Length of stay: 3 days
Visited: January 2026
Point Pelee National Park is located on a peninsula on Lake Erie and is the southernmost point of mainland Canada. It’s one of the smallest national parks but it’s also one of the most ecologically diverse. Many of the rarest plants in Canada can be found here. It’s not terribly far from home and we typically make a trip here every year to stay in one of the oTENTiks within the park.
Day 1: Start of the Year
It’s a New Year and a new adventure. We rang in the New Year at home and were all in bed well before midnight. To be fair, toddler M and I have been feeling under the weather. But on January 1st we headed to Point Pelee for our first trip of the year and were hoping some fresh air would do wonders for our sore throats and sinuses.
It’s a 3.5 hour drive to get to Point Pelee. The highway has had a lot of closures, delays and warnings these past few days on account of the weather. We’ve had a lot of snow and a lot of wind, not the best combination for visibility. The drive was fine, but there were surprisingly a lot of cars on the road.
We arrived at the park just before 3:30pm and headed to the Camp Henry Campground to check-in. Admission was free as part of the federal government’s Canada Strong Pass, an initiative that was introduced during the summer and over the winter holidays as a way to entice locals to travel within Canada (not like we need much enticing). As part of the initiative, we also received a 25% refund for our overnight stay, which was a nice surprise.
Point Pelee has 24 oTENTiks, which come fully furnished, have electricity and some sort of heat source (most of which are heated by natural gas fireplaces). All sites are walk-in only but the park provides wagons to help haul your stuff in. From the parking lot we grabbed two wagons and unloaded all our gear from the car. It’s a short walk, only a couple hundred metres to our oTENTik, which would be our home for the next two nights.
After unloading all our stuff, we walked back to the parking lot to return the wagons. We figured we might as well check out the beach since it’s right across the road from the campground. It was blustery by the frozen shoreline. The icy slabs and frozen chunks of ice looked beautiful though.
It was starting to get dark so we hustled back to get started on dinner. Each oTENTik comes with a BBQ. We took advantage of that and roasted some broccoli on it and made crispy tofu and a salad.
Day 2: Hiking the Classics
Most of the oTENTiks are heated by a natural gas fireplace and come with a thermostat to help adjust the temperature. We couldn’t figure out the right balance as it was either too warm or too cold. We erred on the side of caution and kept it in the warmer zone.
After eating breakfast we went for a hike along the Woodland Nature Trail (2.75km loop, rated easy). The trailhead is located by the Visitor Centre, only about a kilometre from the campground. It was overcast and lightly snowing. Point Pelee has a much milder climate compared to the rest of the province, but there was still a decent layer of snow on the ground, which worked out well as we brought a little sled for our little M.
The trail is pretty flat and weaves the forest, passing a swampy area with several boardwalks and bridges, tall trees and tall grasses. It was very peaceful and we encountered only one other hiker on the trail.
Afterwards we headed into town to pick up a few things for dinner from the grocery store. By the time we got back it was time for lunch followed by a nap for M.
The clouds cleared later in the afternoon. We went for another couple of hikes to take advantage of the golden glow from the late afternoon sun. First up was the Marsh Boardwalk (1km loop, rated easy), which started with a climb up the observation tower to get a panoramic view of the wetlands. We then followed the boardwalk through the marsh. It was noticeably chillier this afternoon (-6°C) and it was supposed to get even colder overnight.
Afterwards we hit up the DeLaurier Homestead and Trail (1km loop, rated easy). The trail passes by a homestead of one of the early settlers in the area. They had orchards and built canals to create a barrier between the marsh and farmland. When Parks Canada acquired the property, most of the canals were filled in, but some still remain and can be viewed from the trail.
The sun was getting low in the sky and we were getting cold. We headed back to our heated oTENTik to heat up some butternut squash soup and make a salad for dinner.
Day 3: Tip Trail
It was a dark and dreary morning. And it was cold. We figured we’d head to the tip of the peninsula as the wind would be at its calmest first thing in the morning. There’s a road that leads to the Tip Tower and the Tip Trail. It’s typically closed to private vehicles for most of the year, but not during the low-season between November and March.
