That’s Laval, too

It might seem paradoxical for a family that chooses to spend its vacations in Laval, but we’re absolutely crazy about the outdoors. We’ve visited every national park within our reach or that we’ve come across, and even though our kids are still young, we hike, canoe, bike, walk, camp, and observe nature—in short, we’re often out in the woods.

And we must humbly admit that we have rarely seen as many wild animals in a single day as we did today.

The day hadn't even officially started yet when—you won't believe it, but we swear it's true—we spotted a wild turkey through the window of the Holiday Inn's pool area ( even though the hotel is right in the middle of town)!

Just ask the kids—they’ll tell you! We couldn’t believe our eyes.

The tone for the day was set!

When we arrived at the park, we stopped for lunch at the new Café de l’Archipel, which serves energizing meal bowls, gourmet sandwiches, and decadent pastries from Copper Branch and Café de la Concorde. Refreshing drinks, coffee, and refreshers are also available.

Next, we set off for a day of canoeing on the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. With three kids, the canoe is our favorite self-propelled watercraft. We’ve tried rowboats and pedal boats in the past without much success, and we wouldn’t get very far crammed into kayaks. In short, the canoe glides effortlessly across the water, so we can take a long trip down the river without getting too exhausted. And for the kids, the interior is spacious enough that they can change positions every three seconds (as is their habit) without bumping into each other too much.

The Rivière-des-Mille-Îles is the perfect river for a few-hour excursion. As soon as you pass the Highway 15 bridge, you arrive at a cluster of wild islands, some of which are accessible for picnicking. Very quickly, you forget you’re in the city and discover the tranquility of the area, where Canada geese, shoveler and mallard ducks, herons, kingfishers, and a multitude of bird species we couldn’t identify wade and flit about. We were also impressed by the beavers’ handiwork.

But the highlight of our visit was the impressive number of turtles we came across. Along Île Desroches, on nearly every rock or piece of driftwood sticking out of the water, there was a turtle basking in the sun—one in particular even let us get close, much to the children’s delight!

If you decide to head down to an island for a picnic like we did, be careful of poison ivy, as the trail edges are covered in it. For us, it was the perfect opportunity to teach the kids how to identify it. And if you’re planning a trip to Rivière-des-Mille-Îles Park, be sure to take the time to visit the Interpretive Centre! It features beautiful models and even live specimens of “real” turtles!

#LavalNow #Thousand-Mile River Park