Aviously

Mount Royal. The center of Montreal, and a bit like Central Park once you start wandering the paths.

A lot of people make the mistake of walking all the way from the bottom, but the trick is to park up near the Smith House, in the Mount Royal Parking Lot (duh), and save your walking/hiking for Mount Royal Park.

At the top of the mountain is the Mount Royal Chalet, build over 85 years ago, and is a great point to launch your hike. Behind the Chalet is a great viewpoint, overlooking the entire city.

Once you are done gazing, head out into the woods, and seek out the Mount Royal Cross, which is lit by LEDs, and can be changed colors depending what’s happening in the world (consider what’s done at the Empire State Building on a nightly basis).

One thing that helped me on my forest stroll was my phone’s map, and/or a compass. There are very few signs in the paths, and it’s easy to start heading in circles without realizing it.