We first climbed the Tip Tower, which provided a birds eye view of the surrounding area. This gave us a good preview of where we were heading, to the southernmost point of mainland Canada. Both sides of the narrow peninsula were frozen over and covered in icy slabs.
Once back down we followed the Tip Trail (1km loop, rated easy) to get to the shore. This small stretch of sand is extremely important for migrating birds and butterflies as they often stop here before flying further north or south (depending on the time of year). The sand is constantly changing, shifting, rebuilding and eroding with the different seasons and due to the wind and elements. We never know how far out we can walk, but today we could go out quite far if we wanted to. No risk of sneaker waves as everything was frozen.
We hustled back to our oTENTik to make some tea and warm-up a bit before heading back out to hike the Tilden Woods Trail (1km loop). The trail is located a few hundred metres from the campground on the way to the Visitor Centre. The trail winds through a mature swamp forest and cedar savannah. It also passes by a small section of what’s left of the former road that was once here in the late 1990s before the ecosystem was restored.
By the time we wrapped up our hike it was around lunch time so we headed back to our oTENTik. We planned to stay another night, but something came up that required us to come home a day earlier. While K made something to eat, I got started on packing up our stuff. The timing worked out well as we hit the road when M was ready to go down for her nap.
Here’s hoping for more adventures in 2026!
L
OTentiks looks cool. But the most fascinating photo is Little santa M.😍 This is a beautiful adventure for this year, and it’s wonderful to see how trails are well provided there.
Looks like some photos are taken by a drone. Amazing, Linda. Hugs to you and M.
Thanks for your lovely comment. I’m such a fan of observation towers as it’s a great way to see a different perspective of the landscape. This was a wonderful way to start the year and M had such a fun time playing in the snow.
Glad to hear. My pleasure, Linda.
What a terrific start to your year. I love the oTENTik, it looks so coazy. It’s great you found some adirondack chairs too.
There’s no better way to start the year than by going on an adventure! We’re huge fans of the Parks Canada oTENTiks and are actually planning to stay in a few more this summer when we head out east. It’s such a comfortable and convenient way to camp, especially with a toddler.
A great way to start the new year Linda. I always wondered about the oTENTik’s heat source. Makes sense that it would be something simpler than a roaring wood fire. I love the whole look of the park, it has a look of forlorn beauty and so glad your first day had some weak winter sun. What did M think of the place? I imagine she enjoyed the sled ride. Our grand toddler is coming to spend a few days with us soon. We are looking forward to it, but it seems to be a busy start to summer as the other son, wife and 3 bunnies are with us right now while their house is being reno’d then we have two other sets of company coming. Have a wonderful weekend. Allan
There are a couple of oTENTiks that still use a wood burning stove (and you can get free firewood from the park store) , but most of them are heated with a natural gas fireplace and come with a thermostat so you can better control the temperature. The heating is a bit hard to get just right in the winter though and we find the ground stays cold, so we typically bring indoor shoes or slippers.
Our little M loves exploring new places and just loves being outside. Staying in the park in an oTENTik is actually pretty convenient as it minimizes our time in the car because the trails are all close by.
Enjoy your time with toddler F. It does sound like your start of the summer is pretty busy with all those visitors. But, it’s always nice to spend time together with family. Enjoy the weekend as well. Linda
I really enjoyed this journey through Point Pelee. The mix of nature detail and everyday family moments gives it a very grounded, authentic feel. That frozen shoreline imagery is especially striking.
Thanks for your kind words. It’s always neat to see how different the landscape looks in the winter, especially by the shoreline. Despite the cold, we had a wonderful time exploring the trails and enjoying the snowy scenery.
Looks amazing in the winter. We never made it to Pointe Pelee while we lived in Toronto; don’t know why exactly as we visited a lot of different parks during our 25 years stay. We did one of these oTentik’s (called Hutopia in Quebec) in one of the park in Quebec and it is quite nicely appointed though we did it in the summer…Thanks for the great virtual visit. (Suzanne)
Point Pelee is often overlooked as it’s such a small national park. It’s one of our favourites though. The oTENTiks are such a comfortable way to camp. We’re actually planning to visit the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec later this summer and have booked a few nights in some of the oTENTiks there. It’ll be interesting to see how they compare to the ones in Point Pelee. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Linda
As charming as that looks, I’m not missing winter.
