Why You Need To Visit McGill’s Morgan Arboretum

Visiting McGill’s Morgan Arboretum is a perfect way to spend a day surrounded by nature. It’s 245 acres of land is filled with walking trails in the summer, cross country skiing in the winter, and don’t even get me started on the beautiful array of colours you’ll see in the fall!

Growing up in the West Island, this was definitely a favourite spot to visit. I ran some cross country runs here with school, came here with my family for some hikes and picnics. I swear, there’s no better place on the Island to come if you an escape to nature in Montreal.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Where Is The Morgan Arboretum?

Even though the Morgan Arboretum is part of McGill, it’s nowhere near the main campus. In fact, it’s about a 45-minute drive from downtown. It’s in the West of the Island in Montreal, in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

There are buses and trains to get to this part of the island, but trust me, you’ll definitely want to have a car to get here. The West Island isn’t like downtown where once you arrive you can walk everywhere you need to go. No, everything is at least a 10-minute DRIVE away! Not even a walk! A 10-minute DRIVE! So, do yourself a favour, only come here with a car.

What’s Near The Morgan Arboretum?

The West Island has quite a bit to do, you can make a day trip here from the city if you wanted.

You can go to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to see the canal, Pointe-Claire Village for ice cream or a bite to eat. You could also check out the Eco Museum down the street, and go to L’Anse a L’Omers to watch the sunset.

Why Is It The McGill Morgan Arboretum?

The Morgan Arboretum is a nature reserve part of McGill University’s McDonald Campus. A lot of people don’t realize, but McGill actually has three campuses! The Downtown Campus, McDonald campus in the West Island, and the Gault Nature Reserve in Mont-Sainte-Hilaire (which has a mountain you can climb to the peak of…more on that later!).

McGill’s McDonald campus hosts the University’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (FAES), the School of Human Nutrition, Institute of Parasitology and the McGill School of Environment.

But! What a lot of students don’t realize is that because it’s a part of McGill, they have FREE access to the grounds! So, if you’re a McGill student, there’s no better time to visit!

How Long Can You Spend At The Morgan Arboretum?

There are countless walking trails, wildlife and even a spot for birdwatching. With so much to do, you can easily spend an entire day here!

There are picnic tables, a bathroom, and it’s dog friendly (so the whole family can come!).

Just don’t forget to pack a picnic lunch and your book!

How Much Does It Cost?

As I said, it’s free for McGill students, but if you aren’t, there is a small entrance fee you’ll have to pay. If you are a student at another school you’ll still be able to get a discount on the entrance price. Otherwise, it’s about $8 – $9/person.

You can become a member for a year for a fee. This gives you unlimited access to the park all year round. And if you’re interested in bringing your dog, you’ll have to become a member and request this.

Find updated prices here.

The Morgan Arboretum In The Summer

Nature In Montreal: More Than Just Walking Trails

They have about 5 different walking trails that you can go on. Along these paths you might even be able to see extra wildlife or learn a bit about the trees you’re walking by. I swear, you might be able to spot some reptiles and amphibians, birds, and different mammals at the park.

The Morgan Arboretum set up some signs on the path telling you about the different trees and wildlife that you might see. It may not seem that interesting to learn about trees, but some things may surprise you and learn something new!

My favourite part of the trail was right at the end of the orange path (the easiest path) near the parking lot. That’s where the maple trees are and it actually smells a bit sweeter than the rest of the walk!

In fact, they actually use these for maple syrup (did you know 70% of the world’s maple syrup is from Canada and 90% is from Québec!).

But, the best part of the Morgan Arboretum has to be Blossom Corner…

Blossom Corner: Don’t Forget Your Zoom Lens & Book!

This is the ultimate spot, possibly the entire city, to come and relax. It’s downright BEAUTIFUL and so peaceful. It’s a huge garden with flowers, trees, picnic tables, benches, and bird feeders to attract some wildlife. I saw some of the most gorgeous and different birds that I’d never seen before. But, you’ll also see cute little chipmunks come over for some food too.

I didn’t bring my zoom lens this time, and boy, did I regret it! We did bring our books though so we were able to set up on a bench in the shade to read and watch as the birds flew by.

The flowers they planted also attract different bugs and insects. I swear I saw the biggest butterfly I’ve ever seen (my dad thinks it was a moth, but who cares! It was still massive!). The amount of bees I saw was so much more than anywhere, even more than at the lavender fields (interested in lavender fields near Montreal? Check out my guide!).

Heads Up! It Might Be Buggy

We didn’t notice too many bugs when we went this time in mid-August, but depending on when you go, you might want to pack the bug spray.

You are walking through quite a bit of forests here. There’s also poison ivy, so don’t stray too much off the path!

The Morgan Arboretum In The Winter

In the winter, you can simply walk along one of the walking trails or venture to a separate path for snow shoeing or cross country skiing.

Morgan Arboretum Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, & Skate Skiing

There are 3 cross country skiing trails to enjoy (total 15 km) and 5 separate snowshoeing trails ranging from 1km to 5km trails.

Need A Place To Stay In The West Island Montreal

There are a few places to visit in the West Island Montreal that you might want to consider staying there one night. This way you don’t have to waste as much time travelling there and back.

There aren’t too many options for hotels in the West Island but they have the main hotel brands.

I’d recommend Courtyard by Marriott, it’s close to all the top things to do in the West Island. It’s near Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue and West Island activities like the Ecomuseum and Morgan Arboretum. See availability and room rates.

If you want a halfway point between the city and the West Island, the Home2 Suites in Dorval is a good option. It’s right off the highway too which makes leaving and coming back very easy and quick. Plus it’s still a pretty new hotel, I remember when they were building it! See availability and room rates.

If you’re interested in only hotels in downtown Montreal, click here for more options.

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Last update on 2024-05-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API