Your customs experiences re-entering the US from Canada?

Been wanting to post this long ago...finally have the time as of course I kept a file on my crossings just like they do :

Prior to 1998, my travel logs were not as detailed at the time due to not owning an RV....

Detailed travel logs started in 1998 due to the leisure of now vacationing in an RV - as all timeframes posted here at all US port of entry locations upon subject to clearance are rounded off in 5 minute increments after the 5 minute mark and are accurate times within the first 1 to 5 minutes...

Re-entering the United States from Canada :


Mar 1985 - Port Sumas WA - 10 minutes - cleared

Aug 1986 - Port Alcan AK - 5 minutes - cleared

Jul 1988 - Port Sumas WA - 35 minutes - cleared

- traffic delay
- routine secondary inspection


Sep 1988 - Port Alcan AK - 10 minutes - cleared

May 1989 - Port Sumas WA - 20 minutes - cleared

- routine secondary inspection
- rude official


Jun 1989 - Port Alcan AK - 30 minutes - cleared

- routine secondary inspection
- delayed clearance


Aug 1989 - Port Sumas WA - 20 minutes - cleared

- delayed clearance


Oct 1989 - Port Alcan AK - 20 minutes - cleared

- routine secondary inspection


Apr 1990 - Port Sumas WA - 15 minutes - cleared

- traffic delay


May 1990 - Port Alcan AK - 15 minutes - cleared

- delayed clearance


Aug 1991 - Port Sumas WA - 40 minutes - cleared

- routine secondary inspection
- delayed clearance
- rude official


Aug 1991 - Port Alcan AK - 3 hours- 45 minutes - (due to four officer safety advisements I was unaware of and a suspended license status I was also unaware of resulting in a DMV error that was proven in court later on)

- 5 shotguns drawn
- detained
- declaration form
- pet documentation
- panty search
- enhanced vehicle search (staff) - U-Hault vehicle ransacked
- interrogated
- beyond rude officials
- non result, cleared
* this re-entry event was the result of relocating my Mother to live with me as all I could say was welcome to Alaska, and was advised at Northway Junction by Alaska State Troopers waiting for me there not to drive any vehicle or I would be arrested, so I made arrangements as four people came to my rescue for the remaining 250 miles to reach final destination



May 1992 - Poker Creek AK (Boundary) - 1 minute - cleared

- NICE official
- Hard raining as officer would not approach vehicle and waived me thru
- Was one of the same officers that drawn shotgun on me assigned at Port Alcan in Aug 1991


Jun 1994 - Port Skagway AK - 5 minutes - cleared

(Former Mile 6 South Klondike Hwy. location)

- NICE official


Jun 1994 - Port Alcan AK - 20 minutes - cleared

- delayed clearance


Jul 1998 - Port Skagway AK - 15 minutes - cleared

(New station at Mile 7 South Klondike Hwy. location)

- rude official
- delayed clearance


Jul 1998 - Port Alcan AK - 3 minutes - cleared

- NICE official


Aug 2006 - Poker Creek AK (Boundary) - 2 minutes - cleared

(New Joint USA-CAN Customs Building)
(Old US Customs Station cabins are now converted joint staff lodging)


First Issued Passport submitted upon re-entry into the United States :

Aug 2008 - Port Alcan AK - 40 minutes -

- routine secondary inspection
- partially rude official
- beyond rude supervisor
- declaration form
- panty search
- pet documentation
- enhanced vehicle search (staff)
- non result, cleared


Sep 2009 - Port Alcan AK - 10 minutes -

- routine secondary inspection
- rude officials
- interrogated
- enhanced vehicle search (canine)
* customs staff demeanor changed to very NICE after disbelief staring at canine with the "we can't believe you didn't find SOMETHING look".
- non result, cleared


Jul 2010 - **** Hyder AK - No US Customs Station


Jul 2010 - Port Alcan AK - 10 minutes - cleared

- delayed clearance


Sep 2011 - Port Alcan AK - 3 minutes - cleared

Sep 2012 - Port Alcan AK - 4 minutes - cleared

- verbal "no declaration" of agricultural products
- quick staff agricultural inspection, non result


Sep 2013 - **** Hyder AK - No US Customs Station


Sep 2013 - Port Alcan AK - 3 minutes - cleared

Sep 2014 - Port Alcan AK - 3 minutes - cleared

Sep 2015 - Dalton Cache AK - 5 minutes - cleared

- verbal "declaration" of agricultural products
- RESULT : confiscation of diced bell peppers


Sep 2015 - Port Alcan AK - 3 minutes - cleared

Sep 2016 - Port Alcan AK - 1 minute - cleared

- NICE official


Oct 2017 - Port Alcan AK - 2 minutes - cleared

- NICE official


Other Footnotes :

Jun 1994 (Port Skagway), Aug 2006 (Poker Creek), Aug 2008 (Port Alcan) were the only three crossings that were initiated by a female US Customs official...

The last 8 consecutive crossings back into the USA (The United State of ALASKA), without "real" realizing it has been a rather smooth pleasant 5 minutes or less with no delayed re-entry or dealing with other scrutiny like in the past...

As posted, my experiences range from the good, the bad, and the ugly.