canada travel

[sakayvv]

3rd trip with w/5th wheel. Plan to travel to Maine from MI this fall. Thinking about going thru Canada shortest route. Do not plan to stay in Canada just travel thru. Never traveled out of states. Have passports and medical records for 1 dog. What do we need to know to enter Canada, what to expect at border crossings. What do we need for entry, what can we bring with us during our crossing, will there be a search of our truck & 5th wheel, what about getting diesel fuel? Will there be problem with using US currency, what about credit cards? I'm sure I may have more questions but will start with these. Any information and knowledge will be very appreciated.

[upuaut]

A few corrections / clarifications & advice from someone who crosses back and forth to the US a lot:

1. You will NOT be pulled over and fined on the 407 for not having a transponder. You MAY be billed after the fact if your state has an agreement to pay tolls. It is a great way to bypass Toronto albeit can be a few bucks 🙂

2. Don't confuse Customs with Agriculture officers. Agriculture officers in the US & Canada may and have with us - come into our trailer and confiscated certain food items. They change from time to time, but general rule is no meat, citrus fruit will be confiscated unless it has a sticker showing country of origin and that country is on the ok list. Last time we got cherry tomatoes taken away. Be friendly, polite and cooperative and you will RARELY have a problem. We never have. If you have something like fruit you are not supposed to - let them dispose of it and don't worry. It is designed to stop the spread of diseases in fruits.

3. Be aware as others have said about what you can't bring - ie: handguns, mace, tazers, etc.

4. When approaching the customs booth - Turn your radio and cell phone off, put your windows down - drivers and the left passenger one if tinted. Take off any sunglasses or hat. Have your passports ready to hand to the officer. Be polite. Answer questions honestly but briefly.
Be friendly but not over friendly. Be prepared to tell them where you are going, why and for how long.

5. Most times they won't search RV's - but if they do - be friendly and cooperative. Don't try to hide anything you have. If they ask you and you say no, and then they find it - you are going to be in trouble. If they ask and you tell them - you won't be in trouble - worst is you might lose your grapefruit 🙂

I have used these tips and have NEVER had anything but good experiences with both US and Canada customs at many crossings.

Even with a not so good mood officer - your attitude can make a HUGE difference.

...almost forgot - as with Canadian Credit cards in the U.S. you might not be able to pay at the pump with them, but can pay inside.

[JaxDad]

Tothill wrote:

Randy_K wrote:
Another restricted item in Canada is Radar Detectors

Randy

Depending on the province. I know OP will be in Ontario and your comment is applicable to him on this trip.

Radar detectors are legal in BC.

You're kidding right?

I recently had to make a run from the Toronto area to within about 1.5 hours of the Sarnia / Port Huron border crossing in my SUV.

If I was doing less than 130 km/h (80 mph) I was being chased into the right lane by people flying up from behind me.

That's 20 MILES per hour over the speed limit and I was holding up traffic.

Who's going to be going 80++ mph in an RV?

Bear in mind also, there isn't even a fine in Ontario until you're doing 11+ mph over the speed limit, and the former head of our Provincial Police made a public statement that he felt speed limits were too low and should be raised, and that officers should pay less attention to speed limits than bad drivers.

He let it be known the highway patrol division had been directed to ticket cars based on their speed relative to other traffic. I.E. if the traffic is doing 120km/h but 'behaving themselves' to let them be!!

[FishHaggis]

Interesting as I was focusing on the cost of fuel, not toll charges. Good point though about the tolls out-weighing the price of fuel! I think we all benefit from a friendly border. Never been there, but I hear its not quite the same with the southern USA border!

[Rolin]

We have started traveling through sections of Canada to avoid US toll roads. Cheaper to buy fuel in Canada than pay the tolls. Plus we enjoy traveling in Canada. We purchase fuel at truckstops and have never had any problem with credit cards. We try to make our experience beneficial to both us and our Canadian hosts. Win Win.

No negative experiences crossing the border either way. Have been searched once. We try not to have any items that are restricted. Some crossings are more pleasant than others but no problems. We found that Sunday evenings are not the best time to cross. Prefer early morning on weekdays.

Have a pleasant trip.

[Dance_Chick]

We crossed the border from the US in Sarnia last week. We were asked a few benign questions, looked at our passports, noted our tag #, and we were on our way. They weren't at all interested in the dog. It was very easy, but I imagine it could be different at each border and with each guard. I gotta say how beautiful Canada is and how nice the people are.

