I am currently on another road trip in the United States and Canada; and if you plan to visit both countries by motor vehicle, be sure to research the hours of the border crossing you intend to use before traveling to it.
Research the Hours of the Border Crossing You Intend to Use Before Traveling to It.
Every time I have crossed the border between the United States and Canada by motor vehicle, the border crossing was always open. I never had to think about whether it would be open at my time of arrival.
I have had my fair share of border crossing snafus in my travels over the years — such as my experience in driving across the border from South Africa to Swaziland, for example: after several hours of driving from Durban, I began searching for a way into Swaziland. I had originally planned on going through the Emahlatini border crossing near Houdkop; but the paved surface of Theo. Mocke Street in Piet Retief to get there ended not long after it began — and there was no way I was driving a rental car on an unsealed road. I turned around and continued north on Highway 2 and then onto highway R33.
I headed east on highway R65 towards the Nerston border crossing; and the closer I was to Swaziland, the more it seemed as though time forgot about highway R65, which on either side was overgrown with tall weeds and pocked with rutted pavement and my dreaded nemesis: potholes.
I finally arrived at the Nerston border crossing — only to find that the gates were closed. A lone guard emerged to let me know that the Oshoek border crossing further north was open.
I then realized that it was a good thing I did not attempt to drive on 20 kilometers of dirt road on a drizzly night, as the Emahlatini border crossing was most likely closed as well…
…so I ventured further north on Highway R33 to Highway 17 — which is more of a main road — and headed east to the Oshoek border crossing, which was indeed open. I went through the whole rigmarole of gate passes and customs and passport checks and stamps before finally heading east down highway MR3, which is the main east-west highway in Swaziland.
I also waited almost four hours at the border that South Africa shares with Lesotho during a thunderstorm — as well as the reason why the wait was so long.
The Father’s Day 2026 Impasse
This time, I drove approximately 70 miles over the course of one hour and ten minutes to Malta, which is a small town in the state of Montana and was going to take United States Highway 191 north to the border at Port of Morgan — only to find the following sign:
PORT OF MORGAN
54 MILES
OPEN 9 AM TO 5 PM
MON THRU FRI
Looking carefully at the sign, I noticed that the 9 and the 5 were added over the original sign; and that the “MON THRU FRI” part was an afterthought that was added after the original sign was posted.
I realized that the day I wanted to cross the border into Canada was on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, 2026 — so the border crossing was closed. Google Maps was of no assistance, as this was the route that it recommended with no warning; and searching for information was contradictory and confusing: some sites claimed that the Port of Morgan border crossing was indeed open; while other sites claimed that it was closed.
I wound up driving another 90 miles west to the town of Havre, which was almost 1.5 hours in addition to the original hour and ten minutes that I drove that morning. The original plans of the itinerary for that day were ultimately changed significantly.
Final Boarding Call
Learn from my simple error: if you plan to cross the borders that the United States shares with Canada or Mexico, first access the official Internet web site of Customs and Border Protection of the United States or the official Internet web site of Canada Border Services Agency for additional information — such as the hours and days of when the border crossing which you want to use is open — as doing so will save you time, effort, and money.
All photographs ©2013 and ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
