This is a great time of year to get outdoors in a big scarf and take a walk, listening to the crunching of the leaves under your feet. You don’t have to venture too far outside Montreal to get a nature fix and find some nice hiking trails. Close by, in Mont Saint-Hilaire, you’ll find the Gault Nature Reserve, a private Reserve affiliated with the Faculty of Science of McGill University. From their website:

Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University is a private Reserve which protects 1000 hectares of natural primeval forests of the St. Lawrence Valley. Situated at Mont-Saint-Hilaire approximately 40 km from Montreal, this panoramic natural landscape is ideal for discovering nature, teaching and university research. The public sector with 25 km of trail network is open 365 days per year for visitors’ enjoyment.

Affiliated with the Faculty of Science of McGill University, the Gault team offers support to research and teaching of natural sciences while providing a wide range of services to the university community and the general public.

Image from www.mcgill.ca/gault