Eastern Canada - Ontario to US border crossing

Does anyone know if there's a place where you can bike into the US? I really have no idea if its possible. Somewhere from southern Ontario into NY ideally.

Does anyone know if there's a place where you can bike into the US? I really have no idea if its possible. Somewhere from southern Ontario into NY ideally.
I see bicycles crossing the Peace Bridge from Fort Erie to Buffalo. Also pretty sure you could use the Rainbow bridge from downtown Niagara Falls.

I have cycled across the Queenston-Lewiston bridge, and also taken the ferry from Wolfe Island to Cape Vincent, NY.

Thanks guys, that's very helpful. No idea where I might go, just wanted to check out the options.

I have cycled the Peace Bridge ( must ride on road) also the Queenston Bridge.
Peace Bridge is safer, as Queenston is a truck route

I have cycled the Peace Bridge ( must ride on road) also the Queenston Bridge.
Peace Bridge is safer, as Queenston is a truck route
The Peace bridge has more truck volume than the QL does. Not that that makes it any less safe. I do see bicycles crossing the Peace bridge quite often and they are always on the sidewalk.

I'm fairly certain you can walk/bike across any border between the US and Canada

I'm fairly certain you can walk/bike across any border between the US and Canada

I don't think you can walk/bike the tunnel between Windsor and Detroit (whole different area, I know). Not sure about the Michigan-to-Ontario bridges.

I don't think you can walk/bike the tunnel between Windsor and Detroit (whole different area, I know). Not sure about the Michigan-to-Ontario bridges.
I used to use the tunnel quite often when I pulled tankers, and you are correct. There is no provision for pedestrians or cyclists. there is a shuttle bus, but I'm not sure it takes bikes.
The Ambassador Bridge is a perpetual construction zone. Never seen a bike on it in the 40 or so years I've been crossing it.
If I were biking from Ontario to Michigan, I think I'd use the ferry between Sombra and Marine City.

I looked this up recently (can't remember the link) If you cross Peace Birdge (Fort Erie-Buffalo) or the Queenston-Louiston you have to use the sidewalk. They have a pretty severe grade and lots of trucks so it is really not safe to bike on the bridge. If you cross Rainbow (Niagara Falls) you have to bike on the road. You can't bike or walk on the Whirlpool Bridge. Somewhere on the bridge comission site they detail the rules. If you figure out where you are going just look it up because it is best not to break the rules at the crossings. Those guards can be pretty severe if they don't like your actions.

Corrections. Queenston-Lewiston no longer accepts bikes or pedestrians. The other two still allow bikes. Rainbow only charges 50¢ for bikes even though they have to ride on the road which is nice.

+1
Rainbow bridge.
If I can, I cross the border as close to dawn as possible; there's a lot less traffic.

My route of travel this summer (W. Mass to Algonquin Prov. Park) will take me across in the neighborhood of either the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdensburg%E2%80%93Prescott_International_Bridge) or the Seaway International Bridge (Three Nations Crossing) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Nations_Crossing). Does anyone know if either of these allow bicycles/pedestrians?

My route of travel this summer (W. Mass to Algonquin Prov. Park) will take me across in the neighborhood of either the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdensburg%E2%80%93Prescott_International_Bridge) or the Seaway International Bridge (Three Nations Crossing) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Nations_Crossing). Does anyone know if either of these allow bicycles/pedestrians?

FWIW department: I received an email from one cyclist regarding Ogdensburg: no bikes & no shuttle. I called S.I.: yes bikes (caution recommended crossing the expansion joints). Guess I'll be going by way of the latter.

Corrections. Queenston-Lewiston no longer accepts bikes or pedestrians. The other two still allow bikes. Rainbow only charges 50¢ for bikes even though they have to ride on the road which is nice.

This was earlier today on the US side of the Queenston Lewiston Bridge.

http://i49.tinypic.com/ncmp0l.jpg

Fact is, there is no check point on the Canadian side, so who's going to stop ya?
I was stopped beside him for a few minutes, and we had a bit of a chat. His riding partner was in another line further left. They were riding from North Dakota to Bar Harbor Maine. They had just ridden across the north shore of lake Erie. I thought of it too late to ask him where they crossed the border from Michigan to Ontario.
Edit: I also should have asked him how he accessed the bridge. The only way I can see doing it is if there is a pathway from Portage Road across the inbound lanes between customs and the toll booth, or maybe past the toll booth. Riding the expressway from Stanley Avenue is certainly not an option.
Next time I'm down there riding the Niagara trail, I'm gonna check that out.

