Parc Nature du Cap St-Jacques

Lonely Planet review

Arguably the most diverse of Montréal's nature parks, Cap St-Jacques has a huge beach, 27km of trails for hiking and skiing, a farm and even a summer camp. The maple and mixed deciduous forest in the interior is a great patch for a ramble, and in spring a horse-drawn carriage brings visitors to a sugar shack to watch the maple sap boil.

On the north shore there's the Eco-Farm, a working farm with two barns and horses, pigs and chickens, as well as a large greenhouse for viewing. Picnic tables abound and a restaurant serves the farm's produce. The beach (adult/child around C$5 /3) is a comfortably wide stretch of fine white sand, and the shallow water is wonderful for splashing with kids, but bear in mind it gets as popular as Cape Cod on summer weekends. You can also rent canoes, kayaks and pedalboats.