Parc de la Louisiane

Three years ago, I wrote about parks in Montreal. Not only are there a lot of parks here, but they vary considerably in size, resources, and other qualities.

Within a kilometer or two of where we’re living in the Rosemont arrondissement, there are several tiny parks (Parc Raymond Lévesque, an unnamed park on Rue de Tonty, and Parc de la Cité Jardin) , three or four big parks (Parc Joseph Paré, Parc Sainte-Bernadette, Parc Étienne-Desmarteau, and Parc de la Louisiane), and one massive park (Parc Maisonneuve).

Since our local Bixi bike stand is on the edge of Parc de la Louisiane, we go by it frequently. And it turns out, what seems like a collection of sports fields has a whole lot more going on. Let’s explore Parc de la Louisiane!

I called Parc de la Louisiane a “big” park above, but that’s not really true by Montreal standards. Montreal officially lists 20 parks as “large,” which they define as 35 acres (14 ha) or larger, with those 20 parks averaging 100 acres (40.5 ha). Parc de la Louisiane is a mere 21 acres (8.5 ha). For your standard newspaper comparison, that’s sixteen American football fields, or the 1/5 the area of DisneyLand when it first opened.

The park was established in 1950, and named in honor of the Montrealers who were instrumental in the establishment of the US State of Louisiana.

The first impression of the park is that it’s a bunch of sports fields, because it does have a lot of facilities for sporting. It’s got two baseball diamonds.

It’s got two soccer fields, one full size and one smaller one for practicing (or perhaps for kids?).

That small field is still pretty big. But the big field is Very Big.

In addition to the ball-fields, there’s the “chalet” which is operated by the Club de Soccer Montréal Centre. It is also used for other community events, like a community “cinq à sept” with live music and cookies that that Manon stopped by earlier this summer.

Rounding out the sports areas for adults, there’s an outdoor gym setup.

But the park is not just for sports! There’s a fenced in dog-park (complete with some agility-training equipment, shady areas, and benches).

For those who don’t have fur-babies, there’s an extensive area for small humans too! There are three playground areas: one for very small kids, one for bigger kids, and a water play area.

Not clearly shown in the above pictures is a building called the Library éphémère de l’est de Rosemont. It’s a library that’s open at odd times to provide free access to books, games, and sports equipment. They have a schedule of events that all have compelling names although I haven’t yet attended any. Scheduling has been the snag, because otherwise how could I resist the Lego Tour of the World, Ink Sounds co-creation workshop, or “the mini manifestos” from Cracked Theater?

Maybe you go to the park less to do things than to just hang out? Don’t worry, this park has you covered. There are picnic tables (complete with abandoned stuffed animals).

There are benches throughout, although more of them are in full sun than I’d choose. But then I’m here in the summer, and the park is here all year. I imagine in the colder parts of the year, you’d want your bench in the sun.

Summer is hot here, but relatively brief, so the growing season is short.

The neighborhood surrounding the park is a mix of single-family residences, plexes, and apartment buildings. Some people have gardens, but many properties don’t have room for them, or don’t get good sunshine. In the nearby Parc Maisonneuve, there are community garden parcels for people who are serious about their gardening. But for those who don’t have the patience for the wait-list, or who can’t meet the stringent rules, Parc de la Louisiane once again comes through with its citizen’s garden.

These raised beds are freely available to the community. They’re not without rules, but unlike the community plots in Parc Maisonneuve, it’s not to the level of mandating flower/vegetable ratios. Plus, it seems there are beds available without wait lists!

So that’s a lot of stuff to be happening in the park, pas vrai? And I haven’t even covered everything. But there’s one last thing I want to mention. The city does research work in the park too, and they have signs that give a lot of information about what they’re doing.

In this example, the Urban Forest Department is researching whether urban heat islands can be mitigated by the planting of “micro forests” as described by Japanese ecologist Akira Miyawaki.

(I was asked why in all these pictures of the park and its many features, the place looks completely deserted. With all these facilities, do people not use the park? The answer is that yes! people do use the park! I deliberately set out shockingly early on a Sunday morning to photograph the place without invading anyone’s privacy.)