Waterton - Pros and Cons

If you have questions, comment or experiences in Waterton Park in Canada, please post them in this section, although Glacier is the Focus, Waterton is the sister that has much to offer.

Moderators: teapot57, Tara

mtrot
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:45 am
Gender?: Male
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Location: East Texas

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by mtrot »

Dang, I was thinking of driving into Canada on my upcoming GNP trip, but you guys are putting the damper on that pretty quick. I will be traveling with my 12 year old daughter, and I don't need any hassles of the type mentioned here. I'd love to get up to Banff, but it sounds like too much trouble. Also, I can't afford to lose my hard drive on my laptop, and I don't know anything about copying it either.
llholmes1948
Donator
Donator
Posts: 5221
Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:48 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: Maine
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 47 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by llholmes1948 »

mtrot wrote:Dang, I was thinking of driving into Canada on my upcoming GNP trip, but you guys are putting the damper on that pretty quick. I will be traveling with my 12 year old daughter, and I don't need any hassles of the type mentioned here. I'd love to get up to Banff, but it sounds like too much trouble. Also, I can't afford to lose my hard drive on my laptop, and I don't know anything about copying it either.
I would not let the negative comments on this topic deter you. I have crossed the U.S. - Canada border many times by auto, bus or train without any problem. You are sometimes asked personal questions. You may be asked to open the trunk of your car or if referred for further inspection you could be asked to open your bags. Most of the time I have not been asked to open the car trunk and only on rare occasions is there a search of bags. I think if you can tolerate the airport inspections you should be able to tolerate a border crossing if you have the correct documents.

Of course if your vehicle has bumper stickers advocating the legalization of drugs, I would suggest that you cross using a different vehicle. As friend's daughter discovered a few years back, such bumper stickers can create great interest by border agents and she was denied entry into Quebec.

Lyman
Selkie
2.1 Donator
2.1 Donator
Posts: 1321
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:17 pm
Gender?: Female
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Location: Chicago
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 9 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by Selkie »

I agree with Lyman (though I have not been through the Chief Mountain border crossing).
It is common to be asked about the cash you are carrying, for example. Sometimes it is phrased as a range ("Are you carrying more than XXX?"), sometimes as an outright question (and there may be a follow-up question as to whether you have credit cards for emergency use).
There are guidelines online as to what kind of food you may/may not take across the border, and other things of interest, such as traveling with minor children.
Enjoy Banff!
User avatar
MISSY
Donator
Donator
Posts: 431
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:50 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: College Station, Texas
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by MISSY »

FYI- We crossed the border at the Chief Mountain border crossing on our 2006 and 2008 Glacier trips. We were in a (rented) car with our teenage daughter and all went without any incident. We all had passports and they just asked basic questions and had each of us answer the question for ourselves. I would cross and visit Waterton again without hesitation.

MISSY
Pocketlint

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by Pocketlint »

With all due respect to Lyman and Missy...
This is not 2006 or 2008.
The world has changed since then...plus enforcement policies, etc. aren't consistent across the country.
People I know who live out here report to me that sometimes they get right through and sometimes they have a big hassle.
This is mostly at the crossing at Eureka, but some at Chief Mountain as well.

pocketlint :wink:
User avatar
MISSY
Donator
Donator
Posts: 431
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:50 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: College Station, Texas
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by MISSY »

My husband and I crossed into Canada in July 2011 (without teenaged daughter) with our passports and had no difficulties. We answered all the questions politely, accurately and individually as requested. With proper Id and "rule following", I would not let fear of "crossing the border" keep me from a trip into Waterton.

MISSY
User avatar
pitamakan
Posts: 1110
Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 7:42 am
Gender?: Male
Please add the numbers(11): 11

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by pitamakan »

I've had mixed experiences at the US-Canada border in recent years ... no doubt partly because I'm a middle-aged male who often travels alone. The behavior of a lot of the border staff is clearly pretty ridiculous these days, and it just ends up causing ill will without making either country any safer.

