Canada, Here We Come! Crossing from Montana to Alberta

After second-guessing everything in our rig for the border crossing, we decided to implement the KISS (keep it super simple) method. We made sure we had none of the absolute no items (weapons, produce, etc.) and on the ones that seemed grey, we figured we’d deal with it at the border.

We packed up and headed for the Sweetgrass crossing, about 2 hours from Malmstrom FamCamp and were treated to stunning views…and more crazy wind! The website showed a short wait time of about 20 minutes, but it was only 10 minutes before we were on our way. Pretty straight-forward questions, checked our passport and sent us on.

We did add an extra 20 minutes stopping at the watercraft inspection since we hope to use our SUP’s while in country–yes, they need inspected too! But since we are good about cleaning and drying before packing away, it was more chatting with the officers about their favorite sites and stops than anything. But that certificate means we shouldn’t have any issues using them.

After research and talking to locals, we decided to skip Banff and Jasper National Parks now and visit them on our way south so we could spend extra time there and miss the busy summer season.

We stopped in the first town we came to with a bank and exchanged our US dollars for Canadian dollars since we planned to stay in a lot of provincial campgrounds and heard we’d need it. Plus, many of the smaller stations and stores only take cash, so we wanted to be prepared.

We drove a few more hours to the small town of Stavely, Alberta, where BJ had found a first come, first serve city park with RV spots and electric. Imagine our surprise to not only find accommodating spots, but to have full hook ups for $30 Canadian (about $23 US) a night! Since we hadn’t completely planned our time and route with our focus on the crossing, we decided to stay for 2 nights to get time to work and plan, and dodge the weather that was going to roll through. The next day we all slept until after 10! Between all the prep and weather-induced headaches, I guess we needed it.

We then spent the day in The Milepost book, the road atlas and Google Maps, plotting the next leg up to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alaska Highway. We also learned that we need to check multiple weather apps to get accurate data. Luckily we have online resources to check for weather and other issues along the more rural parts of our route–and since we mounted the Starlink to our roof, we have internet in transit!

We set out for Discovery Wildlife park to stretch our legs and see the animals. For all 3 of us, it was $54 CAD, not too bad! Sadly, the weather ran us off after a couple of hours, but the animals were playful and entertaining to watch.

We planned to overnight at a, Wal-mart a bit further on, but it was too early to stop. We drove on to Rochfort Bridge, a historic bridge on wooden trussles, we wanted to see and photograph, then we found The Ranch RV Park. We planned to stop for the night, but it was so peaceful, we stayed 2 nights to rest, work and plan. It was down a gravel road, but on a lake and with full hook ups at the same price as the river campground across the street ($40 CAD per night)–totally worth it to us!

Plus, we had time to see the Rochfort Bridge in better weather and from different directions. Pretty incredible–and it’s still in use!

It took 3 days of calling, but we finally got mile 0 campground in Dawson Creek to confirm a reservation for 2 nights over the weekend.

On Saturday, we set out. We drove through many wildlife crossings, but only saw a deer and coyote–to include them on either side of tree line to which bj yells pond rules when I worry if the deer got away. We stopped in the town of Beaverlodge for a rest break and photo op with the giant statue.

Then we drove into Dawson Creek. This town is where to find the mile 0 marker, signpost, sticker drop and official start of Alaska Highway. We also resupplied groceries, got laundry done, and plotted our travel across Canada and into Alaska.

We decided to visit the Kiskatinaw River Bridge just out of town since it is now closed to through traffic and there wasn’t enough room for our big rig in transit. It was so neat to walk across this piece of history–the first curved wooden bridge! And the views from the bridge were amazing!

After a week in Canada, we were getting the hang of metric and money conversions. However, we were surprised by the challenges finding diesel while towing. We found mostly small stations, the larger truck pumps (cardlock) seemed to be for private or membership use. Our Open Roads membership works at some stations for a fee and no discount, but not all. So we are trying to fill up when we are unhooked and stopped for the night.

Next week, we start down the Alaska Highway, getting into more wilderness and fewer resources, so will require a lot more planning and having alternatives, so be sure to check back for those adventures and life lessons learned on the road!

If crossing the border is on your list, we made a checklist to help you prepare! Check out our Border Crossing Checklist here, or you can find it on our Free Printables page.

I’ve also got a lesson in our Teachers Pay Teachers store to teach students about researching and what can and cannot cross the border. Here’s a link to the product Crossing the Border USA ~ Canada here.

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