The first 30 seconds of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" should be blasting from loudspeakers when you make it to the Chalet du Mont-Royal in the Parc du Mont-Royal.
That audio clip would neatly summarize the experience of increasing awe as your eyes behold the vast expanse of the city.
An Olmsted designed park (see Central Park,Prospect Park NYC), although his influence was more limited here, I place this destination in the "active pursuits" category of parks as opposed to strolling, laying around on grass and doing little or nothing park.
You'll need to be fairly active to ascend the many steps to the 700 foot high mountain at the center. Biking and jogging are two popular ways of traversing the Chemin du Olmstead that wraps around the park.
There's also a beaver lake that hasn't any beavers but does have paddle boats for rent.
And when I finally made it to the Croix du Mont-Royal I felt like I may have been hallucinating-- this is one large cross! I almost expected a Monty Python-esque foot to fall from the sky next but that didn't quite happen.
Lasting impressions on my visit to the Park include:
1. Where was the garbage? Not even a casually tossed coke can? Anybody?
2. A friendly local joking with me in French about having to pay 25 cents to use the water fountain.
3. Not finding the proper stair case to descend from the Chalet and instead scrambling down a muddy incline with my wife, holding on to branches for dear life.
4. The view from Chalet. Truly impressive.
5. The bathrooms in the Chalet. Clean!
6. No vendors selling snacks except for the vending machines I spotted in the Chalet. Maybe that explains point 1, the absence of garbage?
7. I need to relearn how to ride a bike so as to traverse the Chemin faster than walking.
So if you are visiting Montreal for the first or in my case second time, I highly recommend dedicating a sunny afternoon to exploring Parc du Mont-Royal...and it's free!