Picture from Angrignon Park... COME SEE MY MONTREAL PARKS VIDEO HD 720p Montreal has many delightful parks of varying character, and every neighbourhood has its favourite summer refuges, its picnic spots, its oases of green in the urban fabric in addition to the major city parks that draw people from far and wide to indulge in their pleasures. But Montreal is also a large island among an archipelago of other islands. Its waterfront affords numerous park settings and some of the smaller islands have parks or are parks in their entirety. In addition to the major city parks, there are nature parks which preserve waterfront, marsh, meadow and forest ecosystems so that animals and birds are afforded some sanctuary in the urban area. From the smallest, ��le-de-la-Visitation, to the wide expanse of Cap Saint-Jacques, all can provide a refreshing change of scene from the city in a matter of minutes. Most parks also have a whole different character and set of activities in wintertime. Angrignon Park A handsome 97-hectare slab of land in a low-profile corner of town, the name Angrignon is nonetheless one that thousands of Montrealers see daily because itâ��s the last stop westward on the Metroâ��s green line. Itâ��s named after J.-B. Arthur Angrignon (1875-1948), city councillor for C�´te 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 Parkâ��s small Jardin des Merveilles zoo until 1989 when the city went out of the zoo business for good. Angrignon Park is simply a nice stretch 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. 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. Officially the park has 10 km of walking trails, 10 km of cross-country skiing trails, and is home to a large community garden area with more than a hundred plots. Alas, Angrignon Farm, once a nice outing for kids, is closed and the borough has no budget to reopen it as of 2010. Although you never really get completely beyond the distant sound of traffic, what with busy de la V�©rendrye and des Trinitaires bordering the park and a number of bus routes converging on the metro station, there are many tranquil corners here. And yet busy city-dwellers always know that in a few minutes they can be whirled away by a metro to their next appointment. To get to Angrignon Park you need only stay on the metro's Green Line till the last stop, get out and start walking. But there are parking lots as well. There are no shops and not many services in or adjoining the park, but just across Newman Blvd. is Carrefour Angrignon, a large mall. Fort Angrignon (n.b. music on load) nearby is an outing centre with family activities. Thanks Magik