But in the broader scheme of things, the hassle is nowhere near enough to deny myself an occasional visit to Canada. It's not a big deal, and is honestly more amusing than anything else.
llholmes1948
Donator
Donator
Posts: 5221
Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:48 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: Maine
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 47 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by llholmes1948 »

I thought I would post some additional comments on the subject of border crossings between the U.S.and Canada. Corrections would be welcome.

My understanding is that U.S. citizens who have convictions for OUI, theft, assault, disorderly conduct and more serious offenses are often denied entry into Canada. Likewise Canadian citizens with such convictions are often denied entry into the U.S.

Persons who have extensive tattoos and/or piercings may be subject to a further inspection to determine if they show signs of intravenous drug use.

Although I do not believe it happens often, in some instances persons who are just plain weird can be denied entry into Canada. My wife and I have a friend who is just plain weird and sometimes he is allowed entry into Canada and sometimes not.

Sometimes you can be asked a lot of questions for no apparent reason. At other times it may be because the inspector has matched your name or information with the name of a person in his or her computer who is wanted or excludable from Canada. The inspector may ask a series of questions to see if you match or don't match the profile of the wanted or excludable person.

As far as I know, unless there is a warrant for your arrest, there is no downside to being denied entry into Canada except of course not being allowed into Canada. You are merely asked to turn your vehicle around and return to the U.S. You are not placed under arrest for failing to be allowed entry into Canada.

I personally never cross the border with firewood, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables or fresh or frozen meat. I realize that there are many times (and perhaps currently) when meat is allowed but I have heard too many stories of people having to abandon meat at the border because it was not allowed at that time. These rules can sometimes change on short notice.

I have often heard it said that you cannot be denied entry into your own country. However if you lack proper identification your return to the U.S. can be delayed until the border authorities determine your identity. If your identification is lost or stolen while in Canada, the U.S. authorities can usually pull up your state driver's license on their computer and check your photo id.

Crossing the U.S. - Canada border can be an effective way to find out if there are any warrants for your arrest. A few years ago I went to the wedding of my cousin's granddaughter. The groom was a nice appearing young man. A couple months later, he was detained and arrested at the Maine - New Brunswick border because (unbeknown to his wife) there was a felony warrant for his arrest in the State of Washington. He got several years in prison and she got a divorce.

I think that people with proper passports who do not fall into any of the above categories should be fine.

I hope this information is helpful.

Lyman
User avatar
Hockey Ref
Hiking With Angels
Hiking With Angels
Posts: 2789
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:10 pm
Gender?: Male
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by Hockey Ref »

llholmes1948 wrote:I think that people with proper passports who do not fall into any of the above categories should be fine.

Lyman
You'd think. My two friends and I don't fit any of those descriptions, yet we were grilled and treated rather brusquely by the border agents on the U.S. side when we returned from a trip of only a few hours in Waterton. It was quite a contrast to the very polite and friendly treatment we got when we crossed into Canada.

Bottom line, I felt like we were being welcomed into Canada. Returning, I felt like we were treated like trespassers.
Hockey Ref

"No man lies on his death bed wishing he'd spent more time at the office...or getting chemo."
llholmes1948
Donator
Donator
Posts: 5221
Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:48 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: Maine
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 47 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by llholmes1948 »

Hockey Ref wrote:
llholmes1948 wrote:I think that people with proper passports who do not fall into any of the above categories should be fine.

Lyman
You'd think. My two friends and I don't fit any of those descriptions, yet we were grilled and treated rather brusquely by the border agents on the U.S. side when we returned from a trip of only a few hours in Waterton. It was quite a contrast to the very polite and friendly treatment we got when we crossed into Canada.

