Angrignon Park

A handsome 97-hectare piece of land in a low-profile corner of town, the name Angrignon is nonetheless one that thousands of Montrealers see daily because it's the western terminus on the Metro's green line. It's named after J.-B. Arthur Angrignon (1875-1948), city councillor for Côte Saint-Paul for many years.

The city began to acquire land for this park in 1926 and by 1944 a grand scheme was hatched to turn it into a zoo, but the project fizzled out. It remained the winter home for the animals from Lafontaine Park's small Jardin des Merveilles zoo until 1989 when the city went out of the outdoor zoo business for good.

Angrignon Park is simply a nice expanse of green space with a 1.1-km-long pond in the middle. There are picnic tables, foot and cycle paths and a few playground areas along des Trinitaires. A community garden area borders the park on the east side, and Angrignon Farm, operated by the Botanical Garden not far from the metro station, is a nice outing for kids. But the heart of the park was re-landscaped in 2000 with a light hand and the overall impression is one of gentle purposelessness, an idyllic refuge from the stresses of the city.

Although you never really get completely beyond the distant sound of traffic, with busy de la Vérendrye and des Trinitaires bordering the park and a number of bus routes converging on the adjoining metro station, there are many tranquil corners in this park. And yet busy city-dwellers always know that in a few minutes they can be whisked away by metro to their next appointment.

In winter, the park offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and skating.

To get to Angrignon Park you need only stay on the metro's Green Line till the last stop, get out and walk around. The city's Angrignon Farm pages have detailed directions for access by car. There are no shops and few services in or close by the park, but north, across the tracks and Newman Blvd., is Carrefour Angrignon, a large mall.

Angrignon Park
7503, boul. de la Vérendrye

La Ferme Angrignon
3400, boul. des Trinitaires
514-872-2816