If you’re planning a trip to Montréal, you can easily fill your days visiting its wonderful museums, dining on fabulous bistro fare and strolling through the historic streets. But in late September to the second and third weeks of October, you won’t want to miss the fall colors in Montréal.
The color arrives first in the Laurentians at elevation, then moves south and downslope, with the island of Montréal and the St. Lawrence Valley usually peaking in the second or third week of October.
While you don’t have to go far from the city’s center to enjoy the fiery autumn hues, you can immerse yourself deeper in nature by driving just a few hours outside the city to neighboring villages and parks. With that, here’s where to see fall colors in Montréal and neighboring areas.
1. Eastern Townships
Where to go: Bromont, Orford and Owl's Head hills; Brome, Memphremagog and Lac-Mégantic; Sherbrooke city
Where to stay:
What to see:
Head south of the St. Lawrence River, into the hills, farmlands and villages of the Eastern Townships. Parks and reserves offer easy hiking trails that are a fun way to experience the changing of the seasons with family. The Eastern Townships are also a foodie heaven, with wonderful restaurants, wineries, microbreweries and local producers of cheese, chocolate, coffee and other gourmet goodies.
The region also offers a variety of museums and other attractions. Whether it’s exploring trails, tasting regional treats or visiting local shops and museums, choose a route and bask in the warm colors of fall as you drive through the countryside between your planned stops.
2. King's Road Scenic Highway
Where to go: L’Assomption, Trois-Rivières
Where to stay:
What to see:
Route 138 follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence between Montréal and Québec City along the Chemin du Roy completed in 1737 and the oldest road in Canada built for carriage travel. The King’s Road Scenic Highway, a AAA Road Trip, begins about midway at Cap-de-la-Madeleine. The route passes through farmland and semi-wooded areas that are especially picturesque when seasonal colors are on display, providing a stunning backdrop to the charming villages along the way.
3. Montréal City
Where to go: Montréal Botanical Garden, Mont-Royal Park, Morgan Arboretum, Old Montréal, Parc Jean-Drapeau
Where to stay:
What to see:
Montréal Botanical Garden
You can see some of the best fall colors in Montréal without leaving the city — just stroll through the autumn woods at the Montréal Botanical Garden. Trails through the vast arboretum will lead past a forest of red, yellow and orange. But colors abound here no matter when you visit—the Botanical Garden’s landscapes and greenhouses are updated throughout the year with lush displays of seasonal blooms and foliage.
Mont-Royal Park
Consistently rated one of the best things to do in Montréal, Mont-Royal Park is another wooded oasis within the city. Walk, jog or bike the trails that wind through the woods of Mount Royal or hike up to the top for a bird's-eye view of the city framed in the colors of autumn leaves. Along with trails, the park includes scenic overlooks, historic sites and a lake, perfect for a family picnic or free family outing.
Morgan Arboretum
On the western tip of the Island of Montréal is Morgan Arboretum, a 610-acre forest preserve on the McGill University Macdonald Campus. Walking trails here will take you into forests with a variety of trees, including beech, hemlock, red maple and sugar maple. The preserve also includes old fields and pastures, some of which became plantations for now-mature trees and shrubs grouped in themed collections, including birches, oaks, maples and flowering trees and shrubs. A self-guided tour and smartphone app are available to make the most of your visit.
Old Montréal
Take a stroll through the past in Old Montréal, where Notre-Dame Basilica and Marché Bonsecours anchor a district that has been the city's heart since 1642 and where four centuries of Québécois history are written into the streets.. Or jog, cycle or stroll along a riverside pathway. If you go in October, all this history will be backdropped by a gorgeous watercolor of fall leaves.
Parc Jean-Drapeau
One metro stop from downtown, Parc Jean-Drapeau spans Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame, the latter built for Expo 67. The Parc offers lovely waterfront views of the fall foliage, situated on the Saint Lawrence River and making up both Sainte-Hélène and Notre-Dame islands.
4. Mont-Tremblant
Where to go: Tremblant pedestrian village, Lake Tremblant
Where to stay:
What to see:
Mont-Tremblant is two hours northwest of Montréal, nestled in the Laurentian Mountains. In winter, the village of Tremblant is a popular ski destination, but in fall, visitors flock to Tremblant for its unforgettable ochre and crimson leaves.
The best ways to take in the views of the mountains are by hiking or taking the gondola to the summit of Mont-Tremblant, ziplining over the forest, playing golf on the Le Diable and Le Géant courses, kayaking on Lake Tremblant and watching an outdoor music performance in the village. The pedestrian village and ski area sit at the base of Mont Tremblant, while Parc national du Mont-Tremblant is a separate protected area roughly 30 minutes north.
