Mont-Saint-Hilare is a town of 18,000 (2011) near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is also the name of the mountain in the town, which is picturesque and has numerous hiking trails.
Understand
Mont-Saint-Hilaire is a significant apple-growing region. There is a significant deposit of the semi-precious mineral sodalite near Mont-Saint-Hilaire.
History
Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville was granted the seignory of the region in 1694. By 1745 a mountain village had been formed with the first chapel being built in 1798 near the Richelieu River. In 1822, a ferry operating between Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire came into service. A bridge, enabling Beloeil and St. Hilaire to be connected by rail, was built in 1848 by the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway. The Campbell family, owners of the mountain after that of Rouville, sold the mountain to a British officer, Brigadier-General Andrew Gault, in whose ownership it remained for 45 years. Gault then bequeathed the mountain to McGill University before his death in 1958.
In 1864, Canada's worst rail disaster occurred here when a passenger train passed a red signal and fell off an open swing bridge into the Richelieu River, killing around 99 people.
Get in
By train
To get there from Montreal if you do not have a car, the easiest approach is to take the AMT commuter trains from Montreal's Gare Centrale (Central Station). Prices and timetables can be found here, and it should cost around $8 each way. As the local train station is 4-5 km from the trailhead, the most effective means to get there is to hitchhike or take a taxi.
Mont-Saint-Hilaire is served by the Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter rail station on the Réseau de transport métropolitain's (RTM) Mont-Saint-Hilaire line.
By bus
- CIT Valle Richelieu serves McMasterville, St-Hyacinthe, Beloeil, and Mont-Saint-Hilaire. See the website for schedules.
Get around
Local bus service is provided by the RTM's Vallée du Richelieu sector.
See
- Le Musée des beaux-arts de Mont-Saint-Hilaire, 150 Rue du Centre Civique, ☏ 1 450-536-3033. General $6, seniors and students $5, children (6 to 12 years old) $4, children (0 to 5 years old) free, family (two adults and two children) $16. The major art museum on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It was founded in 1993 to promote the work of regional artists Jordi Bonet, Paul-Émile Borduas and Ozias Leduc. The museum includes the houses of Borduas and Leduc, which can be visited. Exhibitionsre art from the area, and other Quebec artists such as Jean-Paul Lemieux and Nancy Petry.
- Eglise Saint-Hilaire (Saint-Hilaire Church), 260 Chemin des Patriotes Nord, ☏ 1 450-467-4434.
- Patrimoine Hilairemontais, ☏ 1 438-777-7958. In the summer, offers guided tours of the works of Ozias Leduc in Saint-Hilaire church.
Do
- McGill University's Gault Nature Reserve (Centre de la Nature Mont Saint-Hilaire). Hiking trails, and over a thousand hectares of primeval forest. cost around $5 per person.
- Vergers Petit et Fils, 1020, Chemin de la Montagne, ☏ 1 450-468-9926. Daily 09:00-17:00. Apple orchard. Pick your own apples. A variety of ciders and other apple products for sale. Creperie open Sa Su 09:00-15:00.
Buy
- Cidrerie Cryo, 85 Rang des Étangs, ☏ 1 450-813-7011. Artisanal ciderhouse producing ice, still or sparkling ciders.
Eat
- Resto La Grand-Mere Poule, 430 Boul Sir Wilfred Laurier, ☏ 1 450-467-9419. M-F 06:00-03:00, Sa Su 07:00-03:00. Vegetarian and gluten-free options. Breakfast dishes $5-17.
- Boulangerie Le Pain Dans Les Voiles, 250 Rue Saint Georges, ☏ 1 450-281-0779. Tu-F 06:30-18:00, Sa Su 07:00-17:00. Bakery cafe with bread, pastries, sandwiches, pizzas.
- Casse-Croûte du Pont Noir, 488 des Patriotes Ch S, ☏ 1 450-446-8888. Daily 12:00-19:00. Fries, poutine, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, hamburgers, paninis, hot dogs.
Drink
Sleep
- Auberge Montagnard, 439 Boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier, ☏ 1 450-467-0201, toll-free: 1-800-363-9109. 45 rooms, some with whirlpool bath, wireless internet available in some rooms, and most rooms have a balcony with a view of Mont St-Hilaire. A swimming pool, a terrace, and bar/pub are available. From $78.
- Manoir Rouville-Campbell, 125 Chemin des Patriotes Sud, ☏ 1 450-446-6060, toll-free: 1-866-250-6060. This Tudor-style hotel was classified as a historic monument in 1977. 65 rooms and 5 suites. Gastronomic restaurant on site. From $135.
- [dead link]Motel Le Transit, 30 Rue Brunet, ☏ 1 450-467-2222, toll-free: 1-800-467-2880. Coffee and newspapers available in the lounge. Bar, free high speed wireless internet, room service menu. Air-conditioning. From $74.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through Mont-Saint-Hilaire |
| Montreal ← Longueuil ← | W   E | → Drummondville → Quebec City |
| END ← Sorel-Tracy ← | N  S | → Richelieu → Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu |
| Downtown Montreal ← Longueuil ← | W  E | → END |