Winter activities

Come on out, take a breath of fresh air and enjoy the best of winter!

Parks Canada shares the public's interest in the Lachine Canal during the winter season and works with its partners to promote recreational activities at this exceptional site located in the heart of Montreal.

Winter Trail

From Island Street to the George-Étienne-Cartier footbridge, a winter trail offers a unique opportunity to discover the natural beauty of the Lachine Canal when it is adorned in its white coat.
Again this year, a 1.7 km portion of the Lachine Canal trail will be maintained by the City of Montreal so that lovers of snowshoeing, winter walking or fatbiking can enjoy a surface that is groomed for them to indulge their sport in the great outdoors.

For more information on snow conditions, visit www.skigrandsudouest.com. (French only)

Trail Snow Clearing

This year, the City of Montreal is also continuing its pilot snow clearing project over an approximately 1 km section of the Lachine Canal trail on the north side between Richmond Street and the Smith Promenade.

Why not clear the snow from a larger section of the trail?

Clearing snow from the Lachine Canal trail is a complex project that requires that a number of conditions be met in terms of planning, maintenance, protection of the environment and safety.
In fact, the Lachine Canal trail, a heritage waterway, was not designed for this type of use.

The City of Montréal is currently conducting a pilot project that will allow it to assess the impact of snow removal on the trail by taking measurements and surveys. Questions related to the passage of machinery on the footbridges that span the Canal and the effects on the environment of spreading abrasives are also being investigated.