5. Mont-Saint-Bruno Provincial Park
Where to go: Sentier des Lacs trail, Seigneurial Lake trail, Montérégien loop
Where to stay:
What to see:
East of metropolitan Montréal is Mont-Saint-Bruno a provincial park, where you’ll find a nature-lover’s haven. With swaths of maple and bitternut hickory trees and orchards of over 2,000 apple trees, the park turns breathtaking golden hues in autumn.
The park also includes five different lakes, a tea room, campgrounds and plenty of trails for hikers. You can pick your own apples while keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife, like deer and ducks.
6. Parc-nature du Cap Saint-Jacques
Where to Go: Any of the hiking/biking trails; the river-mouth overlook
Where to Stay:
● Courtyard by Marriott Montréal West Island Baie D'Urfe
● DoubleTree by Hilton Pointe-Claire Montréal Airport West
What to See:
Montréal's largest park at 330 hectares (about 815 acres), Parc-nature du Cap-Saint-Jacques occupies a peninsula at the western tip of the island, where the Rivière des Prairies (River of Prairies) meets the Lake of Two Mountains. Its extensive forests, which include sugar maples, American beeches and other mixed hardwoods, certainly put on a show in the fall, making for some of the best leaf-peeping to be had right on the city's doorstep.
Multi-use trails lace their way throughout the park, providing ample access (and a sense of sylvan seclusion remarkable for the close proximity to urbanity). And sightlines from here run across the Lake of Two Mountains northwestward to the wooded shores of Oka National Park, giving you more bang for your buck, fall-colors-wise.
7. The Laurentian Mountains & the Lanaudière-Mauricie Countryside
Where to Go: Mont-Tremblant Provincial Park; La Mauricie National Park; Forêt Ouareau Regional Park; Lac Taureau Regional Park
Where to Stay:
● Cap Tremblant Mountain Resort
What to See:
The amply timbered highlands of the Laurentians—something of a northern sister of New York's Adirondack Mountains, which are geologically related—are Montréal's iconic hinterland recreational getaway and without question an across-the-board home run for autumn leaf-peeping. Formed of truly ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield, the Laurentians loom above 3,000 feet on blocky peaks such as Mont Raoul-Blanchard (3,875 feet) and Mont Belle Fontaine (3,776 feet). The Laurentians near Montréal are covered in mixed hardwood forest; sugar maple above all, with beech, yellow birch and red oak, which is exactly what produces the region's colour. Conifers thicken as you travel north, where tamarack, a deciduous conifer, turns gold late in the season.
The Laurentian Mountains boast numerous large protected parks and preserves, including Mont-Tremblant Provincial Park, La Mauricie National Park and the sprawling Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. And the drive northwest from Montréal across the St. Lawrence Lowland should whet your appetite with no shortage of fall colors en route to the orange-, red- and yellow-sprinkled scarps of the Laurentians. Indeed, there are plenty of prime leaf-peeping driving routes in the non-mountainous parts of the Lanaudière-Mauricie region helping form Montréal's lovely backyard.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about visiting Montréal to see fall colors.
Is Montréal worth visiting in October?
Yes, the seasonal colors in Montréal make it absolutely worth visiting in October. In late September to mid-October, the leaves in Montréal start turning red, yellow and orange, turning the city into a dazzling display of fall colors.
When is peak foliage in Montréal?
Fall colors sweep across Southern Québec from late September through mid-October. Day-trip destinations in the nearby Laurentians and Eastern Townships usually reach peak brilliance in late September and early October, while Montréal’s urban parks, like Mount Royal, follow closely behind, peaking through early to mid-October. To catch the colors at their absolute brightest, keep an eye on the official Bonjour Québec's fall color report when planning your itinerary. This report tracks progression by region and is updated weekly throughout the season.
What makes Montréal such a world-class launchpad for fall colors?
Québec sits at the crossroads of Canada's vast boreal forest and the mixed hardwood forests of the Upper Midwest and northeastern United States, creating an impressive variety of tree species. Maples, beeches, oaks, aspens, birches and tamaracks all contribute to the region's spectacular fall colors. Thanks to Québec's northern latitude, autumn foliage often arrives earlier and can be especially vibrant. The range of elevations near Montréal, from the Laurentians to the St. Lawrence Valley, helps extend the season, while the St. Lawrence River and the region's many lakes and ponds provide beautiful reflections that make the display even more memorable.
How far is it from Montréal to Québec?
Montréal is located within the Canadian province of Québec. It’s about 250 km or 155 miles from Montréal to Québec City, the capital of Québec or about a two-hour and 45-minute drive.
Plan Your Trip to Montréal with AAA
On your quest to see the best fall colors in Montréal and its surrounding areas, you may also want to find other activities to do in the city. Check out our list of the top things to do in Montréal while you’re at it.
If you need help planning your journey, AAA Travel will give you peace of mind. AAA membership provides you with exclusive benefits like map routing and travel planning, savings, international driving permits and travel insurance. Let us take care of the planning and logistics so you can focus on chasing autumn’s beauty.