10 Incredible National Parks of Canada: Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
This tiny peninsula is home to some of the world’s most beautiful birds and butterflies. The six square mile finger shaped piece of land is used as a resting spot by flying creatures that are making the migration across the Great Lake to Mexico and beyond. There are almost as many bird watchers as there are birds in May at the peak of these migrations.
When to go: May for songbirds, which are also plentiful (but less colourful) in autumn. September for monarch butterflies. It is a difficult task to predict exactly which days they’ll flutter in, but there are local updates available to guess correctly within a few days.
Photo op: Pick up your camera, walk for a mile on Marsh Boardwalk, then climb aboard the free tram from the visitors centre and ten minutes later, you arrive at a hot spot for photos of birds and butterflies. All for no cost as well! Often, early in the morning, to conserve their warmth and energy, thousands will huddle together by the trees – a truly remarkable spectacle.
Where to stay: There are a good few cheap options but it is also worth while researching where to stay in a place that has some expertise in bird watching like The Wild Rose B&B in Wheatley, 15 minutes from Point Pelee, which is owned by Tom Hince, a birding expert, and Lily Shuster, a former park employee. For more Canadian Rockies
Fascinating fact: Point Pelee has the exact same latitude as both Rome and Boston and is the most southerly point in Canada.
Squeeze your dollar: You can’t pitch a tent in Point Pelee National Park but you can set up camp for free under the hickory trees of Wheatley Provincial Park, only 20 minutes away.