Ha! Perhaps during the middle of summer when it’s super hot and humid outside, you might change your mind and start missing the cold.
Looks like you made the most of your time there. What a great view from the tower.
Even though we’ve hiked these trails all before, the landscape always looks a bit different depending on the season, weather and time of day. But that’s part of beauty about nature, there’s always something new to see.
A very enjoyable post and beautiful pictures especially of the marsh with the blue sky, white snow and yellow grass. I also like your tip photos, Linda. We haven’t visited Point Pelee and really should since I’ve always heard that it’s well worth it. It’s amazing how far south it is; it’s on the same latitude as Rome.
Thanks Lynette! It’s always nice to get a bit of sunshine to help brighten up the scenery. Point Pelee is one of our favourite parks in Ontario and the vegetation there is pretty unique. It’s also supposed to be a great spot for birdwatching and seeing the migration of the monarch butterflies. We’ll be heading back there later this fall. I hope you’re able to visit someday. And if so, let us know as we’ll try to plan a trip there around the same time 🙂
Thanks very much, Linda! That’s so lovely. 🙂 I definitely will! Cheers.
It sounds wonderful. And lucky for you the park passes don’t come with our President’s orange visage printed on the cover.
Lovely, groovy, refreshing trip!
Oh that’s awful. I just did a search to see what your annual America the Beautiful pass looks like and you weren’t kidding about how it has Trump’s face plastered on the front. Not exactly what comes to mind when I think of natural and nature. Ugh.
Such a beautiful park! I remember walking the peninsula back in the early 1980s. It looks so amazing when its frozen, it was not frozen when I was there with my Canadian GF.
It’s one of our favourites and we try to visit at least once a year. For such a small park there’s always a lot to see regardless of the time of year. It is neat to visit in the winter when everything is frozen. And there are no crowds or bugs, which is just how we like it.
Uhg! Skeeters! They are nasty critters. Yay for winter at Point Pelee! !
Oh I know. And it seems like I have sugar blood as the mosquitoes love me!
They are evil bugs!
Some Beautiful photos here!!! Love the one of M on the sled. The OTentik’s look perfectly cozy – glad to hear they were warm! XO Michelle from Heads East Tails West
Awww thanks! We got a lot of use out of that little red sled this past winter. We found it way better than lugging her around in the backpack carrier while hiking. And she seemed to enjoy the sled more too.
Brrr…but such a fresh new look of this Magnificent park! BTW, we will be at the Pinery for a couple of days next week in case you happen to be there too 😊
I hope you enjoyed your time at the Pinery! It’s one of my favourite parks in the summer and brings back fond memories of when I used to camp here with my family when I was a kid. We tend to avoid camping until mid-July in the hopes that the bugs will calm down a bit. We’ll be visiting Bon Echo in a couple of weeks.
Enjoy! Incredibly, we had zero bugs only fireflies. We managed to hit that small window after black flies and before mosquitoes.
Sounds like you had fabulous timing! Lucky you! And I imagine it was nice being by the beach to beat the heat.
Winter hiking and camping aren’t for the faint of heart. You, your husband and your child have excellent endurance!
As long as you’re prepared for the conditions and have the proper clothing and footwear, hiking in the winter isn’t so bad. And as for winter camping, I’d say we cheated a bit as we were staying in one of the roofed accommodations in the park that was heated.
Point Pelee looks very cold! 🥶 But so beautiful as well, as shown in your photos. Sounds like you made the most of your time there, even with having to leave a day early.
Point Pelee is further south from where we live and is typically a bit warmer. But it can be blustery by the shoreline. Thankfully we had a heated place to return to between hikes to warm up.
Beautiful. BabyM looks like she enjoyed it!!
You bet! She loves being outside!
Looks great, Linda. A lite covering of snow makes many things stand out. Not sure if I’ll give it a try.
