I'm starting to hear rumblings that Canada MIGHT open its borders to fully vacinated USA citizens as early as September.
IF that happened, would Glacier NP allow Goat Haunt to receive the Waterton Tour Boat this year? Or would they just decide it was too hard to spin that up for the last few weeks (not an entirely unreasonable decision) of the season?
Anybody heard anything regarding plans for Goat Haunt should Canada open its borders?
I planning to do a backpack in Glacer from Sep 2 to Sep 6. Being able to access Canada via Goat Haunt might make some additional options available when the time comes.
Doubtful in my opinion on Goat Haunt as they don't have the staff to man what is open now. You might be able to hike from Waterton to Goat Haunt along Waterton Lake. It's about 9 miles, but relatively flat.
You could call the Backcountry Office and ask them, or maybe they can direct you to someone within the park service
Supposedly the target is 'mid-August' for vaccinated US citizens and permeant residents, but who knows what will actually happen.
Even before the pandemic, Goat Haunt (and the boat stop) were down in 2019 due to water utility issues and the campground / immigration / dock was closed. That said, the trail was still open along the lake to the border.
As of now, to re-enter Canada, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens need a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of crossing the border. In addition, after entering Canada, they must take another Covid test, and have a quarantine plan in case of a positive result. If you cross at the Sweetgrass/Coutts border, there is a testing station at the border where you stop for your test after visiting customs. If you cross at any of the other Montana crossings, they give you a free test to take at your destination, which must be done via video conference with a nurse and then mailed to the lab.
Unless these requirements are dropped by mid-August, they will undoubtedly also apply to fully vaccinated US citizens entering Canada. And since they just started this process a few weeks ago, I think they’ll be in place for awhile. As a result, I think it’s pretty unlikely they will allow hikers to cross the border at Goat Haunt if these rules are still in place.
Sue Z wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:49 pm
Sooo...now I just need to find a covid test in St. Mary!
Good luck with that.
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-
"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat." George Carlin
I am glad they dropped the Covid test upon reentry because it seems entirely unnecessary. As a practical matter, I think they came to realize the long line ups that would occur at the airports and land borders if they had to test each person coming through.
If anyone finds rapid molecular (not antigen) testing on the east side, please let us know. I’m looking for PCR or NAAT testing (required by Canada) with a turn around time of 24 hours or less. The closest I can find is in Great Falls or Kalispell.
As of now to cross into the US by land border, you do not need a negative Covid test (but you do when traveling by air).
That article wasn’t written very well. The US decision to keep the border closed does not affect US citizens. We are always allowed to cross the land border back into our own country.
It does affect Canadian and Mexican citizens, allowing them to cross the land border into the US only for essential purposes. Which is kind of a joke, because Canadians are allowed to fly into the US and always have been throughout covid. They just can’t drive there.
So US fully vaccinated citizens can cross the land border into Canada as of Aug 9 as long as they register through the ArriveCan app and have a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of crossing. They can then drive back into the US without a Covid test (but if they fly back, they do need a negative Covid test to renter the US).
I am a dual citizen living in Canada and my husband works in the US so we have been following these rules closely.