There’s a lot going on at this newly renovated park and it’s a ton of fun for all ages AND abilities! To be honest, parts of the old playground were awful, with the old play structures in the big-kid area basically abandoned. So thank goodness for this massive reno. We visited here early one morning and explored all the corners of the HUGE park — playing first, wandering around to see the pond, the exercise equipment, a run through the grass and down the hill, and then back to the playground. A visit with a picnic break is a great way to spend some summer hours.
What’s new!
The redevelopment of the play area for kids 5 to 12 makes it possible for everyone to have fun together, and the poured-in-place rubber surfacing ensures that everyone — including seniors and adults — can maneuver around safely and easily.
There are rotating, swinging, and spinning elements like the large glider, the inclusive spinner, and cozy saucer swings while shady spaces away from the bustle of the central play area are equipped with hammocks and seats to offer a spot for some quiet time. If you want even more swinging there are a ton of different styles including tandem swings with adaptive seats, and tandem swings with two adult seats. My kiddos loved the ropes and slides that were incorporated into an existing hill and climbed up and zipped back down over and over.
The main play structure is huge and intense — in the best way. While I’ve seen quite a few wheelchair-accessible products with access ramps, they rarely have anything to actually play with. Ahuntsic Park is a fantastic exception. Everyone will find plenty to engage them both on and below the raised ramp. Users can play alongside each other as they drum and tap out a melody on the xylophone, turn gears and play tic-tac-toe, solve mazes and play animal sounds, climb up rungs and ladders, and zip down the roller slide. There are also low-to-the-ground monkey bars, an overhead track to hold onto and slide across, and tall climbing walls for a challenge. There’s just a LOT to play with.
The adjacent playground for kids 2-5 was installed in 2010 and was left untouched, but it’s a nice space for the littlest ones to swing, balance, and climb the pint-sized structures.
With the centrally-located splash pad, the whole area is conducive to families with multiple children who want to play in different areas. Shady spots with tables and benches invite visitors to relax with a picnic after a few hours of playtime and water fun. The splash pad wasn’t redone, and it isn’t all that exciting, but they did add in an awesome interactive water table with a hand pump. Kids (and parents!) can manipulate the stream as it flows into the splash pad
Upcoming work
A new multi-functional path almost five metres wide will cross the park from Lajeunesse to Saint-Hubert streets and have coloured paving and signage. It’s being developed to ensure the safety of all types of users, including pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, and those who use mobility devices.
The development plans for the park also include tree planting to create a larger canopy to ensure shaded spaces and biodiversity. The landscaping around the park’s famous pond will also be revitalized and the central fountain’s water jets lowered to protect aquatic plantings, and the future skate park will be improved to meet user demands and environmental requirements.
Things to note:
- There’s not a huge amount of shade over the playgrounds, but there are trees all around where you can get a break from the sun.
- The splash pad water is on from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Find the supervised wading pool schedule at montreal.ca/en/places/parc-ahuntsic-wading-pool)
- Other things you can find at the park include bocce/pétanque and shuffleboard, outdoor fitness equipment, a baseball field, a fenced dog park, a community garden, and a new-in-2022 skatepark!
- A seasonal bathroom is located beside the wading pool.
- There’s also tons of space to picnic or play in the grass.
