Living in Southeast Michigan for my entire life, I have had the privilege of being in close proximity to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan (USA) and Windsor, Ontario (Canada). Traveling and camping often with my mom and grandparents, I have also been across the Blue Water Bridge at the Port Huron–Sarnia Border Crossing, which connects the cities of Port Huron, Michigan (USA) and Sarnia, Ontario (Canada) across the St. Clair River.
My grandparents also loved to travel to Niagara Falls, which we visited on both sides of the Falls, the United States side in Buffalo, New York, and the Canadian side in Niagara, Ontario. The border crossings near the Falls are called The Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo to Fort Erie, and the Rainbow Bridge connects Niagara Falls, New York, to Niagara Falls, Ontario.
There are many more border crossings between the USA and Canada, and even more that I have not been privy to cross, as they are on the Western coasts of both countries, such as those that claim the Vancouver territories near Seattle, Washington. According to EZ Border Crossing, below is an exhaustive list of the following border crossings:
Seattle / Vancouver Area Border Crossing
- Point Roberts / Boundary Bay
- Peace Arch
- Blaine / Surrey
- Lynden / Aldergrove
- Sumas / Huntingdon
State of Idaho and British Columbia, Canada. Eastport / Kingsgate is in the middle of the state, while Porthill / Rykerts is closer to the eastern border.
- Eastport / Kingsgate
- Porthill / Rykerts
Canada and the U.S. state of Montana.
- Roosville / Grasmere
- Chief Mountain
- Piegan / Carway
- Del Bonita
- Sweetgrass / Coutts
- Whitlash / Aden
- Wild Horse
- Willow Creek
- Turner / Climax
- Morgan / Monchy
- Opheim / West Poplar River
- Scobey / Coronach
- Whitetail / Big Beaver – PERMANENTLY CLOSED
- Raymond / Regway
North Dakota’s 310-mile northern border has 18 international ports that are shared with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Fortuna / Oungre
- Ambrose / Torquay
- Noonan / Estevan
- Portal / North Portal
- Northgate
- Sherwood / Carievale
- Antler / Lyleton
- Westhope / Coulter
- Carbury / Goodlands
- Peace Garden
- St. John / Lena
- Hansboro / Cartwright
- Sarles / Crystal City
- Hannah / Snowflake
- Maida / Windygates
- Walhalla / Winkler
- Neche / Gretna
- Pembina / Emerson
Minnesota’s 547 mile, 880 kilometer border with Canada includes the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario.
- Lancaster / Tolstoi
- Pinecreek / Piney
- Roseau / South Junction
- Warroad / Sprague
- Angle Inlet
- Baudette / Rainy River
- International Falls / Fort Frances
- Grand Portage / Pigeon River
Michigan shares a 721 mile (1160 kilometer) border with the Canadian province of Ontario. All of the border crossings in this state rank among the top 10 highest volume crossings between the two countries.
- Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
- Blue Water Bridge
- Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
- Ambassador Bridge
New York shares a 445 mile (716 kilometres), border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
- Peace Bridge
- Rainbow Bridge
- Whirlpool Rapids Bridge
- Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
Vermont shares a 90 mile (145 kilometer) border with the Canadian province of Quebec
- Alburg / Noyan
- Alburg Springs / Clarenceville
- Highgate Springs / St Armand
- Morses Line
- West Berkshire / Frelighsburg
- Richford / East Pinnacle
- Richford / Abercom
- East Richford / Glen Sutton
- North Troy / Highwater
- Beebe Plain / Stanstead
- Derby Line / Stanstead – Surface Streets
- Derby Line – Interstate 91
- Norton / Stanhope
- Canaan / Hereford
- Beecher Falls / East Hereford
Although New Hampshire shares a 58 mile (93 kilometer) border with the Province of Quebec, the only Canadian border crossing is located at the northern end of the town of Pittsburg at the terminus of U.S. Route 3.
Maine shares a 611 mile (983 kilometers) border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick
- Coburn Gore / Woburn
- Armstrong-Jackman / Ste Theophile
- Sainte Aurelie
- Sainte Zacharie
- St Juste
- Saint Pamphile
- Estcourt Station / Pohénégamook,”.
Although Michigan does not have as many crossings as do other states, for example, on the West Coast, the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor is the busiest USA and Canadian border crossing, handling around 8,000 trucks and 68,000 travelers daily!
Top 10 busiest US Canada border crossing
We have mentioned over seventy-eight USA-Canada border crossings, noting that the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, is the busiest border crossing. Now let’s take a look at and see what the experts say about which of these are the top ten busiest border crossings.
| Rank | U.S. Customs port/crossing | Passengers in personal vehicles per day | Personal vehicles per day | Daily port share of personal vehicles crossing U.S.-Canada border (percent) |
| 1 | Detroit, MI | 59,518 | 22,905 | 22.6 |
| 2 | Buffalo-Niagara,NY | 45,269 | 20,980 | 20.7 |
| 3 | Blaine, WA | 22,560 | 9,129 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Port Huron, MI | 18,810 | 6,390 | 6.3 |
| 5 | Calais, ME | 8,525 | 3,875 | 3.8 |
| 6 | Sault Ste. Marie,MI | 10,634 | 3,498 | 3.5 |
| 7 | Massena,NY | 8,340 | 2,987 | 3.0 |
| 8 | Champlain-Rouse Pt.,NY | 7,526 | 2,685 | 2.7 |
| 9 | Sumas,WA | 5,583 | 2,243 | 2.2 |
| 10 | Derby Line, VT | 4,144 | 2,190 | 2.2 |
| Total, top 10 ports | 190,909 | 76,883 | 76.0 | |
| Total, all U.S.-Canada border crossings | 246,704 | 101,137 | 100.0 |
What is the best time to cross the border in Canada?
Having an understanding of which border crossings are the busiest, we now want to know when the best time is to cross, with the least amount of wait time. TripAdvisor suggests that, “Any time midweek is usually better than travelling on a weekend. Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings are always going to be the busiest. Long weekends and holidays on either side of the border also impact the length of the line, as do sporting events (ie Toronto Blue Jays playing the Mariners in Seattle, etc.),”.
When crossing the Ambassador Bridge in my hometown, the best time is usually in the late evening, between midnight and 3 am. However, that’s when people are coming home from the bars, specifically the USA nineteen-year-old residents who are officially of legal drinking age in Canada! Otherwise, early morning is between 5 am and 6 am, before rush hour starts around 7 am and goes until 9 am.
Of course, weekends and holiday weekends are extremely busy, especially during the Fourth of July holiday when we share one of the largest fireworks displays called the International Freedom Festival (now called the Ford Fireworks).
People of all cultures and backgrounds peacefully line up along the Detroit River on both the Detroit side as well as the Windsor side to watch the shared fireworks over the river to celebrate our independence as free nations and friendly neighbors.
Busiest US Canada border crossing
In conclusion, while many crossings connect the USA and Canada, the Ambassador Bridge stands out as the busiest, underscoring its vital role in North American travel and trade.
