here are five bike picnic destinations in and around montreal island

lachine

if you are coming from the west, you can follow the scenic bike path along the lakeshore. from downtown, take the lachine canal path to its western end at lac st-louis. if you start at the old port, you will ride 14.5 kilometres along a picturesque, although often very busy, bike path. the route highlights the canal’s history as canada’s “cradle of industrialization,” with many former factories transformed into swanky condo developments. you can stop at the atwater market to grab some fresh picnic fare, then head onward to lachine. when the canal ends, keep going along the path onto the green peninsula known as rené-lévesque park .

another good option for picnicking in lachine is noel spinelli park on the lakeshore between 21st and 24th aves. there are picnic tables, a pergola, chaises longues and swings. on wednesday evenings throughout the summer, the borough offers a free concert series called les pique-niques musicaux.

river ride

residents took to the cooling waters of the st-lawrence river at the verdun beach on wednesday, june 19, 2024. dave sidaway / montreal gazette

from the atwater market footbridge, follow the bike path to école secondaire monseigneur richard, then south to the river. you’ll pass arthur-therrien park with its football field, baseball diamond and public outdoor swimming pool.

you can stop for a swim there or continue a little farther to verdun’s very popular urban beach . this sandy beach opened in 2019 and on hot days it has proved almost more popular than its modest size can accommodate. although many people jump into the st. lawrence river from docks or sandy stretches all along the river, some prefer the urban beach, as it has lifeguards and a breakwater to calm the strong current.

after the beach, continue westward along the bike path, taking in the breathtaking river views, maybe stopping at the belvederes, observation areas and docks. you’ll pass verdun’s dancing terrace, where you might pause to watch a salsa, tango, line dancing or zumba class .

parc des rapides in lasalle would be an excellent picnic stop. more than 225 species of birds have been spotted at this 30-hectare park, home to the largest heron colony in quebec. it is part of a larger bird sanctuary protected by the federal government, the île aux hérons migratory bird sanctuary, a 631-hectare area that encompasses most of the lachine rapids. established in 1937 to protect a great blue heron nesting site, the sanctuary includes several islands and islets — chèvres, herons, les sept soeurs, diable and île à boquet — visible from the parc des rapides.

you’ll have to lock your bike at the entrance to this peninsula park, which is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and explore on foot. after the picnic, it’s worth continuing southwest along the bike path another kilometre to the vague à guy (guy’s wave) , where you can pause to watch surfers ride an “eternal” wave, a natural static wave caused by underwater rock formations.

cyclists mary standjofski, left, and sylvie poirier have a snack at the western tip of rené-lévesque park, overlooking lac st-louis in lachine. john mahoney / montreal gazette

Îles de boucherville park

this provincial park is made up of five islands just a few kilometres off the southeastern shore of montreal. to get there by bike, you take a short river shuttle, operated by navark, either from the yvon-julien dock in the south shore community of boucherville (445 marie-victorin blvd.) or from the promenade bellerive dock in the east montreal neighbourhood of mercier (8500 bellerive st.). both docks are reachable by scenic bike path routes; either the jacques cartier bridge bike path to the dock in boucherville or the notre dame st. bike path to mercier.

it is recommended to buy an access pass to the park online to ensure you get in on busy days ($10 per adult, free for kids). once on the islands, you can bike around or lock your bike and rent a canoe, kayak or paddle board to explore the channels separating the islands. there are gorgeous views everywhere you look and birds and wildlife aplenty to observe, although fewer white-tailed deer since the province held a cull last fall due to overpopulation.

bruno tremblay of pointe-st-charles checks his messages while taking a break from cycling in rené-lévesque park. john mahoney / montreal gazette

plage de l’est

stop for a break at parc nature de l’Île de la visitation , with its historic mills and pretty belvedere. the bike path goes through the coulée-grou regional park, and then it’s just two more kilometres to the beach. the plage de l’est is a 1.2-hectare waterfront park with a pebbly beach, picnic area, two beach volleyball courts and a pavilion with bathrooms and outdoor showers. there is a raised, illuminated concrete walkway that leads to an observation deck to take in views of the river and nearby île ste-thérèse.

a man fishes at plage de l’est, in pointe-aux-trembles in 2021. pierre obendrauf / montreal gazette

ste-catherine récréoparc