If you like participating in outdoor activities during the colder months, the Lachine Canal has a lot to offer. This winter, approximately 15 kilometres of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site’s path will be groomed (and 2.3 kilometres will be cleared of snow to facilitate accessibility). In addition, free cross-country ski lessons are available for children 4 to 12. They will learn how to choose equipment and basic techniques with members of the Parks Canada Learn-to Outdoor Team. Reservations are required. Snowshoes and fat bikes can be borrowed for free.
“Parks Canada is proud to collaborate with the City of Montréal to promote winter activities along the Lachine Canal and to see recreational tourism being developed in this exceptional location in the heart of Montréal,” said Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
The groomed winter path — linking the Lachine, LaSalle, Sud-Ouest and Ville-Marie boroughs — will provide an opportunity not only for cyclists, but for various winter activities including fat biking, snowshoeing, running, and walking.
The north side of the path will be cleared of snow from the Atwater Bridge to the Old Port to improve accessibility to the groomed trail. Restrooms will also be available at various locations. Grooming will be done by the Parks Canada team while snow removal along the section between the Atwater Market and de la Commune St. will be done by Le Sud-Ouest Borough.
“This agreement between le Sud-Ouest and Parks Canada represents a decisive step for active mobility in response to an increasing demand from the population for safe and easy-to-use cycling links during winter,” said Benoit Dorais, Mayor of Le Sud-Ouest and Executive Committee Vice-Chair for the City of Montréal.
Keep in mind that certain conditions must be met before the trail can be groomed: the ground must be frozen, there must be sufficient snow accumulation, and the weather forecast must be favourable. Once these conditions are met, snow will be compacted until a 20-centimetre base is in place. The winter trail will be maintained until the end of March, or as long as weather and snow conditions permit.
Check trail conditions at the Lachine Canal National Historic Site’s webpage parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/canallachine
