Pattern
Best time to cross the border
When waits into Canada have been shortest and longest at 26 crossings, from the CBSA’s published hourly readings for 2010–2020. This is a pre-2020 pattern by weekday and hour, not today’s wait.
Pre-2020 data. Traffic, staffing and lanes have changed since 2020. Use the pattern to compare days and hours, then check the live wait. Our own recordings replace it as they accumulate. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
| Crossing | Quietest window | Busiest window | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace Arch | Fri 02:00 (0 min) | Sat 12:00 (62 min) | Best time |
| Blue Water Bridge | Wed 08:00 (0 min) | Sun 15:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Sumas-Abbotsford | Tue 08:00 (0 min) | Sun 18:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Lynden-Aldergrove | Thu 01:00 (0 min) | Sat 13:00 (45 min) | Best time |
| Pacific Highway | Thu 05:00 (0 min) | Sat 12:00 (51 min) | Best time |
| Derby Line-Stanstead | Thu 08:00 (0 min) | Sun 18:00 (10 min) | Best time |
| Rainbow Bridge | Sat 03:00 (0 min) | Sat 18:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Lewiston-Queenston Bridge | Sun 05:00 (0 min) | Sun 19:00 (49 min) | Best time |
| Detroit-Windsor Tunnel | Wed 12:00 (0 min) | Fri 19:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Champlain-Lacolle | Mon 08:00 (0 min) | Sun 18:00 (45 min) | Best time |
| Peace Bridge | Wed 03:00 (3 min) | Sun 18:00 (43 min) | Best time |
| Sweetgrass-Coutts | Tue 08:00 (0 min) | Fri 13:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Pembina-Emerson | Fri 08:00 (0 min) | Sun 17:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Ambassador Bridge | Tue 15:00 (0 min) | Fri 18:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Point Roberts | Thu 02:00 (0 min) | Sat 16:00 (20 min) | Best time |
| International Falls-Fort Frances | Fri 07:00 (0 min) | Sat 11:00 (25 min) | Best time |
| Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge | Wed 15:00 (0 min) | Sat 14:00 (25 min) | Best time |
| Thousand Islands Bridge | Mon 11:00 (0 min) | Fri 17:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Massena-Cornwall (Seaway) | Sat 05:00 (0 min) | Fri 16:00 (30 min) | Best time |
| Highgate Springs-Saint-Armand | Tue 11:00 (0 min) | Sat 14:00 (45 min) | Best time |
| Calais-St. Stephen (Ferry Point) | Sun 07:00 (0 min) | Sat 16:00 (20 min) | Best time |
| Calais International Avenue (3rd Bridge) | Tue 07:00 (0 min) | Sun 16:00 (5 min) | Best time |
| North Portal | Mon 09:00 (0 min) | Sun 18:00 (10 min) | Best time |
| Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge | Thu 11:00 (0 min) | Sat 12:00 (20 min) | Best time |
| Houlton-Woodstock | Wed 06:00 (0 min) | Sun 16:00 (20 min) | Best time |
| Madawaska-Edmundston | Mon 07:00 (0 min) | Tue 15:00 (10 min) | Best time |
How to use this
At most crossings the median reading was 0 minutes for most of the week, so the 90th percentile (one reading in ten was this long or longer) is the better guide to when queues build. Friday and Sunday evenings and the afternoon peak are where the busiest windows cluster at most crossings in this table. Mexico-border and U.S.-bound crossings are not listed because the CBSA series covers Canada-bound travel only; CBP publishes no history, so those patterns will come from our own recordings after 28 days.