Favorite and least favorite US- Canada Border Crossings

[vdeane]

I noticed that the crossings were quicker when I got my EDL, though as people who have known me a long time know, that wasn't exactly controlled conditions, so it may have been something else.

[cpzilliacus]

I noticed that the crossings were quicker when I got my EDL, though as people who have known me a long time know, that wasn't exactly controlled conditions, so it may have been something else.

EDL?

[kkt]

I noticed that the crossings were quicker when I got my EDL, though as people who have known me a long time know, that wasn't exactly controlled conditions, so it may have been something else.

EDL?

Enhanced Drivers' License.

[Jim]

Just curious - why might scanning an EDL make for any quicker of a process than scanning a passport?  I see how it would be better than the old days of typing in information from drivers licenses and birth certificates.

[corco]

Crossed back into the states at Carway/US 89/AB-2 today. Back to the original topic, this is now my favorite border crossing point for going Canada->USA. There was no line at all today, though the line was insanely long getting back into Canada. This makes sense- the only people who would really benefit from this crossing are people heading from the population centers in Lethbridge and Calgary to East Glacier. Americans wanting to see Waterton wouldn't use it.

Anyway, the crossing was really, really easy. I used a different tac this time, and replied to "what were you doing in Canada" with an "oh, I drove a big loop up northeast of Edmonton and then came back down." (which I did, I went up to Lac La Biche to clinch Alta. 36 before returning south to Edmonton) and had a smile on my face and acted enthusiastic about my trip. She asked what was up there, and I said "oh, it's surprisingly lush up there. Lots of lakes." She asked if I was a fisherman and I said no. Then she asked me to name some of the towns up there and asked how the roads were. Then she gave me my passport back and told me to have a good day- didn't even ask the routine questions about alcohol/tobacco/firearms.

So that is my favorite crossing now. Honestly, for Calgary->Great Falls traffic that was probably a better route. You average 15 MPH slower probably over about the same distance from where the routes split at Fort MacLeod (220 miles)- at  75 that takes what, 2h 56m? and at 60 that takes what, 3h 40m? Didn't have to sit in line for 30 minutes at Sweetgrass though as I would have had I took AB 4/I-15. AB-2/US 89 had no line. The drive is way, way prettier too as you come in on the east side of Glacier instead of out on the prairie.

That'll probably be the crossing I use in the future whenever I head south from Calgary on a Sunday/holiday Monday afternoon- okay, it takes 15 minutes longer, but you're moving the whole time and the scenery is a lot better.

[kphoger]

There was no line at all today, though the line was insanely long getting back into Canada. This makes sense- the only people who would really benefit from this crossing are people heading from the population centers in Lethbridge and Calgary to East Glacier. Americans wanting to see Waterton wouldn't use it.

Do Americans visiting Canada there not go back the same way?  Wouldn't one reasonably expect a roughly one-to-one correlation between northbound and southbound drivers, no matter where the crossing is? because what goes up must come down, and vice versa.

[corco]

I don't think Americans use that crossing much at all. It runs diagonally from the populated parts of Alberta to Glacier National Park.

The crossing to the west, MT-17/AB-6, I suspect isn't used by Canadians very much, since it connects habitable Montana to Waterton National Park- basically I think Americans use 17/6 and Canadians use 89/2.

If you look on a map you can see what I'm talking about- http://goo.gl/maps/Kr2ok

So yeah, you basically would want to go against the grain. If it's Friday afternoon and you're going from the US to Canada or Sunday afternoon and you're going from Canada to the US, you'd use 89/2 to save time. If it's Friday afternoon and you're going from Canada to the US or Sunday afternoon and you're going from US to Canada, you'd use 17/6 to save time.

Those crossings are mainly there for people accessing Glacier/Waterton. Traffic moving between populated areas would likely be over at Sweetgrass/I-15, which does seem to have roughly equal flows.

[Dr Frankenstein]

To clarify: Out of the significant number that cross into Canada, only three people on this forum have had their devices searched by the CBSA, and it only happened once to each of them, and each time, it seems to have been a very shallow search. In my case, it was my camera, and the guy got bored after about 10 photos of roads and of my friends in Westchester County. In corco's case, he also gave up once he'd seen enough shots of roads and signs.

And, H.B. Elkins, no, they don't inspect all of your devices. I always have a laptop, a smartphone, and one or two cameras. They only looked at my camera, once, for less than 30 seconds.

