Inline skating along the old Soulanges Canal Places to Go, Things to Do 2004/0711
by Mike Nachaj

Need a little exercise and some fresh air on a bright and sunny Sunday morning? Try skating the bicycle path along the old Soulanges Canal located just a few minutes west of the island of Montreal.

A favourite with the local Montreal inline skaters, the 34km trail offers a smooth and level surface with the very occasional slope or hill. The eastern end of the trail starts at Pointe-des-Cascades and follows alongside the old Soulanges Canal for 21km to Les Couteaux where the canal opens to Lac Saint- François and the St. Lawrence River. From there, the trial continues for another 6km through a mostly wooded area to the town of Saint-Zotique (know for its public beach) followed by another 7 km stretch along route 338 to Rivière Beaudètte and the Ontario border.

The trail is also very popular with cyclists and is part of "la Route Verte" cycling network. An estimate of 125,000 cyclists make use of this trail each year.

About the Skate
Skating along the canal and its abandoned locks leaves you with a sense of being lost somewhere in Europe. The scenery is typical rural Quebec with gentle green rolling hills and open plains with the occasional Holstein basking in the mid-morning sun. Trees line the trail in a number of places and afford some shade from especially hot sunny summer days.

The paved trail is generally in good condition but the occasional "road snakes" (fissures) tend to make you keep a watchful vigil. Some rough spots are to be avoided and are clearly marked with florescent paint.

There are plenty of picnic areas along the way and plenty of parking at numerous access points where rural roads intersect the trail.

It's a pleasant skate and much less crowded than a Sunday morning along the Lachine Canal. The best part about this wonderful accessible trail is that it's free!

About the Canal
The first canal in North America to have locks, this technological wonder of its time was inaugurated in 1899 and served as a forerunner of the modern day St. Lawrence Seaway. The canal enabled shipping to avoid the rapids in the northern arm of the St. Lawrence River linking Lac Saint-Louis in the east and Lac Saint- François to the west. The canal stayed in operation until the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.

Although neglected for a number of years, a major restoration and development project is underway to reopen the canal to pleasure boating and restore it to some of its former glory. A number of recreational and tourist facilities are planned to make this lovely spot user friendly again.

To get there from Montreal
Take autoroute 20 and head west (young man). Continue along the 20 until you leave the Island of Montreal, traverse Île Perrot and cross the bridge over to Vaudreuil-Dorion. In Vaudreuil-Dorion turn left onto Route 338 (rue de Lotbinière) and roll along for 6km to Pointe-des-Cascades.

At Pointe-des-Cascades, turn left into the village, then right to cross the canal. Access to the path and plenty of free parking is located immediately to the right.

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Created by Mike Nachaj Last updated: Aug 1, 2004