Road Trip Windsor to Point Pelee – Bird Migration
Windsor
Point Pelee National Park
60
km
0h48
drive
Spring
season
The Itinerary
Point Pelee National Park occupies a sand spit that tapers into Lake Erie at roughly 41.9 degrees north, making it the southernmost point of mainland Canada, further south than the northern boundary of California. That geography is the whole story here. The point sits directly on a major migratory flyway, and because it is the first land birds reach after crossing the lake, it concentrates arriving flocks into a few square kilometres of Carolinian forest, marsh and beach. Around 390 species have been recorded.
The drive from Windsor is short, about 60 km east on Highway 3 through Essex and Leamington, the greenhouse capital that supplies much of Canada's field and hothouse produce. In peak migration the park runs a shuttle from the visitor centre to the tip, because the parking at the end is limited and the traffic would otherwise overwhelm it. The tip itself is worth the walk regardless: the beach narrows to a point where the waves meet from both sides, and the sandbar beyond shifts visibly from week to week.
May is the month. The Festival of Birds runs through it and draws birders from around the world, and accommodation in Leamington and Kingsville books out well in advance. September brings the other spectacle, when monarch butterflies stage at the point in large numbers before crossing the lake on their way to Mexico. The Marsh Boardwalk loops out over one of the largest remaining marshes on the Great Lakes, and is good year-round.
The drive from Windsor is short, about 60 km east on Highway 3 through Essex and Leamington, the greenhouse capital that supplies much of Canada's field and hothouse produce. In peak migration the park runs a shuttle from the visitor centre to the tip, because the parking at the end is limited and the traffic would otherwise overwhelm it. The tip itself is worth the walk regardless: the beach narrows to a point where the waves meet from both sides, and the sandbar beyond shifts visibly from week to week.
May is the month. The Festival of Birds runs through it and draws birders from around the world, and accommodation in Leamington and Kingsville books out well in advance. September brings the other spectacle, when monarch butterflies stage at the point in large numbers before crossing the lake on their way to Mexico. The Marsh Boardwalk loops out over one of the largest remaining marshes on the Great Lakes, and is good year-round.
Points of Interest
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Point Pelee TipThe southernmost point of mainland Canada.
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Spring Birding Festival (May)390 recorded species, at an international festival.
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Monarch Migration (September)Monarch butterflies staging for the flight to Mexico.
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Marsh BoardwalkBoardwalk running out into the marsh for wildlife viewing.
Protected areas along the route
🌿
FISH POINT PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
EAST SISTER ISLAND PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
LIGHTHOUSE POINT PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
CEDAR CREEK PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
WHEATLEY PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
OJIBWAY PRAIRIE PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
RONDEAU PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
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RONDEAU PROVINCIAL PARK WILDERNESS AREA
Wilderness Area
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BICKFORD OAK WOODS CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
Stag Island
Provincial Wildlife Area
Take this route offline
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- Departure Windsor
- Destination Point Pelee National Park
- Distance 60 km
- Duration 0h48
- Category Short (< 100 km)
- Best season Spring
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