9 Best USA and Canada Border Vacations to Visit With Family

Did you know that the border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world? At 8,893 kilometers, the border between the United States and Canada is a long stretch. It goes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, with a squiggle in the north where the US state of Alaska, the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the Yukon Territories meet. 

People from either country can go in and out without going through customs. In reality, the line is drawn on the floor. The second-floor Opera space is the only place in the world where the seats are in one country and the stage is in another.

This area is a great place to go camping, cottage-ing, and skiing because it has green hills, woods, rivers, and hundreds of lakes. And while you’re there, stop by Checkpoint Charlie for a drink. This bistro/bar is just across the line from Stanstead. It was one of Canada’s first banks, and the vaults are still there.

Even though Canada and the United States aren’t identical twins, they have a lot in common, such as beautiful scenery, a similar past of European exploration and settlement, similar wildlife, geology, and a lot more.

We will look at all of them today.

1. Antique Boat Museum

This museum has the biggest collection of old and classic boats in North America. Not only can people look at the boats, but they can also row and sail them. Fox says, “They have sleek, beautiful speed boats made of mahogany.” Many of them used to belong to wealthy businessmen who built summer homes on the Thousand Islands in New York. abm.org

2. Lake of Woods, Minnesota, and Manitoba.

This area includes the Northwest Angle, which is on the coast of a part of Minnesota that is landlocked by Canada and is the northernmost spot of the U.S. that is not in Alaska. Americans can only get there without going into Canada by flying in or crossing the Lake of the Woods, which is on the border of Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota.

Southern Manitoba separates The Angle, as it is called in the area, from the rest of the U.S. To get to the area by car, you have to cross the border on the only gravel road that goes in and out. There are no people at the checkpoints along this path. When passing, travellers should use a special phone at Jim’s Corner or Carlson’s Landing to call and check in.

This area is known as the “Walleye capital of the world,” and it is a popular spot for fishing, boating, camping, cottages, and outdoor adventurers who want to discover Lake of the Woods’ more than 14,000 islands, surrounding forests, and shorelines.

3. Niagara Falls Canada and Usa

The border between the United States and Canada is the Niagara River.

You can drive or walk across the Rainbow Bridge to get to both sides. 

The path is also known as the Freedom Trail, and both the United States and Canada offer tours that show off important spots along the way.

The Niagara River and Gorge were the last step for thousands of slaves on their way to freedom in Canada from the US.

By 1844, about 40,000 American slaves had used the “Underground Railroad” to get to Canada and away from their owners.

Follow the North Star and sleep outside or in safe places where kind anti-slavery families would let them stay and send them on their way.

4. The Icefields Parkway

From the border with the United States to Banff National Park in Alberta, the fastest way to get there is to drive through British Columbia. Take the BC-93 highway north from northern Montana, passing through the small towns along the way. The Icefields Parkway goes from Lake Louise in Banff National Park to Jasper National Park. It winds through the Rocky Mountains, past icefields that look like glaciers, and along the Continental Divide. 

5. The wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

In the summer, people come to this huge water preserve to camp and explore by boat. Fox says, “I’ve never seen such a wild place before.” But he says it’s also fun to go dog sledding over frozen lakes with polar expert Paul Schurke from his Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge in the winter.  

6. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

The city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is right next to a city with the same name in Michigan. Before the War of 1812, the two cities were one. The border was made along the St. Mary’s River, but the International Bridge still connects the two cities.

People have lived in Sault Ste. Marie for thousands of years. It is a hub for fishing and trade on the Great Lakes. In the 1600s, French explorers and preachers set up one of the first European settlements in North America.

The classic shores of two Great Lakes, sandy beaches, untouched woods, winding rivers, and the natural beauty of Northern Ontario can all be found in this area. It also has one of the most populous towns in the area. About 75,000 people live in the Sault, also called the Soo.

You can see a Canada that hasn’t changed much since the Group of Seven took pictures of it, and you can visit the U.S. by just crossing a bridge.

7. Lookout posts for fires

A lookout tower that has been fixed up will give you a great view of the border area. The buildings from the U.S. Forest Service can be rented, and they come with a kitchenette and cots. “Refitted fire lookouts in northern Idaho, Montana, and Washington are on top of some of the largest peaks in the north. From there, you can see hundreds of thousands of acres on both sides of the border,” Fox says. recreation.gov

8. The Yukon and Alaska

There are two places where Alaska and Yukon meet.

Services are available seasonally at Little Gold Creek on the Top of the World Highway (Hwy 9). 

On the Alaska Highway (Hwy 1), Beaver Creek is open 24 hours a day. 

Alaska tours are famous for a reason, and ships that leave from Vancouver and go north up the Inland Passage to the state are known all over the world.

But if you go to Skagway in Alaska, you can take the famous White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad to the Yukon Territories in Canada.

As you make your way along a winding, sometimes scary track (with beautiful picture opportunities of the train hugging rocky mountain sides), you can imagine how dreams have been made and broken here.

9. Alberta and Montana

Alberta and Montana have a lot in common, and these two beautiful mountain parks, which were paired in 1932 to make Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, are a great example.

This UNESCO project was made because this part of North America is a unique place called the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.”

It is home to unique animals and plants that all live in a small area.

In April 2017, the two parks were named Dark Sky Parks, making them part of a network of DSPs around the world that protect places with little natural (artificial) light.

It is the first International Dark Sky Park that goes across an international line.

This means that amazing views of the stars, planets, and galaxies are possible. The skies are so dark that you can see beautiful constellations, planets, and galaxies.

Parks Canada has events about science.