Pelee Island

Pelee Island sits in Lake Erie at about forty-one and three-quarter degrees north, further south than northern California and the northern border of Spain, which gives it the longest frost-free season in Ontario; Vin Villa was founded here in 1866 and was one of Canada's first commercial wineries, and grapes are still grown, though soybeans and wheat now cover far more of the island. The southern latitude also produces a Carolinian ecology with species found nowhere else in Canada, and the island is a critical stopover for migrating songbirds crossing the lake, with tens of thousands passing through in May. Blue racers, a rare snake, survive here in their only Canadian population.

History

Projectile points and ceremonial objects show people on the island 10,000 years ago, and European settlement began in 1788, when the Ojibwa and Odawa leased it to Thomas McKee for 999 years, at a time when 99-year leases were usual. McKee's son sold it to William McCormick in 1823 and the McCormicks settled for good in 1834; a lighthouse of 1833 guided ships through the rocky Pelee Passage, and farming, lumber, stone quarries and fishing kept the islanders, with wine making beginning in the 1860s (Wikipedia, Pelee, Ontario).

Highlights

• The southernmost point - the most southerly inhabited land in Canada.
• The vineyards - grapes grown since 1866 with the longest frost-free season in Ontario.
• The May migration - tens of thousands of songbirds crossing Lake Erie.
• The blue racers - a rare snake in its only Canadian population.

When to go

May for the songbird migration, which is the island's biggest draw; May to October for the wineries and cycling. The ferry runs seasonally and ice closes the crossing in winter.

What to expect

The ferry is seasonal, roughly April to December, and the island is served only by air in winter. Vehicle space books ahead. Services are limited and largely seasonal.

Nearby

Point Pelee is on the mainland north; Leamington is the ferry port.

Key facts