Pelee a Rand McNally editor's pick

Famous atlas lists Point, winery among continent's best The marsh boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park is already recognized by the United Nations but now has landed a primo spot in the 2011 Rand Mc- Nally road atlas.

"It's the most sold atlas in North America," Point Pelee promotions officer Dan Dufour said Tuesday. "To have your site on page four as people are opening their atlas, it's pretty significant."

The famous boardwalk, along with Pelee Island Winery in Kingsville and Pelee Island, have been named Best of the Road editor's picks in the 2011 Rand McNally road atlas.

They are part of five road trips featured at the beginning of the atlas and are picks of the best and most unique spots.

Chris Ryan, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, said getting in the well-known Rand McNally will create great interest in the region and it's "fantastic" to be included with other road trips from California to Alaska.

"It's pretty incredible," Ryan said when he first heard the news.

Ryan said he was on the boardwalk three weeks ago and found it scenic and calming.

"It just puts you into the heart of the marsh that you wouldn't otherwise have access to."

For 47 years, the famous boardwalk at mainland Canada's southernmost park has exposed visitor to cattails, lilies, blue herons and turtles without a canoe trip or getting wet, Dufour said. "It's like a portal into the marsh without the risk."

The one-kilometre boardwalk transports visitors through what the United Nations has designated a wetland of international significance and one of the largest wetlands in the s o u t h e r n Great Lakes.

The first section was built in 1963 and the floating platforms that made a loop through the marsh were added in 1971.

Dufour said being a must-see spot in the atlas shows the boardwalk is "a world-class attraction for people wanting to get close to nature."

The 2011 road atlas, which will be in stores this month, features five road trips including one from Cleveland, Ohio to Essex County called Around Lake Erie.

The editor's picks on the twoto- three day road trip around the lake include a wildlife refuge and fruit box factory in Ohio, the Chelsea Gallery in Chelsea, Mich., Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Mich., and in Canada, the marsh boardwalk and Pelee Island Winery.

The Essex County stops are two of the 28 editor's picks in five road trips.

"It's a really big honour," said Amy Krouse, director of public relations with Rand Mc- Nally. She said the Best of the Road winners receive certificates and are highlighted online and in the road atlas that is sold to hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Krouse said the editors research hundreds of submissions and drive the road trips themselves before naming the sites as Best of the Road.

This year the Around Lake Erie tour is alongside tours in Alaska, New Hampshire, the Mississippi River and parts of Nevada and California. It's just the sixth time the Best of the Road has included Canadian spots in the last decade.

It's the second recent honour for the park, which has been named the second best location in North America to see warblers by Birder's World Magazine. The park is second only to Cape May,N.J.

And this spring the park didn't disappoint. On Saturday a Kirtland's warbler was seen on the west beach path near the tip creating a rush to see the endangered bird. "It's extremely rare," Dufour said.

It was the second Kirtland's warbler seen in the park during the May migration. Although the annual Festival of Birds is over, Dufour said the migration will continue into June.