Touching the Tip of Canada: A Chill Day at Point Pelee
ONTARIO TRAVEL


Let me tell you about the time I quite literally walked to the bottom of Canada—and no, I didn’t have to wear snowshoes or battle polar bears to get there. I’m talking about a day trip to Point Pelee National Park, home of the southernmost tip of mainland Canada. It’s this weird, magical place where the land kind of just peters out into Lake Erie, and you can stand there and go, “Yep, I’m at the very bottom of it all.”
I drove in on a sunny July morning, windows down, music up. The park is about 15 minutes southeast of Leamington, Ontario, and it has this cozy, sleepy vibe—almost like time slows down the closer you get to the tip. At the entrance, there’s this peaceful blend of forest and marshland, and even though it’s a national park, it doesn’t feel overly busy or commercial. Just nature doing its thing.
Now, if you’ve never been, you should know: you can’t drive straight to the tip. You park near the visitor centre (which, by the way, has super clean bathrooms and some cool exhibits), and then hop on a little shuttle that takes you through the forest to the final path. It’s maybe a 10-minute ride but feels like you’re on some kind of Jurassic Park tour. Lush, green, birds calling from every direction.
The walk to the actual tip? Easy peasy. Flat boardwalks, a few shady trees, and then suddenly—bam—you’re there. The southernmost tip. A narrow, sandy strip of land that juts out into the lake, curving like a tiny dagger. Standing there, with the waves lapping at both sides and Pelee Island just faintly visible across the water, it kind of hits you how cool it is. You’re literally at the bottom edge of the country.
I took a few classic “look at me at the tip!” pics, obviously. Then I just sat for a bit, toes in the sand, watching the gulls and the occasional monarch butterfly flutter by. Point Pelee is actually a hotspot for bird and butterfly migrations, so if you go in spring or fall, it’s apparently a total show.
Afterward, I hit up the marsh boardwalk trail—not too long, but super peaceful. It’s full-on swampy vibes with cattails, turtles sunbathing, and the occasional splash from a hidden frog. There’s even a lookout tower you can climb for a panoramic view of the whole marsh. 10/10 would recommend for that “wow, Canada’s beautiful” moment.
So if you’re looking for a place to unplug, get a little nature therapy, and say you stood at the edge of the country—Point Pelee’s your spot. Just don’t forget your sunscreen, bug spray, and maybe a wide-brimmed hat if you want to look cool at the tip.

