Crossing the Border Into Canada by Car With Two Little Kids
By Michael · October 13, 2026
We’ve crossed into Canada in our van more times than I can count on one hand, and this September we did it for the first time as a family of four. People ask what crossing the border into Canada by car is like with little kids, so here’s what it was actually like for us, in our own words from the videos: how long it took, what we had ready, what we did with the boys, and the small things that change once you’re on the other side.
One thing up front. This is our experience, not a rulebook. Border rules change, so check the official rules for both countries before you go.
Quick facts
- Our latest crossing: September 2026, at Niagara Falls, a Tuesday around 5:30 pm
- How long it took: less than 3 minutes, with no line at all
- Our 2025 crossings: Grand Portage, Minnesota going in (under two minutes) and a crossing just east of the main Niagara Falls one coming back (under a minute)
- How many times: about six or seven times in our old van before this year, and only once were we sent to secondary
- What we had ready: passports for all four of us
- First stop in Canada: an ATM, because a lot of restaurants we eat at in the Toronto area are cash or debit only
Driving to Canada with kids: our September 2026 crossing
We spent the morning at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. It’s on our route every time we drive into Toronto or back, so we always stop. From there it was about three and a half hours to the Toronto area, including the border, and we wanted to make it for dinner because it was Rina’s birthday.
We timed the drive with the boys’ naps. They had played hard at the museum, so the idea was that they’d sleep through most of the drive. Spencer had a pistachio chocolate croissant we picked up the day before, and the passports were out and ready before we pulled away.
We crossed at Niagara Falls. Here’s how it went, step by step.
The lanes
There are RV lanes on the left at some crossings. We’ve used one before and it can be faster than the regular car lanes. That day there was no RV lane open, and there were no cars either, so we just pulled into the open lane.
The questions
The officer asked how many of us there were, and wanted to see everyone’s faces. The boys were asleep in their car seats, so I told him their ages (Spencer was 3 years and 10 months, Archie 11 months) and offered to wake them. Then where we were going, and why. My honest answer was that we were going to the Toronto area to eat.
He also asked if we were traveling with anything for personal protection, like pepper spray. We carry bear spray, so I told him that. Then he handed back the passports and we were through.
How long it took
Less than three minutes. Rina and I both said it was super smooth. There was no one there, and we think it’s because it was a Tuesday at 5:30 pm. He just asked a few questions and didn’t send anyone to look in the van. I also said on camera that having children probably helps, but that’s just my guess.
It was Archie’s first international trip, and Canada is the second country he’s visited.
Our 2025 crossings, going in and coming back
In summer 2025, when it was still the three of us with Rina pregnant with Archie, we drove into Canada from Duluth, Minnesota, through Grand Portage. The plan was to drive along Lake Superior on the Canadian side and camp there on the way to Toronto.
That crossing was even faster. There was no line at all, the officer looked at our passports and asked a few questions (alcohol or tobacco, weapons or pepper spray, firewood or fireworks), and we were in within about a minute. I called it the fastest we’ve ever crossed. We also switched to Eastern time right at the border.
We were a little worried going in because we still had some meat in the fridge, plus eggs and bananas. We had heard eggs could be a big deal at the border. He didn’t check any of it, and he didn’t look in the back of the van. That’s just what happened to us that day, so don’t take it as a rule.
Watch that 2025 crossing here.
Coming back to the US in July 2025, we drove from Toronto to Rochester, about three hours. We used the crossing just east of the main Niagara Falls one, because we figured the main one would be busy. It took us under a minute.
Lines, in our experience
Before this year we’d crossed into Canada about six or seven times in our old van. Only once did they stop us for a secondary check. Every other time has been smooth. At most they open the door, take a quick peek inside, close it up and let us through.
On the New York side, Rina and I agreed there’s almost always a line, unless you go at something like 4 a.m. So the empty lanes on a Tuesday evening this September were a nice surprise.
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What we did with the boys
The biggest thing for us is that we try not to drive too long on any one day. This drive, about three and a half hours plus the border, was an exception, and we planned it around nap time.
Both boys woke up at the border. After that, Archie got snacks, which kept him happy for most of the drive, though he was crying by the time we reached the ATM. Spencer is really good in his car seat. He snacks, drinks, and looks for things to do, like playing with his little camera.
On the passport side: Archie’s application went in when he was not even three weeks old, in November 2025, and we expected it in six to eight weeks. Spencer got his passport when he was 3 months old. We wanted Archie’s done quickly so we weren’t limited to traveling in the US.
Internet, fuel and money once you cross
Phones and internet
In the US this year we’d been using a T-Mobile home internet device that also works on the go, for about $50 a month. I didn’t think it would work in Canada, so before the border I reactivated our Starlink on one of the lower plans, around $80 for 300 GB, with the plan to upgrade to unlimited if we ran out. The unlimited plan was around $165 to $170 a month when I checked, which is why we’d paused it.
In 2025 it was the same idea. We had cell signal in Canada but not a lot of data, so we relied on Starlink most of the time, which meant running the inverter and using more power.
Fuel
This September I filled up with diesel before the border because I expected fuel in Canada to be even more expensive. Diesel was $6.39 a gallon at that stop, one of the highest prices I’ve seen. In Canada fuel is priced by the litre. In July 2025, on our first fill-up along Lake Superior, gas was about $1.45 a litre, which I said was definitely more expensive than the US.
Money
Our first stop in Canada this year was a TD Bank ATM before dinner. A lot of the restaurants we go to in the Greater Toronto Area don’t take credit cards, only cash or debit. Sam’s Congee Delight, for example, is cash only.
In summer 2025 I almost couldn’t get a cart at the grocery store because I had no Canadian dollars on me. I got lucky with one that didn’t need it.
The exchange rate works in your favour if you’re coming from the US. At dinner that first night this year we figured 100 Canadian dollars was about 73 US, so roughly 30% off for us.
The drive on to Toronto
From the Niagara crossing it was about an hour and 35 minutes to the Toronto area. We left Rochester hoping to make dinner by 8:00, and with the ATM stop we got to the restaurant in Scarborough around 7:30. That first meal was Rina’s birthday dinner, all you can eat wagyu hotpot, and you can read about it in our Dai Maru hotpot write-up.
In 2025 we took the long way. After Grand Portage, Thunder Bay was about half an hour on, and our first breakfast in Canada was a Persian, a pink-iced pastry that’s a Thunder Bay specialty. Then we camped along Lake Superior before heading south to Toronto.
Our honest take
For us, crossing the border into Canada by car has been easy almost every time: passports out before we get there, honest short answers, and kids who are usually asleep. Our fastest crossings were the quiet ones, a remote crossing in Minnesota and a Tuesday evening at Niagara. We can’t promise yours will go the same way, so check the official rules before you leave.
If you’re heading to Toronto to eat, our Toronto food guide has every place we’ve eaten on camera, and you can get our full Toronto Food Map for free. For what life on the road with little ones looks like day to day, read van life with kids.
We have a whole video on this crossing: watch Episode 5 here.
