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McGill’s Gault Nature Reserve: Serving biodiversity and the community
![](https://www.mcgill.ca/biology/files/biology/styles/fullwidth_breakpoints_theme_moriarty_small_1x/public/channels/image/gault-930x620.jpg?itok=ex3Uj9FF×tamp=1713189991)
Located in the heart of the Montérégie region, in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve comprises more than 1,000 hectares of lush old-growth deciduous forest, just 40 km from Montreal. A refuge for migratory birds, Gault is at the heart of Canada’s first UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve.
Left to McGill in 1958 by Brigadier Andrew Hamilton Gault, the reserve offers unrestricted panoramic views of the surrounding region and helps protect what remains of the original forest of the St. Lawrence Valley. Accessible to the public, it offers 25 km of trails, open to visitors year-round.