Adventurion

Mont Saint-Gregoire is literally a hiking gem and we often go there when we don’t have other ideas. It started when our son was just 4 y.o. and we were looking for an interesting hike not too far from Montreal. We found Mont Saint-Gregoire on Google maps and decided to hike it for the first time. Since then we’ve been hiking it probably 6 – 7 times. There are few reasons why: because it is close to Montreal, not difficult even for beginners, and has stunning 360 degrees views – perfect for a family hike. If you ever considered to try hiking or was planning to invite your inexperienced friends – this is the right hike to start. We’ve been there with 4 different families and they all absolutely liked it. 

Location

Mont Saint-Grégoire is a 251 m (823 ft) tall mountain which is located 50 km south from Montreal. The area around Mont Saint-Grégoire has its maple syrup and wine production.

The history

The first name of the mount was Mt. Johnson. It was named after Sir John Johnson (1741-1830) who was the owner of the Manoir and Seigneurie in 1795. The nearby town with its’ post office had the same name from 1845 till 1923. The renaming of the town and the Mountain happened in 1923.

The new name – Mont Saint-Gregoire was given after Grégoire le Grand (540-604) who invented Gregorian chant. He was also the doctor of the church (of Rome) and Pope from 590 – 604. The first European settlers came at the beginning of 1705. And the Acadians settled on this territory in 1758.

A settler named, Grégoire Bourque tilled the farmland around the mountain and helped build the church in 1805. The town was called Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand-de-Monnior in 1845. Combining the seigneurie de Monnoir given to Claude de Ramezay in 1708 by the French Governor Vaudreuil. Abolished in 1847, it was reestablished as a town in 1855 under the parish name of Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand. The modern name of the town is “la municipalite de Mont-Saint-Grégroire”.

Hiking Mont Saint-Gregoire

There are few short yet sometimes steep trails with a mix of rocky and regular parts. Usually, we take La Panorama (1km) to go to the summit and La Carriere (1,4 km) to go back. 

The trails with wooden stairs on some steep parts are well-groomed. Also, numerous colored markers on trees or rocks help not to be lost.

Before the summit, there is one lookout point – Belveder, where you can have a rest and take pictures.

The last part, right before the summit, is the rockiest one but not very long.

On the intersection, you can choose to add the Little summit “Le Petit Sommet“, which also offers good views.

The summit of Mont Saint-Grégoire is large enough to host a lot of people at the same time, so you could easily find a place to have a snack and enjoy the bird’s eye view of Montérégie. Also, there are two information desks with pictures of the surrounding mountains and their names. One of them is Mont Saint Bruno, which is famous for the Ski Resort.

And, in good weather, you can clearly see Montreal.  

The way down is not boring too. You will pass through a big rocky section – the remaining of the old quarry and even spot its old equipment. 

And almost every time we were able to watch some predator birds flying in the sky.

This is a very popular place to hike, especially for families with children. So consider starting earlier, as the trail can easily become crowded around noon.

Take away points

• Great hiking for beginners which offers unforgettable views.
• Trekking poles could help during the hike, but they are not mandatory.
• Consider starting early, to secure the parking and having fewer people on the trails.

Video

The map

GPX coordinates

See you on the trail!