At 83 metres, Montmorency Falls is 30 metres taller than Niagara — a fact locals enjoy mentioning. The falls drop in a single sheer curtain from the plateau above into the St. Lawrence, visible from across the river and from the Île d'Orléans. Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, 15 minutes east of the Old City, has a cable car, a suspension footbridge directly above the falls, and a network of stairs and pathways giving multiple viewpoints.
In winter, the mist from the falls freezes into an enormous cone of ice at the base — the pain de sucre (sugarloaf), which can be climbed. The cone builds through January and February and melts in March. The park is accessible by the 800 bus from downtown; by car, take the A-40 east to Exit 321. The suspension bridge is the most dramatic vantage point, best in late spring when the volume is highest from snowmelt.
story: "During the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, the British general James Wolfe spent several weeks camped near Montmorency Falls before finding the narrow path up the cliff that allowed his army to reach the plateau and catch Montcalm by surprise. The falls likely saved the city for a few weeks — the waterfall and its ravine made the eastern approach impassable."