Postscript on the Seaway International bridge located in Cornwall, Ont. I crossed there in July, heading north. The expansion joints were worth a warning. Most of them are no worse than what I'm used to but at the highest point in the crossing, on the north side of Cornwall Island, there are two joints, on either side of the crest that are dangerous. In the direction of the rolling tire, the gap between the overlapping "teeth" is easily 2 inches+ and will swallow most tires (except maybe a Pugsly's). I tried riding through on the uphill and bounced my rear wheel so I decided to walk the bike over the downhill one. Fortunately it's close enough to the top that you don't have any speed behind you yet.

The bridge is a toll bridge but the toll taker was impressed that I was a cyclist and let me through without charging anything.

How he got on there is a very good question.
I am not aware of any access point. And it goes from highway to boarder crossin pretty quick with walls and everything. However there has to be some kind of access for the people who work at the bridge.
I don't live very far away so I Will ride over and report back.

How he got on there is a very good question.
I am not aware of any access point. And it goes from highway to boarder crossin pretty quick with walls and everything. However there has to be some kind of access for the people who work at the bridge.
I don't live very far away so I Will ride over and report back.
Please do. I'd be very interested to know. In the old days, before they built the segregated truck lanes, it would have been easy to do, but not now.

You can also take the ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island and then to Cape Vincent.

This was earlier today on the US side of the Queenston Lewiston Bridge.

http://i49.tinypic.com/ncmp0l.jpg

That, sir, is an awesome pic.

Is a passport needed to go from or to Canada/USA? Use to go to Canada and Mexico from the USA with just an ID and Birth Certificate. Mexico now requires passport does Canada now?

Yes. There is also an ID card you can use that's issued by the state (I think a special driver's license).

Is a passport needed to go from or to Canada/USA? Use to go to Canada and Mexico from the USA with just an ID and Birth Certificate. Mexico now requires passport does Canada now?
You can pretty much forget about crossing international borders without a passport these days, with exception of the Euro Zone, which allows free movement without so much as border check points.
Most of us engaged in international movement of goods in North America have a FAST card (Free And Secure Trade.) I still have to have an up to date passport, but all I ever show is my FAST card.

You can also take the ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island and then to Cape Vincent.

I returned on the ferry after traveling north via the S.I. in Cornwall. I heartily recommend the ferry as the most congenial of the two ways to go across. Unfortunately the Cape Vincent ferry was down for a couple of hours when I arrived (clogged fuel filter or something as it turned out). I spent the time swimming and drying off my clothes. Fortunately it was a gorgeous sunny day.

Is a passport needed to go from or to Canada/USA? Use to go to Canada and Mexico from the USA with just an ID and Birth Certificate. Mexico now requires passport does Canada now?

Well, to be precise, it's not Canada that requires the passport. It's the U.S. that has rescinded the historic and convenient exemption that permitted Canadian and U.S. citizens to enter the U.S. with only a birth certificate. You can still enter Canada with just a U.S. birth certificate and photo ID to prove you are the person on the birth certificate, but you will not be able to get back into the U.S. if you didn't bring your passport. The Canadian border folks will probably point that out to you as you enter Canada, but by then it's too late since you've already left the U.S. You will have the spend the rest of your life living on the bridge high over the Niagara River, unable to immigrate to Canada and unable to return to the U.S. (Kinda like Charlie on the MTA)

Well, to be precise, it's not Canada that requires the passport. It's the U.S. that has rescinded the historic and convenient exemption that permitted Canadian and U.S. citizens to enter the U.S. with only a birth certificate. You can still enter Canada with just a U.S. birth certificate and photo ID to prove you are the person on the birth certificate, but you will not be able to get back into the U.S. if you didn't bring your passport. The Canadian border folks will probably point that out to you as you enter Canada, but by then it's too late since you've already left the U.S. You will have the spend the rest of your life living on the bridge high over the Niagara River, unable to immigrate to Canada and unable to return to the U.S. (Kinda like Charlie on the MTA)
Prior to 9/11, I rarely had to show any form of ID going either direction, and crossing the Canada US border has been a regular part of my job for 40 years. How things have changed, although I must admit that the pre-arrival clearance procedures now in place have made crossing more seamless. No more trekking to the broker with a hand full of papers.

Please do. I'd be very interested to know. In the old days, before they built the segregated truck lanes, it would have been easy to do, but not now.

I biked on the roads surrounding the highway section from Standly to Portage to River Road and I have three theories though none of them very easy.
1 - There is a parking lot near the Canadian entrance off Portage Road. He would have needed to open a gate and cross the oncoming traffic and go over a raised curb to enter the US bound lane.
2 - There is an emergency vehicle entrance off River Road. I didn't investigate up there because it said Emergency Vehicles and I never mess around at the boarder.
3 - He got on the highway like a crazy man and road that to the bridge. Standly would be the only entrance.

There is a continuos fence on the US bound side all along the 405. You might be able to see some access point from the highway but it would have to be pretty hidden from the bordering roads for me to have missed it.