[Parrothead_Mike]

We went through at Port Huron/Sarnia and across through Toronto and reentered at Ogdensburg, NY on our way to Bar Harbor. We spent a night near Brighton, ONT at a provincial park. Also, we did spend some time in the NY Adirondacks and down near Saratoga on our way to Bar Harbor.

We've also gone over at Sault Ste Marie. Both times going into Canada was no problem at all. Both times coming back into the U.S. was a bit of a pain. Smart mouthed agent at the Soo didn't like the music on the radio (not loud) and threated to search us, but didn't. In NY they had us pull over into a long building, made us get out, and ran our vehicle and 5th wheel through some sort of x-ray machine. I can understand security, but the Canadian agents were very friendly when asking questions, etc. while the U.S. folks must have taken their grumpy pills that morning.

[Tothill]

Randy_K wrote:
Another restricted item in Canada is Radar Detectors

Randy

Depending on the province. I know OP will be in Ontario and your comment is applicable to him on this trip.

Radar detectors are legal in BC.

[Randy_K]

Another restricted item in Canada is Radar Detectors

Randy

[Dutch_12078]

We travel from NY to MI and back frequently, using the Lewiston/Queenston to Sarnia/Port Huron route across southern Ontario. Only once have we ever been stopped for a secondary inspection, and that was going into Canada from NY. The whole process took about 20 minutes, and they never even asked us to open the storage bays. On our last trip back to NY, I told the US officer that we had just passed through Canada on our way back from MI, and the only stop we made was to fix lunch and walk the dog. He immediately stopped talking to me, moved over to the window our dog was watching out of, and asked her. "And just what did you leave behind in Canada?" When I stopped laughing, I told him, "Honest, just a wet spot, sir." He laughed and handed me a small dog biscuit for her, telling us "Welcome back to the US!"

[Allworth]

We went to Ontario for 12 days last summer for a Titanium Rally.

Into Canada at Thousand Islands:

Customs Canada: Passports, please, and may I ask why you are visiting Canada?
Me: Here they are and we are going to a RV owner's camp out.

CC: How long are you planning to stay?
Me: 12 days.

CC: Why do you have that number on the trailer?
Me: It is a Titanium Owner's Group I.D. Number.

CC: Do you have a valid Driving License, Insurance, and shot records for your dog?
Me: Yes, right here.

CC: I don't need to see them. Drive safely and enjoy Canada.

End of border crossing.

Returning at Buffalo was almost as easy. The inspector did open the door of the trailer and stick his head in (while standing on the ground). I guess to see if it was full of those pesky undocumented Canadians.

Have fun.

[Roy_Lynne]

Sakayvv, thanks for this thread. I was thinking about doing that same drive but going to NH not from it. We won't do it until next summer so if you do, let me know how it works.

[relaxin]

bsinmich wrote:
As a person who travels to Canada every year I can give a couple of tips. If you cross at Cornwall,NY you will have to go through Toronto on the 401. At certain times this is a real challenge. If you are going on a weekend no problem. Rush hour during the week is not good. Noon is also a fairly good time. If you want to avoid Toronto you can cross at Niagara Falls and take 403 to 401 to 402 to Port Huron. You will not need to buy fuel this way and avoid a lot of traffic. We are going to Fiddle Time in Pembroke for Labor Day so we will be through there some time that week. Whatever you do DO NOT take the ETR 407 around Toronto. It is a toll road and if you have a MH and no transponder they can stop y ou and fine you as often as they want for $250.00. There are no toll booths, just electronic billing after the fact.

if you cross at buffalo/fort erie you can take hwy 3 all the way, nice relaxing drive, 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic, plan it at night, or after 9 am, you will be all the way through before 3 and miss the heavy traffic times

[relaxin]

sch911 wrote:
If you are travelling to Maine from Michigan you'll likely only be in Canada for a few hours at best. From Detroit/Sarnia to Buffalo NY. You shouldn't need fuel cause it's not that far. Be sure to tell the Canadian border guard that your in transit back to the US, and that you're not going to stop in Canada. This works every time for us. We've done this many times....

taking hwy 3 its about 4 to 5 hours drive depending on the time of day at 50 mph with short distance slow downs going through a few small towns

[obgraham]

Mace not allowed in Canada. But Bear spray is not a problem as long as it is labelled as such. (I know, the logic of it all!!)

In fact it's easier to find in Canada than in the US.