Caverne de Saint-Léonard

Trou de fée - Fairy Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Pie-XII Park, 5200, Lavoisier Boulevard. Located in parc Pie XII (Pius XII park), borough Saint Léonard, Montreal. (45.5882439, -73.6079501)
Open:	JUN to OCT daily 9, 11, 13:30, 15:30. Only after reservation. [2024]
Fee:	Adults CAD 19.57, Children (6-15) CAD 16.50, Seniors (55+) CAD 16.50. [2024]
Classification:	Erosional Cave Karst Cave
Light:	headlamps provided
Dimension:	L=400 m, VR=8 m, T=5 °C, H=98%.
Guided tours:	D=90 min, MinAge=6. V=3,000/a [2014]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Caverne de Saint-Léonard, Société québécoise de spéléologie (Quebec Speleological Society), 7665 Bd Lacordaire, Montreal, QC H1S 2A7, Tel: +1-514-252-3006. administration@speleo.qc.ca
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1811	cave discovered.
1815	existence of the cave published in the newspaper Le Spectateur.
1949	article on the cave appears in the Journal La Patrie.
1968	deemed a safety hazard that needed to be fenced off.
1978	Quebec Speleology Society opens the cave to be studied.
1980	entrance to the cavern and the surrounding grove declared a site cavernicole.
1981	summer entertainment program established by the Société québécoise de spéléologie in collaboration with the city of Saint-Léonard.
1988	declared a heritage site by the Communauté urbaine de Montréal (Urban Community of Montreal).
2017	speleologists Luc Le Blanc and Daniel Caron discover and explore several hundred meters of galleries after a short unblocking.

Description

The Caverne de Saint-Léonard (Saint-Léonard Cavern) is a natural cave located right in the middle of Montréal, in the borough of Saint-Léonard. It is also called Site cavernicole de Saint-Léonard (Saint-Léonard Cave Site) or Trou de fée (Fairy Cave). It is used for educational tours by the Société québécoise de spéléologie (Quebec Speleological Society). A slide show takes place, followed by a guided tour of the cave. The entrance passage leads to a chamber 2 m high, 3 m wide and 13 m long. At the end is a shaft which can be descended using a fixed ladder. The cave behind is rather small, only 35 m long.

According to legend, the native Americans used the cave for a very long time. Also, the cave is said to have been used as an ordnance depot during the Rebellion of 1837 by patriots. But no trace of both events has been found so far, neither in the cave nor in historic documents. The first written account is an article in the newspaper Le Spectateur in 1815, and so it became known to many people. The article states that the cave was discovered in 1811 or 1812. Following the article the locals reportedly started to frequent the cave.

The cave was unlocked until 1968, then the city council closed it to protect it. In 1978 the Quebec Speleology Society got access to study the cave, which took not long with the tiny cave. After their reports the entrance area and the surrounding grove was declared a site cavernicole in 1980. In the following year the summer the Quebec Speleology Society started an entertainment program in collaboration with the city of Saint-Léonard. In 1988, the site was declared a site patrimonial d'intérêt régional (heritage site of regional interest) by the Montreal Urban Community to protect it further.

Although the cave is not difficult and the only drop of 5 m is developed with a ladder, the cave has no other development. As a result visitors are equipped with helmets and headlamps. Warm underwear, rubber boots, and gloves are mandatory. Bring clothes to change afterwards and a plastic bag for the dirty stuff.

The newest development is the discovery of more passages in 2017. Two cavers removed some debris which blocked the passage and found formerly unknown passages. The new discovery was surveyed and the cave is now 400 m long. The new part are not yet open for the cave tours, due to security reasons.

According to the cavers, this is not a classical karst cave. It formed as a result of a fissure in the rock which was flooded by the melting water of the retreating glaciers about 10,000 years ago. So it is erosional cave, a river cave. The cave formed in 450 Ma old limestone, and during the cave formation numerous fossils were eroded from the rock. Seashells and corals are the most common.

Nevertheless, it seems the tours were changed lately, as they are now twice as long. The group is accompanied by two certified guides. Please book long enough in advance, either by online booking system or by phone. Be at the Pavillon du parc Pie-XII at least 10 minutes earlier.

Spéléo Québec has been working with the borough of Saint-Léonard to create an interpretation centre for the Saint-Léonard cavern. With the new discoveries the cave has gained international fame. The idea is to erect a new building on top of the entrance with a reception, technical training wall, equipment washing room, storage room and an airlock to the cavern. For the visitors there will be an agora, exhibition rooms, conference rooms, and an elevator(!). The elevator is intended to make it wheelchair accessible, we are no aware if they talk about the cave.