Voie Camillien-Houde climbs 1.2 miles (1.9 km) at an average of 7.4% from the east base of Mount Royal (236 ft / 72 m) to near the park chalet (699 ft / 213 m), a few yards below the 764 ft (233 m) summit of the mountain. It is only 459 ft (140 m) of climbing, but it is Canada’s best-known climb: it has decided pro races for more than half a century.
What the climb is like
It is short and never lets you settle into a rhythm: a series of curving ramps through the woods, with no long rest. The hardest 400 m (1,300 ft) average 9.4% according to PJAMM, and the hardest 100 m (330 ft) 9.3% according to Climbfinder. In races it is linked with Chemin de la Polytechnique, which has ramps above 11%.
PJAMM gives 1.2 miles (1.9 km) and 459 ft (140 m); Climbfinder 1.1 miles (1.7 km) and 440 ft (134 m); the UCI describes the full climb as 1.4 miles (2.3 km) at 6.2%. The differences come from where you start counting, because the road is almost flat at the bottom.
Mount Royal Park was designed in the 1870s by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind New York’s Central Park. The road passes the Kondiaronk lookout, with views over all of Montreal.
History
At the 1974 World Championships, Eddy Merckx won the road race here, completing his triple crown for the year (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Worlds). Since 2010 it has been the key climb of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, on the WorldTour calendar. In September 2026 the Worlds returned to the city, with Mount Royal back on the circuit.
After a cyclist was killed in 2017, the city banned using the road as a shortcut across the mountain in 2018, and in 2019 turned the narrowest section into a single alternating lane controlled by a traffic light. It was repaved before the Worlds.
When to go and traffic
You can ride it from April to October; from November to March snow and ice usually cover the park roads. On weekends there are lots of people on foot and on bikes, so go early or on a weekday. The descent is fast with tight bends: control your speed, especially on the alternating-lane section and over the speed bumps. In the park there are water fountains and restrooms by Maison Smith and Beaver Lake.
What gearing to use
A 34x28 is enough: at 3 W/kg (watts per kilogram of body weight) and 159 lb (72 kg), you ride about 6.2 mph (10 km/h) on 9% at about 65 rpm. Check your combinations in the gear calculator. If you want a long climb nearby, Whiteface Mountain is about a two-hour drive away, across the border in New York.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to climb Camillien-Houde?
A 159 lb (72 kg) rider on a 21 lb (9.5 kg) bike takes about 9 min 47 s at 3 W/kg (216 W), 11 min 37 s at 2.5 W/kg and 7 min 32 s at 4 W/kg. Work out your own time with your weight and power in the calculator on this page.
Which races use Camillien-Houde?
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, on the WorldTour calendar, and the 1974 road World Championships, won by Eddy Merckx, and the 2026 Worlds, held in Montreal in September.
Can you drive up Camillien-Houde?
Yes, but since 2018 it has been illegal to use it to cross the mountain, and the narrowest section is a single alternating lane controlled by a traffic light. It is one of the most popular roads for Montreal cyclists.