No matter where and how you travel, going through customs with porn on your computer is a little stupid. If you carry outright illegal stuff with you, it's very stupid, be it going into Switzerland or Australia by plane or boat, or to Canada by car. Because of that, I do exactly what AsphaltPlanet does; I have an external hard disk that never leaves Canada. In fact, I never travel with it because it's impractical anyway.

I cross 15 times a year. I've been secondaried three times in the past 5 years and never got in trouble. (Okay, there was that time when I was asked "Have you ever been fingerprinted?", which was unclear and led to a few extra questions after my unclear answer.)

When I'm out on a roadgeek trip, I almost always stop in some more or less touristy/historic places. My official purposes are: "Vacation, going to see X and Y and see some friends who live in [state]." As long as I have a believable story, really... Seriously, it takes a lot to be denied entry, in each direction. Basically, as long as they're convinced that you're not up to anything illegal, you're welcome. Oh, and if you're a citizen, you can't be denied, period. (But you can be taxed.)

Now, if you guys here are so afraid of crossing into Canada that you won't even do it once every few years... damn. Your loss.

[corco]

Just to follow up on my previous annoying border experiences:  I just got back from a trip to northern Manitoba, which included three round-trip border crossings (into Canada at US 281/MB 10, MN 72/ON 11, and MN 61/ON 61; return to the US at MB 59/US 59, ON 71/US 71, and I-75 at Sault Ste. Marie).  No hassles at all on any of the crossings, the closest I came to a secondary was having to open my hatch while I was in line so the agent could take a quick peek inside.

Considering my history as a magnet for secondary searches, either I'm now doing something right, or agents on both sides of the border have finally caught on that searching my vehicle would be a waste of time.

Just out of curiosity, what do you say when you do those back and forth zig-zags? I'm trying to drive the entire Montana and Alberta highway systems, and there are places where doing that would be most convenient, but I'm reluctant to do so because I don't know how to explain it. 

[vdeane]

Just curious - why might scanning an EDL make for any quicker of a process than scanning a passport?  I see how it would be better than the old days of typing in information from drivers licenses and birth certificates.

Might be because EDL's don't have any internal shielding (unlike passports, which can only be scanned when open); unless someone waits until the last possible second to remove the EDL from its case (which in NY is just a piece of paper lined with tin foil), it can be read from the moment you get in line.  But it's probably just prejudice on the part of the border officers ("you cross often enough to warrant getting a document other than a passport?  You can't possibly be a threat then" or "it's a card with RFID so it must be nexus and I won't even bother to look at it").

[oscar]

Just to follow up on my previous annoying border experiences:  I just got back from a trip to northern Manitoba, which included three round-trip border crossings (into Canada at US 281/MB 10, MN 72/ON 11, and MN 61/ON 61; return to the US at MB 59/US 59, ON 71/US 71, and I-75 at Sault Ste. Marie).  No hassles at all on any of the crossings, the closest I came to a secondary was having to open my hatch while I was in line so the agent could take a quick peek inside.

Considering my history as a magnet for secondary searches, either I'm now doing something right, or agents on both sides of the border have finally caught on that searching my vehicle would be a waste of time.

Just out of curiosity, what do you say when you do those back and forth zig-zags? I'm trying to drive the entire Montana and Alberta highway systems, and there are places where doing that would be most convenient, but I'm reluctant to do so because I don't know how to explain it. 

I managed to avoid details about most of my zigzagging, just saying that my itinerary included a week in Manitoba in tourism (I threw in my visit to Churchill, to make that believable -- the rest of the province isn't exactly a tourism magnet), and a few days visiting family in the Dakotas, without details about the timing or sequence of those visits.  The one exception was my in-and-out between Baudette MN and International Falls MN, but that was a plausible shortcut to both Canadian and U.S. customs officials, since unless there are significant border delays, ON 11 is straighter and faster than MN 11. 

[ZLoth]

When I was disembarking the ferry in Victoria, BC, the questions were along the lines of:

• Purpose of your visit
• How long are you staying?
• Have you been to Canada before?
• Where do you live?
• Are you currently employed?
• Who is your employer?
• When do you report back to work?
• Do you have friends or family in Canada?

I guess a 44 yo guy who is traveling alone in the off-season with a visible Sun Chips box in the back of his car would be considered suspicious.