Senneville, Quebec: History, Things to Do and Travel Guide
Senneville is a village municipality at the western end of Montreal Island in Quebec’s Montréal region, facing Lac des Deux Montagnes and Île aux Tourtes. It is one of the island’s most rural-feeling communities, with shoreline roads, estate landscapes, heritage sites, parks, forests and public green spaces close to the edge of the metropolitan area.
For visitors, Senneville is best understood through its historic district and natural areas. The main public experience is a careful mix of Senneville Road, parks, the Morgan Arboretum area, l’Anse-à-l’Orme, Bois-de-la-Roche and views of the Lake of Two Mountains.
How Senneville Started
The Commission de toponymie traces Senneville to the old rear fief of Boisbriand, granted to Michel-Sidrac Dugué de Boisbriand. In 1679, Dugué sold the property to Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil and Jacques Le Ber, fur traders who established a trading post. Le Ber built a fort, storehouse and mill in 1686, and took the name Jacques Le Ber de Saint-Paul de Senneville after his birthplace in France.
The village’s own history page gives the same seventeenth-century outline and adds important landmarks: the 1686 stone windmill, the 1689 battle near l’Anse-à-l’Orme, the 1703 Fort Senneville on the Lake of Two Mountains shore, and the fort’s destruction in 1777 by U.S. General Benedict Arnold. Senneville became a village municipality in 1895 when it broke away from Sainte-Anne-du-Bout-de-l’Île, merged with Montreal in 2002 and was reconstituted in 2006.
What Senneville Is Like Today
Senneville had 951 residents in the 2021 census. Its municipal office is at 35 chemin de Senneville, and its character remains unusually green for Montreal Island: estate roads, waterfront parks, forested land, agricultural heritage and large institutional landscapes.
Parks Canada recognizes the Senneville Historic District National Historic Site, including Fort Senneville ruins and the windmill, Morgan Arboretum, l’Anse-à-l’Orme nature park, Bois-de-la-Roche agricultural park and Braeside golf course as elements of the estate landscape. Some historic places, including the fort ruins, are private, so public access must be checked before planning a stop.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
Start with public parks and green spaces listed by the village. Senneville Park is at 20 Morningside Avenue, with entry on Pacific Avenue. Souvenir Park at 56 chemin de Senneville and Space 282 at 282 chemin de Senneville provide shoreline public-space context on Lac des Deux Montagnes.
Natural areas are the strongest visitor draw. The village’s wildlife page identifies l’Anse-à-l’Orme nature park, Morgan Arboretum and Bois-de-la-Roche agricultural park as public green spaces. It describes l’Anse-à-l’Orme as a 233-hectare linear park with wetlands, marshes, former agricultural land, forest and the Rivière à l’Orme, while Morgan Arboretum is a 245-hectare McGill University reserve with woods, fields, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
For a wider West Island day, Baie-D’Urfé and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue are close, but Senneville’s own appeal is the quiet transition between Montreal Island and lake-country edge.
Quick Facts
- Province: Quebec
- Region: Montréal
- Municipality type: Village municipality
- 2021 census population: 951
- Official website: https://www.senneville.ca
- Main travel areas: chemin de Senneville, Senneville Park, Souvenir Park, Lac des Deux Montagnes, Morgan Arboretum, l’Anse-à-l’Orme, Bois-de-la-Roche
- Key routes: chemin de Senneville, West Island roads, Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge approaches, park access routes
Travel Notes
Senneville is easiest by car or bicycle, but parking and access rules vary by park, season and institution. Check the village, Montreal nature-park and Morgan Arboretum information before assuming hours, fees, trail access or dog rules.
Respect private estate lands and heritage sites. Fort Senneville ruins are part of the historic district story, but they are not automatically a public attraction. Build the visit around signed public parks, shoreline viewpoints and official trail networks.