HABITAT 67

Playspot: Habitat 67

 River: St. Lawrence Region: Montreal, Quebec

Photographer: Dan Vine -- Paddler: Rob Stiles -- Date: August 7, 2004

While most play boaters are familiar with the legendary waves at the Lachine rapids, fewer are aware that it's feisty little brother is located just a few miles further down the massive St. Lawrence River. Calling Habitat 67 ("Hab") the little brother to Lachine may be a bit dismissive and misleading. There's a very good chance that those visiting Hab may well rank it among the best play spots they've paddled in the Northeast, and unless they've hit the Lachines, they'll probably be right. (Yes, I'm ignoring the Ottawa.)

The Feature:

As pictured, Hab is a large , wide wave/hole located about 25-50 meters off shore. Like everywhere else, the qualities of the feature will vary dramatically depending on water levels, and as with Lachines, the general wisdom is that the lower levels in the late summer tend to produce the best rides.

Rusty Sage at Habitat. Visit http://www.2imagine.net/blogger2004/blunts.html

During my early August visit, pictured at the top of the page, the feature was not terribly bouncy or dynamic. Still, you could hang out on the thing forever, and getting three boaters on at a time wasn't difficult. That's not to say that a whole world of moves weren't possible, it's just that Hab won't auto-launch a boater the way it's big brother up river does.

While my group was there, Corran Addison showed up with a few friends testing out the new Drago Rossi surf board. They were getting some pretty long rides on the feature. Looked like a blast!

Access:

Unlike Lachines, accessing Habitat 67 is relatively easy. There is a fairly large eddy along the shore just up stream of the feature. Just paddle up to the top of the eddy and paddle out about another 25 meters after crossing the eddy line. This will all be pretty obvious. When you come off the feature, you'll basically wash through some class II turbulence and whirl pools. There is a small beach about 75 meters down stream of the feature; you can take out there. The toughest part is the scramble back up the bank. Be sure to wear shoes! There's a fair amount of glass and debris, and rumor has it there's a snake or two also. There is a rope along the shore, but the levels generally have to be higher to make a go of it. Walking is the best bet.

Another distinction between Hab and Lachine is the difficulty. In fact Hab is almost opposite Lachine in this respect: it's close to shore; it has easy eddy access; and a straight forward recovery with a simple enough walk to get back up to the put-in. It's a fine feature for intermediates to come and try out.

 

Directions:

From the Vermont Boarder:

I-91 North becomes AUT-55 - go 21.0 miles.
Take exit #34-O towards Montreal onto AUT-10 - go 75.5 miles.
Take exit #2 towards Port of Montreal/Ave. Pierre-Dupuy/Technoparcport go 0.2 miles.
Continue on Chemin Des Moulins - go 0.1 mi
Turn Right on Avenue Pierre Dupuy- go 0.6 mi

PB Marks the Spot.

The Habitat '67 apartment complex is located at 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy, Montreal. It's approximately 320 miles from Boston, about six hours behind the wheel.

Keep your eyes peeled for this complex. It's hard to miss.

 The Hab play feature is located just behind the namesake Habitat '67 apartment complex, which is located on a peninsula jutting out into the St. Lawrence. As you drive down Pierre-Dupuy, the complex will be on your right. Park on the street just past the apartments next to the field. You should see the entrance to a trail running in back of the complex. Just walk down the trail and you'll see the feature just down trail a ways.

 

Other Considerations:

The group I went with planned the trip at the very last minute - basically the day before. Still, despite the late start, we were able to get a sweet hotel room right in downtown for less than $140 (US) for two nights on Priceline.com. Split that between a few people, and you're looking at the cost of camping. If even that is too rich for your blood, I hear that some folks crash in their cars in the lots of various large stores, like Walmart.

Despite living in a post-911 world, the boarder crossing was no big hassle. However, an ID and a birth certificate are technically required for reentry into the USA. Having a passport will make things easier, but it's not necessary yet (see below!). Don't bring weed or any other contra band. Now is not the time to test boarder security. I have had friends get searched at the US/Canadian boarder. They are extremely thorough! Also note that Canada may refuse entry to any person with a criminal history. A guy I paddle with drove 4.5 hours to the boarder and was turned away for having a prior DUI conviction. It probably won't be a problem, but it's worth noting anyway.

Please note: A passport will be required for all air and sea boarder cossings into Canada after December 31, 2006. A passport will be required for all land crossings after December 31, 2007. See http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1170.html.

Playspot information and photos provided by Dan Vine, Rob Stiles, and Northeast Playboating. Posted 11/04.

NOTE: Northeast Playboating allows for the free dissemination of this information for all non-profit purposes, but any republication requires express attribution to Northeast Playboating.