made by calling 514 843-8240, ext. 243. Amounts raised but not used this summer may be carried forward to next summer. A report on the summer day camp and sponsorship program will be published in a fall issue of Les amis’ electronic newsletter.