We’re on Pelee Island this week. Surprisingly, we’re not getting eaten alive by bugs. 😊
We’ve been to Point Pelee so many times but have never actually made it to Pelee Island. Hope you had a lovely time. And good to know the bugs weren’t too bad in June.
Winter really do make a place look magical! The oTENTiks, they really do look nice and convenient.
Staying overnight in an oTENTik is a comfortable way to camp, especially in the winter. We’ll be visiting a few national parks in Quebec and New Brunswick later this summer and are planning to camp in a few more oTENTiks. It’s very convenient when travelling with a toddler!
A real winter wonderland and the accommodation looks nice and cozy with the fireplace. I’d definitely prefer to be too warm than too cold too!
The snow always makes the landscape look more magical. Even though it was cold, it was nice to return to our heated oTENTik to warm up by the fire!
What a wonderful way to start a new year, dear Linda and I just love how you can stay overnight in fully-insulated oTENTik cabins for a cosy, rustic winter retreat. Point Pelee National Park looks so beautiful- there’s just something special about visiting places in winter because the off-season often offers crowd-free tranquillity and striking scenery. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
M on that little sled looks so cute! The afternoon of your second day is so beautiful, where blue skies create a nice contrast with the snow and the dry grass. I can almost feel the chill from your photos, though.
We got a lot of great use of that sled this past winter. It was much easier to pull her around on it that than carry her on our backs in the backpack carrier. Plus I think she preferred the sled too! It’s funny how a bit of sunshine and blue skies can make the landscape look so different sometimes. Plus it makes for better pictures too!
Beautiful area. I will look back at these photos when the heatwave hits here. 🙂
It’s been nice to reminisce about the cold of winter given how hot it is outside! Makes me wish for a bit of snow right about now! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Linda
It looks like the perfect way to kick off a new year! The oTENTik looks so pretty in the snow. I had to giggle a bit; the beach doesn’t look anything like our beach in January … but it has a special kind of beauty. The photo of little M on the sled is too cute – I bet she had a blast. I’m amazed you can go hiking in this extreme cold. Still, it’s so beautiful.
One of the reasons we like to visit Point Pelee in the winter is because of the beach. It’s neat to see all the icy formations along the shore. Being in the cold and wind isn’t so bad when you know you have someplace warm to return to afterwards to warm-up! Our little M loved her little red sled and got great use of it this past winter. We’re hoping she’ll still fit in it for at least another year.
What a cool place! It’s always fun to visit the something-est point. The path out to that point looks really fun. Also, the oTENTiks look really cozy. I think I’d enjoy staying in one.
Ha, I thought you would appreciate the something-est point! It’s a relatively small park, but its quite lovely to visit. Those oTENTiks are such a convenient way to “camp” in comfort, especially in the winter.
Looks so beautiful in the snow and ice. A perfect start to 2026 🙂 I love the sled photo with M!
Thanks! The frozen landscape was very picturesque. We got a lot of great use from that little red sled this past winter!
Those lake pictures make it look so cold and windy and rather icky but the next day looks like blue skies and fresh snow which is one of my fav combos. I can never think about Point Pelle without thinking about Stuart McLean. Sorry your trip was cut short but looks like you still made the most of it. Bernie
It was definitely blustery down by the shoreline. Thankfully most of the trails are through the forest which offer quite a bit of protection from the wind. It was too bad we had to leave a day earlier, but we’re heading back there this fall.
Thank you for sharing this journey and adventure… There’s something special about the stillness of nature, simple family moments, and time away that refreshes the heart.
God Continue to Bless you, your family and your future adventures.
Thanks Willie. Time passes way too quickly so it’s nice to take things slow every so often and just try to enjoy the moments with our loved ones. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
What a beautiful way to start the year! That evening light with the snow just makes for beautiful pictures
Going on an adventure, even for just a few days, was a wonderful way to start 2026. I’m glad we got to enjoy a bit of sunshine, especially since we had such a cold and grey winter (or rather white winter)!