Bottom line, I felt like we were being welcomed into Canada. Returning, I felt like we were treated like trespassers.
Sorry. I didn't mean to imply that having the proper documents would be a guarantee against rude treatment at the border. Unfortunately it doesn't and you need to have a thick skin for some of this stuff (or view it with humor like Pitamakan). I have been treated rudely by both U.S. and Canadian border officers, including a Canadian inspector at Chief Mountain.

I suggest people who are interested in going to Canada should try crossing the border and form their own opinion whether they would like to return there again.

Lyman
liketohike
2.1 Donator
2.1 Donator
Posts: 257
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:53 am
Gender?: Female
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 23 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by liketohike »

"You'd think. My two friends and I don't fit any of those descriptions, yet we were grilled and treated rather brusquely by the border agents on the U.S. side when we returned from a trip of only a few hours in Waterton. It was quite a contrast to the very polite and friendly treatment we got when we crossed into Canada.

Bottom line, I felt like we were being welcomed into Canada. Returning, I felt like we were treated like trespassers."

My husband and I had the same experience in 2010.
JWB475
Posts: 83
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:52 am
Gender?: Male
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by JWB475 »

Ditto for us last year going across last year, the Canadian guy was very professional but nice, the US guys were all jerks.

I had a pint of cherry tomoato's in my cooler that I forgot about, I thought they were going to shoot me (they were Minnesota cherry tomato's or they probably would have).
sj in cal
Posts: 943
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:50 pm
Gender?: Male
Please add the numbers(11): 11
Location: Benicia, California

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by sj in cal »

I'm not one to pile on, but the border agents at Goat Haunt were also very rude. It's a good rule to not argue with someone carrying a gun, in this instance I had no choice. After spending the night at the Goat Haunt Shelters I made "the mistake" of heading for the Boulder Pass Trail about the same time as the boat arrived from Canada. I was detained because I had no passport (never needed one on my previous trips at Goat Haunt). Even after the law enforcement ranger confirmed that I had hiked in and spent the night ("they're just the park service, we're the border patrol"), it was 20 minute discussion before I was allowed to continue.

Has anyone else needed a passport to stay at the Goat Haunt Shelters?
Pocketlint

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by Pocketlint »

I made the crossing at Chief Mountain this past Thursday.
I was driving the rental car(heff936's) crossing both ways while heff and paul were passengers.
Going in we were "selected" by the Canadian computer for further search, so we pulled over and got out.
Both the search and the questions were routine(imo) No personal search and he just poked around in our stuff.
Delay was maybe 10-15 minutes.
Coming back to the US was OK.
Didn't have to leave the car. Questions were appropriate. He wanted to know how we knew each other. 3 guys from all over in a rental car prompted that imo.
We told him about the chat :)
So we weren't hassled here.
However, one of the two Border Agents at Goat Haunt was a bit obnoxious.
The National Park Ranger was very nice and a cool guy.
I was taking a video of heff and paul talking to the Park Service Ranger about their food drop, etc. when one of the two agents shouted "I don't want my picture taken sir".
And it was clear from his "attitude" that he wasn't kidding....so I stopped videoing. 8)
However, I did manage to refrain from clicking my heels and saying Aye Aye Sir.

pocketlint :wink:
:arrow:

PS

We rode the boat down to Goat Haunt. Nice ride and I recommend doing it, but buy a round trip ticket.
The 9+ mile walk back to Waterton from Goat Haunt is not much fun. 1200+ ft elv change, all of it on last half. Up you go only to lose it. Then up again, lose it again. Profile on last 4 miles looks like a ringing sine wave. :(
Not very scenic. Just a few places where you can see the lake.
Can't recommend it. Stay on the boat :)
llholmes1948
Donator
Donator
Posts: 5221
Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:48 pm
Please add the numbers(11): 0
Location: Maine
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 47 times

Re: Waterton - Pros and Cons

Post by llholmes1948 »

The process for filing a complaint about U.S. border crossings is at this link:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/custo ... laints.xml

I assume Canada has a similar process for filing a complaint as well.
Post Reply

Return to “Waterton Park..”