Enjoy a memorable experience

Make the most of the Parcours Gouin welcome centre’s varied slate of services geared to lovers of the great outdoors, cyclists, hikers, residents and visitors. The centre offers information, bike and equipment rentals, book and society game loans, and it features a lunch counter.

Easily accessible 

By public transit (a stone’s throw from the Henri-Bourassa metro station), bicycle or on foot, this multipurpose nature centre was designed in accordance with an integrated sustainable development approach.

Rent equipment

Bicycle: $5 for adults and free for children 16 and under
Fatbike: Free 
Board games: Free
Book lending (on-site consultation only): Free

To find out about all the activities on site and to reserve 

Visit the Parcours Gouin website (in French)

What it features

Designed by BBBL Architectes, the net-zero centre includes:

• A rest area and café.
• An equipment rental counter (snowshoes, cross-country skis, fat bikes).
• A multipurpose room (for exhibitions, meetings and events, etc.).
• A rooftop terrace accessible from one side, with a semi-extensive green roof.

On the park side, a terrace, perched on stilts at the level of the canopy, allows visitors to admire the majesty of the area’s mature trees.

In addition to its spacious multipurpose room on the upper floor, the centre boasts an outdoor shelter covered with solar panels. The shelter plays host to community and cultural activities, including the seasonal public market.

Every Saturday from mid-May to mid-October is a market day!

The Ahuntsic summer market (in French) was born out of a desire on the part of Ahuntsic-Cartierville residents and the borough to connect with rural and urban producers.

It aims to give residents of Ahuntsic-Cartier and beyond access to fresh, local and diversified produce.

Ambassador for sustainable development 

The building’s architectural design, with its distinctive signature, integrates into the surrounding landscape and meets the needs of users.

Featuring a net-zero energy structure, the avant-garde building takes its inspiration from principles embodied in eco-certifications, such as Passivhaus (passive solar energy) and the Living Building Challenge, and it has LEED-Gold certification.

The Parcours Gouin welcome centre is Montréal’s first net-zero building, meaning that it produces as much energy as it consumes.

Since it opened on June 8, 2017, the centre and the Parcours Gouin have earned multiple awards and accolades, including from Opération Patrimoine Montréal, Vélo Québec, the Association québécoise du loisir municipal, the Conseil régional en environnement de Montréal (Corps public winner), the Association des firmes de génie-conseil du Québec, the Association québécoise du loisir municipal, and the Institut de développement urbain du Québec.

The centre won the 2018 Coup de cœur du public award presented by Opération patrimoine Montréal.

Regardless of the season, and whether with friends, family or on your own, make the Parcours Gouin and its welcome centre your destination par excellence in this northern stretch of Montréal.