|
|
Posts: 86
| Heading to Kawarthas above Toronto next weekend from Lousville. I can cross at Detroit or Port Huron, drive time via Mapquest is pretty much identical.
Anybody know which border crossing gets less traffic and is quicker to get through? I'll be crossing at about noon time. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 143
| Detroit can take literally 1 minute or up to 30. Remember there's 2: the tunnel and the ambassador bridge, tunnel gets no heavy truck traffic, so you don't have the chance of getting stuck behind a huge line of them. i've only done the blue water bridge in port huron a few times, so i can't really be much help there. i would venture that at noon on a weekend it won't matter that much. they do move the lines along pretty quickly. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 332
Location: Michigan | Cross at the Bluewater Bridge. You'll save time. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 128
Location: ontario canada - Well Anderson Indiana now | I crossed from Canada to Detroit last night and it took over an hour but it usually takes 10-15 minutes. I personally prefer to cross at Detroit rather than Port Huron when I travel up north. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 86
| well now, looks like it may be a tie. Anybody else want to weigh in? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | I've only crossed at Port Huron and it goes pretty smooth. When I'm fishing in the river and look up at the Ambassador bridge and all those trucks lined up literally bumper to bumper from one end to the other,,, I don't slow down much while passing under. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 128
Location: ontario canada - Well Anderson Indiana now | Right lane trucks, left lane cars on Ambassador. I will say though that the 401 to Toronto is such a boring, uneventful route, make sure you're well rested and awake for that trip. If you give me your planned route I can give some more help maybe, we have a cabin a few hours north of Toronto and have been going there every year of my life thus far. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 86
| From Toronto up is pretty straight forward, typically 35 to 7A to Ennismore, etc. If traffic on the 401 is really bad we'll get off at 12/7 and head in that way. I agree on the the 401 as far as boring, let alone the heavy traffic around Toronto.
If I go Ambassador, I'd be in the car lane right?
I just figured Port Huron might not get as busy as Detroit and the time works out to about the same. Total trip time is between 11-12 hours depending on the traffic. The drive to is never the problem as far as energy, it's the trip home that's long and boring! Bonus on this trip is I'll be in my new Tahoe with navigation......that'll surely give me just enough confidence to get myself screwed up! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 128
Location: ontario canada - Well Anderson Indiana now | Yea stay to the left even if you're towing the boat, have your documents ready as you get up to the agent and you'll be fine. Maybe try the port huron route on the way back just for a change of scenery???
Good luck and have fun!
Edited by seaman 8/8/2007 10:59 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 203
Location: Germantown, WI | I've been driving from Milwaukee to the Kawarthas every Summer for the last 5 years. I've crossed both at Port Huron/Sarnia and Detroit/Windsor. I think crossing at Detroit is definitely shorter and usually I don't have much wait time getting into Canada since I usually cross the border about 9:30 in the morning. It seemed a bit slower this year and I had to get out of the truck to go inside at the customs office to wait in line to register my boat. The last several years the customs agent would meet me at my truck and it only took about 5 minutes. It probably took 30-45 minutes to get through the border and register the boat this year.
The real pain for me is coming back into the USA. I usually reach the border between 2:30 and 4:00 depending on Toronto traffic. At that time it is not uncommon for traffic to be backed up across the bridge. Sarnia might be quicker coming back.
Tom |
|
| |
|
Posts: 86
| So you had to fill out paperwork to register your boat? We've always went through at the Peace Bridge or 1,000 Islands (when we lived in PA) and never had to do that. What's the purpose of this and is it standard practice now?
This is my first year heading up from Kentucky so it will be a little nicer having different scenery. Thanks for the input MuskyLund1, where do you usually fish, we stay on Pigeon and fish that and little bit on Buckhorn. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 518
Location: Cave Run Lake KY. | Why do you have to regester your boat? We have never had to, or even been ask. If your going to keep your boat in canada for a extended time like all summer but not for one or two weeks. Marv. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 128
Location: ontario canada - Well Anderson Indiana now | I've always had to register my boat at the border for a two week trip, not a big deal really. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 203
Location: Germantown, WI | Ontario has been requiring that you register your boat for the last 3 or 4 years when you bring your boat across the border via roadway. You only have to do it once per year and it does not cost anything. It's pretty simple. They just ask to see your license and boat/trailer registration. Then they fill out a form and hand it back to you and tell you to keep it with you in your boat at all times while in Ontario. In the past it took about 5 minutes and the customs agent met me in the parking lot. This year I had to go inside and stand in line with other people who had other customs/immigration issues. Of course there was only 1 person behind the desk while there were probably 6 customs agents standing out in the parking lot talking.
Tom |
|
| |
|
Posts: 86
| I'll find out how it goes first hand tomorrow. Yeah, I guess we have been "registering" all these years. Nothing formal though, they always wanted the boat registration at the toll booth, never had to go inside. Thanks for the info, looks like we'll have stable weather for most of the week and the moon's pretty good so we should boat a couple. I'll let ya'll know how we did.
Thanks again for all the feedback. You can never have too much information. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 86
| Used the Ambassador both going and coming back. About a 30-40 minute wait each way. Did have to get out and "register" my boat but it only took about 10 minutes. My brothers crossed with their boat at Thousand Islands and didn't have to register their boat, I don't get the inconsistency. Anyway we had horrible weather, more wind and mini-fronts than we've ever seen for a weeks trip up there. Fish were turned off. Lot's more weeds/rice than ever and the cabage was already dieing off! We're going up earlier next year to get into some fresher weeds but it was weird how things had changed since 2005. Thanks again for all your help and advice guys. This site is truly a great resource. |
|
| |
Better Mich/Canada Border Crossing