Parc National du Mont-Saint-Bruno

How is everyone doing?  I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted.  This summer was a bit of a learning curve for me.  It’s oh so very exciting to see my business grow (thanks guys!) but it’s also been a bit of a learning curve as I watch myself slowly fall apart in other areas and I’ve realized that while taking on work is fun and flattering, it comes at the expense of other parts of my life and sanity and the happiness of myself and my family.  So, I’ve made the decision to cut out some parts of my business, focus more carefully on my niche and take on only work that makes sense.  Honestly, I think it just took this long to where I could be confident and say ‘this assignment is not for me’.

Anyways, this post is not about my mental health – but in a way I suppose it is.  Anyone who follows me on Instagram or on this blog knows that I get very bored just sticking around the same old parks and just have to GET OUT once in a while.  So, when we had a free morning I suggested we head to Parc National du Mont-Saint-Bruno.  I really liked the fact that it was close to Montreal (on a slow traffic Sunday morning it was 30 minutes from Westmount), and organized.  We would be walking on well marked paths.  I kind of hate just wandering never knowing how long a path is or if we are going the right way.

First off, do yourself a favour and don’t just type in Parc National du Mont-Saint-Bruno in Google for directions like we did because it will take you to some random back route.  Although the houses along the residential streets were so sweet, it was not the right entrance at all.  You want the entrance where you are on Rang des Vingt Cinq E and then turn into the park on Chemin St Gabriel.

There you will find many parking lots, a visitors centre with washrooms and the start of many paths.  We also picked up a visitors guide which you can also view online.

We decided to walk the Sentier du Grand-Duc.  It’s not  too long (3.5km).  If you have a stroller there were plenty of folks with strollers who took the Sentier du Petit-Duc which is stroller and wheelchair friendly.  To get there you walk in between two pleasant lakes and the first thing you hit is a large playground with many picnic tables and lots of room to kick a ball or run around.

Then from there you continue on your path.

It’s very well marked and there are even signs on some of the trees describing what they are.

The woodlands vary and there is a variety of trees, bridges, benches and vegetation.  There is a LOT of poison ivy and MANY MANY signs warning of poison ivy. This seemed to almost all be on the Grand-Duc route.  We carried our littlest two year old in a backpack so we didn’t have to worry about him touching it all, but if he had been out and walking on his own for these sections it would have been tough.

There are lots of maps, and even little location signs I assume if you are hurt so they can exactly find where you are.

We really enjoyed our little walk which took us about 1.5 hours (our max) with a 5 and 2 year old.  There are a lot of other routes too, but for now they are a little too long for us. We’ll save them for the future.

I’d love to hear from you!  What are your favourite hikes near Montreal. We want to keep exploring and first hand information is always the best!

ps Like me photos?  I’m also a family photographer!

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