Montreal is chock-full of fun winter activities. And while ice skating and cross-country skiing takes some special equipment and skill, sledding is one activity that everyone can partake in! During the winter when we might not have the opportunity to leave the city, we're lucky to have so many great parks that offer some killer slopes alongside other winter sports. Take advantage of this list of some of the best places to go sledding all over the island:
1. Parc Mont Royal- At the corner of Ave Park and Ave Mont-Royal Ave is a great central location to meet up with your friends if you live in the Plateau or Downtown areas! These hills are usually roped off at the bottom in the winter, which makes these steep slopes perfectly safe to use. This park is completely free to access, but you’ll have to bring your own sled or toboggan.
2. Lac Aux Castors/Beaver Lake - A quick jaunt up the main path and around the mountain will take you to a classic Montreal sledding spot! This is a great location for those of us who don’t have our own equipment and are looking to rent. For $10 adults can rent a tube between 10 AM and 4 PM. At the base of the hill, you can also go ice skating at Beaver Lake, and grab a snack or warm beverage (or both!) at Cafe des Amis!
https://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/activity/snow-tubing
3. Parc Beaubien - If you’re in the Outremont area, this park has a wonderful variety of rolling hills! Parc Beaubien has a skating rink too, but doesn’t offer any rentals, so remember to bring your own sleds, tubes, toboggans, or skates. You’ll find it at the corner of Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine and Ave McEachran, and the public pool and soccer field make it a great park to visit in the summertime as well!
https://montreal.ca/en/places/parc-beaubien-outremont
4. Parc Jarry - In the Villeray-Parc Ex borough at the corner of Rue Jarry and Boul St.
Laurent is a massive park with ample room for sledders, snowman-builders, and ice skaters
alike! If you’re looking for lots of space for an afternoon of outdoor winter fun, Parc Jarry is for you! You can also rent equipment here if you don’t have your own for $5-10. And did I mention this park has free WiFi??
http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7377,143293531&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&id=76&sc=3
5. Parc Jean Drapeau - Easily accessible by Metro, this park is a great place to escape the hustle-and-bustle of the city for a day without having to travel too far. It has a designated wide-open sliding slope, with a warming area and snack bar close by. You can even visit the park’s website ahead of time to check the slope condition!
6. Pointe aux Prairies Nature Park - If the East End is where you call home, this park doubles as a prime sledding spot and an oasis for wildlife! The massive 261-hectare park has hills that are specifically designed for sledding, and is home to 180 species of birds, so you can fly along with them! This is also a popular place to go hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, and there’s free 2-hour equipment rentals available for Montreal Residents. https://www.parcs-nature.com/public/en/pointe-aux-prairies
7. Parc Lafontaine - This is another popular park in the Plateau area, fit with great slopes for sledding and tobogganing and cross-country ski trails. It also features free WiFi and bathrooms, so you can spend all day there! However they don’t have any equipment rentals, so you’ll have to bring your own. When you’ve had your fill you can head over to La Banquise for some of Montreal’s best poutine! You can find some nice slope at the corner of Rue Sherbrooke and Rue Panet.
https://montreal.ca/lieux/parc-la-fontaine
8. Ile de la Visitation Nature Park - This park, which was previously featured in another blog post, is on the Hochelaga Archipelago. The park doubles as a refuge for shore birds, and the sledding mound offers beautiful views of Des Prairies River! Toboggan rentals and washrooms are also available. Make sure to visit the website to make reservations ahead of time!
https://parcs-nature.com/public/ile-de-la-visitation
9. Parc Pelican - If you reside in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie area, golly are you in luck! This beautiful park offers some pretty fast sledding slopes, as well as free toboggan, ice skate, and other equipment rentals! It’s also open until midnight if night-sledding is your game. You can find it at the corner of Rue Masson and 1re Ave.
https://montreal.ca/lieux/parc-du-pelican
10. Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park - In Montreal’s town of St. Laurent, this park offers beautiful hardwood forests as well as perfect hills for sledding! You can use the sledding hills for free and you’re welcome to bring your own equipment, but don’t worry if you don’t have your own. You can also rent sliding mats, as well as cross-country skis, and snowshoes or a small fee.
http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7377,94551572&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&id=72
Unsure about the sledding conditions? The City of Montreal's website actually has a page specifically made to monitor the slopes, so you can keep up to speed!
https://montreal.ca/en/topics/sledding?arrondissement=Ville-Marie