If anyone sees this guy again we will just have to ask him because I think he did something pretty ballsy at the boarder. I cross once a week and I would never think of doing anything out of the normal but he seems to have.

I biked on the roads surrounding the highway section from Standly to Portage to River Road and I have three theories though none of them very easy.
1 - There is a parking lot near the Canadian entrance off Portage Road. He would have needed to open a gate and cross the oncoming traffic and go over a raised curb to enter the US bound lane.
2 - There is an emergency vehicle entrance off River Road. I didn't investigate up there because it said Emergency Vehicles and I never mess around at the boarder.
3 - He got on the highway like a crazy man and road that to the bridge. Standly would be the only entrance.

There is a continuos fence on the US bound side all along the 405. You might be able to see some access point from the highway but it would have to be pretty hidden from the bordering roads for me to have missed it.

If anyone sees this guy again we will just have to ask him because I think he did something pretty ballsy at the boarder. I cross once a week and I would never think of doing anything out of the normal but he seems to have.
Thanks for checking that out. I really wish I had been more on the ball and asked him the important questions instead of wasting the short time I had discussing his equipment.
From what I know, I would not recommend using this bridge for a bike crossing.

I recommend the Pigeon River crossing. Much less traffic volume, the bridge is level. Might be a wee bit out of your way, though.

I recommend the Pigeon River crossing. Much less traffic volume, the bridge is level. Might be a wee bit out of your way, though.
I cross there fairly regularly. Route 61 in Minnesota looks to be quite bike friendly.There is a paved bike path beside the road for part of the way to Duluth, and the shoulder is quite accommodating elsewhere.
There are some lovely towns along the way too, like Grand Marais for one.
Every time I drive that road, I think I'd like to cycle it some day.

I cross there fairly regularly. Route 61 in Minnesota looks to be quite bike friendly.There is a paved bike path beside the road for part of the way to Duluth, and the shoulder is quite accommodating elsewhere.
There are some lovely towns along the way too, like Grand Marais for one.
Every time I drive that road, I think I'd like to cycle it some day.

The last time I drove that road was a few years ago and I recall the road my not have been ideal for bicycles, but traffic was not too heavy so people still did it. In fact, if you wanted to ride across canada, skipping Northern Ontario (between Saut Ste Marie and Thunder Bay) is probably not a bad idea - cross into Soo, Mi and return at Pigeon River... then take Highway 11 through Atikokan as it is less busy than hwy 17.

The last time I drove that road was a few years ago and I recall the road my not have been ideal for bicycles, but traffic was not too heavy so people still did it. In fact, if you wanted to ride across canada, skipping Northern Ontario (between Saut Ste Marie and Thunder Bay) is probably not a bad idea - cross into Soo, Mi and return at Pigeon River... then take Highway 11 through Atikokan as it is less busy than hwy 17.
There have been some recent upgrades on route 61 in Minnesota (like within the last two years or so). Ya do face a pretty stiff climb just after crossing the border, but the hills are not too brutal beyond that into Duluth.
I do see quite a few cyclists on that route during the cycling season.
If I were going to go around the south side of Lake Superior, I'd carry on to the International Falls/ Fort Frances crossing, and take 71 back to the Tcan.

If you cross the border regularly for non-commercial purposes, it makes a lot of sense to get a Nexus card (you can apply online at the GOES web site). I cross quite often by car on Hwy 99/Interstate 5 near Vancouver. On busy weekends, without the Nexus card, you are stuck in a 2-hour lineup to get into the US. With the Nexus card, you get to use a special lane and it takes from a few seconds to maybe 20 minutes at really busy times (like Saturday mornings) to get across to the US. You can even get an iris scan at the airport and use the Nexus card to bump you past airport passenger lineups. But don't tell anybody; things are slowing down in the Nexus lineups because too many people are getting these cards. I'm not sure why I'm telling you this. It costs US$50 for five years, which I figure is worth it to skip just one 2-hour border lineup!

So if you're on a bike, I usually either ride into the Nexus lane if it's empty, or I just bypass the car lineup and get checked with the peds, at least at the West Coast crossings.

I have gone across at Rainbow (Niagara Falls) and Peace (Buffalo). At Rainbow, you just ride across the bridge on the roadway and take the Nexus booth that the cars take. It's usually devoid of cars, so no waits. At Peace, you take the sidewalk over the bridge (it can get windy), and then you end up at this blockhouse where you have to get past the typical US border guards, who tend to be real bullies. Just focus on being friendly, and letting them know that they're way smarter than you are, and you'll usually be just fine.

BTW, if you're a Canadian, and you're just traveling by air from one Canadian city to another, it's worth carrying your Nexus card.Even though you're not crossing borders, you can still use the card to circumvent the longer passenger lineups - they have Nexus lanes at various places. I guess there's a higher standard of trust with a Nexus card, given all the background checks they do on you to get one.

Luis