What a lovely post! Thank you for sharing 🙂
The photos are beautiful! The little house looks so cute and cozy. And the beaches are so cool with the slabs of ice poking out. Seems like such a wonderful adventure 💗.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment. It’s always neat to see how different the landscape looks in the winter, especially by the shoreline. We had a wonderful time enjoying the snowy scenery.
We’re going to make it to Point Peelee one of these days! 🙏 I just love the OTENTiks and look forward to sleeping in one one day. M is so cute on her sled. Enjoy those years of pulling her. It just seems to fly by.
Enjoy the final week of school. I’m counting the days. 2 more to go!
Point Pelee is one of our favourite parks in Ontario. And it’s very family friendly. We’re actually heading back there later this fall for Halloween, which should be fun. I must say, pulling her around in the sled sure beats having to carry her in the backpack carrier!
Hard to believe school is done! The summer is just going to fly by. Hopefully we can savour some of the moments and memories. Enjoy your time in Quebec. Hopefully you’ll have amazing weather and a lot of fun!!
Thanks Linda! We’re heading off in a few minutes. We’re so excited the big day is here.
Enjoy your shorter week ahead!
Have fun! Hopefully the drive is going well so far. And hopefully it’s a bit cooler there than it is here in Ontario. It’s supposed to feel like 45C with the humidity today!
What a nice winter hiking adventure. Love the marsh boardwalk!
The Marsh Boardwalk is one of our favourite trails in the park. It’s short and sweet and the views are lovely, especially from the observation tower near the start of the trail. It was especially scenic to visit late in the day with the golden glow from the afternoon sun.
Nice first 2026 adventure. I like this winter scenery. It is great that your government tries to promote local tourism.
It’s a great concept, except that they cut a bunch of Parks Canada staff. Not quite sure I understand why given how popular are parks have become, especially with free admission over the summer. I would gladly pay an entrance fee and the full price of a campsite to better support the park system.
Hi Linda! I really enjoyed this post. I’ve only seen Lake Erie from the Cleveland, Ohio side and that was at the end of the summer, so a totally different view. I liked the pace of you hiking schedule. And I see that baby M is now toddler M 😊 Those oTENTiks look pretty nice. I’m sure it took the chill out of your stay!
Thanks for your lovely comment. We’ve been to a few of the Ontario parks around the Canadian side of Lake Erie and Point Pelee is our favourite. Even though it’s a small park the flora and fauna is very diverse. And yes, baby M is now a full blown toddler. It seems like it happened overnight. She’s now two and a half and doesn’t seem to stop talking or exploring!
What a wonderful way to start out the New Year! I enjoy all of your posts, but I particularly like winter scenes, and my goodness, these were stunning! (Made all the more stunning because Massachusetts is in a three day heat way now, and your pics were so “cool”. My very favorite pic was of Toddler M with Dad. With the start you’ve given her, can you imagine the hikes she’ll be into 20 years from now?
“Hey mom and dad! Wanna hike the Alps just for a little light fun?” 😉
Cheers to you!
Julie
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Julie. We’re in the middle of a heat wave as well and I’m sure missing the snow and cold days of winter right about now! Winter is actually one of our favourite times of the year to get outdoors as the snowy scenery is so pretty and the trails are quieter and free of bugs. Soon we’ll be racing to keep up with our little M on the trails! Take care. Linda
A wonderful post and a destination I would like to visit one day!
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. It’s one of our favourite parks in Ontario and there’s a good reason we keep returning every year! We’ll be back this fall and can hopefully catch the migration of the monarch butterflies.
That would be amazing!
I know! It’s difficult to time though and a lot of it depends on the weather. So we’ll see. But it would be pretty amazing to see.
It’s so hot here right now. I could be tempted xx
Oh I know. We were in a heat wave earlier in the week and I was thinking some snow sure would be nice!
I was at Point Pelee over a decade ago. At that time, the point had its awful infestation of caterpillars from trees and all over the road…before we were visiting for a few hrs.
Oh gross! Hiking in the forest with a caterpillar infestation does not sound like it would be fun! We typically visit during the late fall and winter, although we’ve been once in the spring before and thankfully haven’t encountered any caterpillar or bug issues. We’re actually heading back there this fall at the end of October.