PAIN DE SUCRE
Although just a little higher than the mountain’s four other summits, Pain de Sucre manages to top them by some 10 metres. In 1842, a gigantic cross was built on this butte and drew pilgrims from near and far. Today, the summit serves as a great lookout for admiring the region, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and the Adirondack Mountains in New York. The peak sports red oak and even some tiger lilies, relics of the pilgrimages of years gone by.
DIEPPE
Offering a breathtaking view of the Richelieu River flowing northwards, the Dieppe summit is popular with visitors for its expansive rocky peak, perfect for taking a break and admiring the view. Bird lovers may spy a few interesting species flying or hunting near the cliff. Lucky visitors may spot a peregrine falcon, a species at risk that nests on the Dieppe cliffs.
BURNED HILL
Burned Hill summit is only 300 metres tall, but access is easy and the inviting path is narrow, dense and green. From the summit, topped with a small stand of red oak, one can see the orchards on the mountain’s southern flank with all their bucolic charm as well as part of the Richelieu Valley. The forest here is much younger than elsewhere because the peak was ravaged by a forest fire in 1948—hence its name. One of Burned Hill’s claims to fame is the large-flowered roundleaf serviceberry, a very rare shrub in Quebec.
ROCKY
Rocky peak, with its smooth stone streaked by ancient glaciers, has an altitude of 400 metres and offers a splendid view to the north. From that high perch, a panoramic patchwork of agricultural lands lies at your feet. Far away, those who know what to look for can trace forest corridors stretching off to the Saint Lawrence, maintaining a vital link between the mountain and the nearby woodlands. These greenspaces are critical thoroughfares for deer, fox, birds and even plants.