Mont Royal is a short mountain rising over 230m just behind the city's downtown. Much of it is a lush park laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park. At the time, the rich folks living next door were worried about losing this green spot and set out to create the park. Today, this is a must-see for any visitor to town. There are 2 lookout points, which are accessible either by bus from Mont Royal metro station or by a long staircase from McGill University. If you are staying in downtown, it is actually faster by foot to reach the Belvedere Kondiaronk. The hike up took about 30 minutes with beautiful fall foliage along the way. From here, it is just over 1km going slightly downhill to Belvedere Camillien-Houde, passing by a giant cross along the way. Originally a wood cross made in the 17th century to celebrate the colony's survival from flooding, today's version is a 26-ton steel structure from 1924. Belvedere Camillien-Houde primarily looks out towards the eastern end of the city, including the Olympic Stadium. You won't be able to see downtown from here. There is a bus stop for route 11 heading back downhill to Mont Royal metro station right next to the lookout point. I also tried a winter hike uphill to Belvedere Kondiaronk under frigid temperatures and a lot of snow.

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