Point Pelee | An air of the South… in Canada

Ah! A trip to the South! The turquoise water, the waves breaking on long sandy beaches, the lush vegetation. And even a few cacti popping up here and there. Ah! The south… of Canada.

Point Pelee National Park is the southernmost tip of mainland Canada. Pelee Island, 30 kilometers from the tip, is the southernmost inhabited territory in the country. There is a little piece of Canada even further south, Middle Island, but it is uninhabited.

Getting to southern Canada is no easy feat. You can fly to Windsor and rent a car there, but you risk delayed flights and missed connections. By car, it takes nine hours, without breaks. We miss charter flights to the West Indies.

But the trip is worth it. Arriving at the park, we are struck by the vegetation, so different from that at home. Vines climb up the tree trunks and what looks like vines hang in the air.

We stay in the heart of the park, at Camp Henry, in oTENTik tents. It’s luxury camping: heating in winter, barbecue outside, dormitory for six people. Hiking and cycling trails pass through here.

While following one of these paths, in the middle of the woods, I come across a stretch of road about twenty meters long which leads nowhere. Signs explain that at the beginning of the 1960s, there were some 300 structures on the park’s territory, mainly chalets, but also houses, schools, hotels. In the early 1970s, it was decided to return the park to a more natural state by moving and demolishing all of these structures. We removed a 10 kilometer road which doubled the main road, leaving only these few meters as a souvenir. A cottontail rabbit is nibbling nearby. He seems satisfied with the turn of events.

We also set up a shuttle to get to the end of the point, which made it possible to eliminate a huge parking lot with 6,000 spaces. You can’t swim there, the currents are too dangerous, but there are enough long beaches elsewhere in the park to enjoy swimming. Lake Erie is said to be the warmest of the Great Lakes. May may be a little early to check this.

I prefer a little canoe trip in the big marsh. It is the kingdom of the beaver (which snoozes in its cabin), the muskrat (which is also discreet), the turtle (which is very nice sleeping outside the water) and the mute swan ( definitely very elegant). A grass snake meanders quietly on the surface of the water.

But the call of the South continues to be felt. We feel like we’re going on a long journey when we board the ferry that takes us to Pelee Island. A car is not strictly necessary: ​​you can easily rent bicycles, and even golf carts, to travel the quiet roads of the island. The mild climate favors the cultivation of grapes: there are therefore several vineyards for those who would like to take short, reasonably watered breaks during their walk.

For our part, we rush to the southern tip, Fish Point, to admire the sunset. We are greeted by Bonaparte’s gulls, Caspian terns, silvery plovers, American pelicans, and a single ornithologist.

We meet two other humans of this particular species the next day near the very beautiful restored lighthouse located in the north of the island, near a large swamp. With their precious indications, we manage to observe an adorable baby eagle owl, half hidden in the cavity of a tree.

In this very small community of 235 inhabitants, we care about our neighbors: as we leave the path, a man asks us if we have seen the grand duke parents.

“It’s been a week since we last saw them,” he worries.

The little eagle owl, however, seemed alert and healthy: its parents are probably still in the area and feed it periodically.

Our man is reassured.

Part of the costs of this report were paid by Parks Canada, which had no right to review its content.