The best walks and hikes around Varennes

The surface is paved the whole way, so you can walk, jog or cycle without worrying about mud or rough ground. You will pass riverside parks, old neighbourhoods with historic streets and shops, and heritage sites that are worth a stop.

The Sanctuary of Saint Marguerite d’Youville honors the founder of the Grey Nuns and Canada’s first native-born saint. Born on this site in 1701, Marguerite d’Youville devoted her life to helping the poor and marginalized, leading to her canonization in 1990. The complex features a permanent exhibition housing historical artifacts, archival documents, and stained-glass displays detailing her inspirational legacy.

The park's name comes from local landowners who ceded their land so the town could turn it into a municipal park, according to the Quebec government's toponymy register. It stretches over a kilometre along the riverfront and covers roughly 35 hectares. You'll find a boat launch ramp, play structures, picnic tables, a kite-flying area, a tourist welcome office, and an outdoor skating surface in winter.

The Lupine Field is a seasonal natural attraction located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. You can see it at its most beautiful when the lupins are in bloom, typically from late May to early July. Tall spikes of purple, blue, and pink flowers rise above distinctive palm-shaped leaves, making the plants easy to recognize. Although lupins are now a familiar sight in the region, they are not native to eastern Canada and were introduced from other parts of the world.

The wetlands of Île-Lebel Island Park are an important ecological zone and popular bird watching area right along the St. Lawrence River. The wetlands are visible from multiple places around the park, but the best viewing spot is here, on this long pedestrian bridge that spans a large field of reeds right in the middle of the park.

The St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. From the many viewpoints in Parc de l'Île-Lebel, there are great views of the river while it travels northeast on its 1,197-kilometre journey. The marshlands around on the shores are teeming with life and the view over the water includes a look at a few islands like Île À-la-Pierre and Îles Robinet.

Parc de l'Île-Lebel is an island park that spans 15.7 hectares along the St. Lawrence River, just north-east of Montreal. Hikers, runners and walkers love the 3 kilometres of packed gravel trail that circle the park. Along the path are strength-training stations and outdoor exercise equipment. The park is a hot spot for birdwatching with over 37 bird species the hang around the marsh area. There are educational interpretive panels, public toilets, children's playgrounds, open picnic areas, and free Wi-Fi. The park transforms in winter with sleigh rides, a lit 1-kilometre ice-skating trail, a heated skate-changing area, and a multi-lane sledding hill when there is snow.

The wetlands of Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-Prairies are among the park’s most important natural features, providing habitat for a wide variety of plants and wildlife. There are boardwalks and trails that pass through marshes and the edges of forest, and it’s a beautiful area of the park where you’ll spot lots of birds, amphibians, and the park’s resident white-tailed deer.