<p>Driving New York to Michigan on Friday. I think (not counting significant border delays) that taking the Canada route would otherwise save a couple of hours. US to Canada via Niagara Falls, back into US via Sarnia. We all have passports and a dog with vet papers. What I don’t know is how long are the border delays these days. Any ideas regarding these crossings or how to get a time estimate?</p>
<p>If you keep an eye on this web site it may help you out. I hope it is OK to copy a web site here as I have never done it before???</p>
<p>[Border</a> Wait Times](<a href=“http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/general/times/menu-e.html]Border”>Border wait times: United States to Canada)</p>
<p>jasmom, we’ve had visitors several times this summer who have arrived on Fridays. They’ve never had to wait more than 10 - 15 minutes at the border. The best crossing is at Buffalo/Fort Erie (Peace Bridge), though, not Niagara Falls. Sorry but I’m no help with the crossing at Sarnia. Haven’t been there in many years.</p>
<p>Thanks so much to both of you. Very helpful!</p>
<p>As long as you have a passport or enhanced licences for all passengers, I would say to go through Canada. Do NOT use the Queenston Lewiston bridge, it almost always has crazy long wait times. The Rainbow Bridge does not usually have long wait times, but the Peace Bridge almost ALWAYS has the shortest wait times.</p>
<p>And again, thanks for the info. I can’t wait to tell my husband that I already have some info. I assured him that someone here would know the answer!</p>
<p>I did the reverse of this on the way to visit my brother in MA. a few years ago. Crossing through Sarnia was a breeze. I’ve made the trip East several times and it was a nice change of pace from driving across Ohio–which has some congested areas—or PA, which seems like it’s about 8,000 miles wide. It was lovely, easy driving so I’d do it again even if it didn’t save time.</p>
<p>We just got back from Michigan and it was lovely. Have a wonderful time!</p>
<p>I second Sarnia. I had been through there many times in the past though not in the last year and it was always fine.</p>
<p>We travel from Michigan to NY at least once a year, sometimes twice. We hardly ever wait at Sarnia, especially since the new bridge went in. If we do wait, it is always to get into the US. I agree with lilodance, Rainbow bridge usually has a shorter wait time. We usually check on the website that percussiondad suggests and then pick the crossing place. Just in case though, a bathroom stop ahead of time can be beneficial. We once waited many hours at one of the borders and there were no bathrooms nearby except the roadside bushes!</p>
<p>There’s rarely much of a wait to get into Canada. It’s getting back into the US that’s often slow, but Sarnia is one of the better places to cross. We traveled between Michigan and NY at least once a year for about 12 years and always found it advantageous to go through Canada; despite occasional border delays, the alternatives are all worse. And we often arranged our schedule to take in a play at Stratford or the Shaw Festival in Niagara-ob-the-Lake, or even to make a brief detour to Toronto .for a nice meal.</p>
<p>Don’t know about traveling into Canada with a dog, though</p>
<p>What time of day will you be crossing into MI from Sarnia? </p>
<p>We cross there all the time to go to our cottage in Canada and I’ll have to say Friday evening you might wait a bit - lots of travelers trying to exit for the weekend. Worst time would probably be late afternoon/early evening. Last weekend there were TONS of Canadian travelers because it was a holiday weekend for them. So you will probably be better off since you are traveling Canada TO MI instead of the other way around. </p>
<p>Unless there is some fluke, most times you should wait less than a 1/2 hour.</p>
<p>The best way to expedite passing through Sarnia is to minimize the area that the customs officers can search if they decide you look fishy. I always found what works best is to tell the customs officer, “You can search all you want inside the car, as long as you don’t look in the trunk.”</p>
<p>If all goes as I imagine, we would be hitting the border at Sarnia, for reentry into the US, around 4-5:00 PM. So traffic makes a difference. Of course, if we stayed in the US for the entire trip, we’d still have to deal with high volume traffic from folks heading north to vacation homes (like you!).
Schmaltz, you’re kidding, right? I “coach” my husband as we approach, “take off your shades; remember to be friendly…”</p>
<p>Jasmom, I think Schmaltz is taking his/her snark to many CC threads today - I wouldn’t take it seriously.</p>
<p>Border crossing is all about what border patrol person you get. You can be the most typical looking family and one patrol person will breeze you through and the next will want to ask a million questions.</p>
<p>Schmaltz’ approach will get you a guaranteed second inspection, especially with U.S. border officers. Your ‘coaching’ is the way to go, in addition to having your I.D. ready and only answering the questions asked. Volunteering information is not advisable. Also, jasmom, if you do choose the Peace Bridge as your crossing point into Ontario, the tollbooth is now past Canada Customs.</p>
<p>[Peace</a> Bridge Authority](<a href=“http://www.peacebridge.com/ntr.php]Peace”>http://www.peacebridge.com/ntr.php)</p>
<p>Also, if you’ve gotten your passports recently, make sure you have signed them. (there’s a place on the picture page I think). One of my kids forgot to sign, and the agent kind of embarrased them!!!</p>
<p>The Canadian authorities usually just ask your citizenship, where you’re going in Canada, how long you’re staying, and whether you’re carrying any firearms (a big no-no!). They may now also ask if you’ve got a passport because you’ll need it to get back into the U.S., but they may or may not ask to see it.</p>
<p>The U.S. authorities will ask for your passports, then ask where everyone in the car was born, how long you were in Canada, were you went, what was the purpose of your trip, whether you bought or acquired anything in Canada, and whether you’re carrying any alcohol, tobacco, or fruit (a big no-no!). If there are children aboard they’ll ask each child a question just to get them to talk, to make sure you’re not smuggling illegal immigrants from Romania or trafficking in white slaves from Belarus for the pedophile sex trade. </p>
<p>Very different priorities.</p>
<p>Great reminders! I forgot about the fruit, and I guess I’ll have to leave my illegal immigrants at home (darn it). We’re definitely going to try the Peace Bridge (thanks for the web link). All this info made our decision very easy. Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ve done this 4 times in the past couple months. The bridge in Pt Huron has never been a problem and I’ve hit it both morning rush and 5:00 rush. I traveled with a passport in a rental car. Coming back from NYState into Canada has been very slow although Peace was quicker than Rainbow. All told to do both border crossings ran me less than an hour to 2 hours ( in an excrutiating line coming into Canada over Rainbow Bridge around 5:30 on leg of one trip). Funny story, one US official in Pt. Huron practically told me his life story including where he went to college… generally I’m outgoing and friendly but I’d just made the “run” from NY state and was within 2 hours of home and anxious to get on I-96 and hit 70 mph after crossing through Canada. I think he KNEW that and was waiting to see if he could aggravate me! Nice guy but…</p>
<p>Your dog will be no problem, just have up to date rabies certificate. We always travel with our dog and for the last 15 years (cutting through Canada twice a year) we have only been asked once for the dog’s rabies certificate…but we were glad we had it.</p>