Aldergrove-Lynden Border Crossing Assessment

A better option to take if the main Peace Arch crossing has long wait times. Only a couple check spots but not many take this crossing. Under construction — possibly adding more lanes in and out.

This is actually a 4.5 but I’ll round up…
My in-​laws live in Lynden, WA and this town isn’t located very close to a major airport so often when visiting from Los Angeles, it’s easier for us to fly into Vancouver, and then hop the border. The Aldergrove-​Lynden border crossing is close to Lynden which is the first bonus, but secondly, it’s an easy choice as it is the lesser known border crossing of all the ones in this general area.
I’ve crossed over the border using this border crossing more times than I can count. In all those times, I’ve almost always had very nice customs officers both entering the US and entering Canada. They don’t ask a lot of meaningless questions like «what restaurant are you going to in Vancouver?» which we were actually asked once at a different border crossing. They never abuse their authority or talk down to you, and the line moves so much faster at this border crossing.
The facility is pretty old and could certainly use a makeover, though the last time we were visiting (this past summer) it appears that they are going to expand the road leading up to the crossing on the US side (it’s currently a two lane road) which will hopefully help the line not back up all the way to Lynden at times! Looking forward to seeing how this shapes up.

Unfortunately, in the past I expressed opinions about our CBSA friends that work for our Canadian government and mostly those comments are unfavourable.
Not this time! At this location I was heading to Abbotsford the catch a plane back to Calgary and tried Lynden (Aldergrove) instead of Sumas (Abbotsford).
The line up was about a dozen cars deep but moved along quickly and the gal working the booth was professional, thorough and had me on my way quickly. One note though is that as a Canada I always wonder why our welcome to Canada has these folks working our border and protecting us has facilities that are so dated and run down. Come on Steve build some new digs for these protectors and show visitors to Canada that we are proud Canadians.

Typically the quickest border crossing in the Vancouver/​Fraser Valley area. It is by far the quickest in the middle of the day on a weekday. Fridays and Saturdays can be very busy like the other crossings. The US and Canadian officers are pretty decent. If you are friendly to them, they will be friendly back.

Of all the border crossings available to use, I think I like this one the best. Well aside from Point Roberts lol. They are efficient, friendly and there is a duty free shop right there. For a government run place it’s not too bad.

If there’s 11 ratings for the Peace Arch and 5 for the adjacent truck crossing, someone needs to Unilocal the nearby Aldergrove crossing.
It’s a little out of the way compared to Peace Arch but when the radio tells you you’ll be waiting 2 hours if you brave that particular crossing (which is apparently common on Fridays and Sundays), Aldergrove is a lifesaver. It helps that most of the border-​crossing horde is unaware of it.
A little extra off-​freeway driving (and a map or GPS) is necessary on the WA side, but on the BC side, you’re just a short jaunt away from the Trans-​Canada Highway right into Vancouver.
I would highly recommend it on days when the Peace Arch is swamped, because even if you’re driving more and possibly not saving that much time, at least you’re MOVING the whole time. Did I mention that sitting in line at the Peace Arch kind of blows, no matter how nice the nearby park (that you don’t get to walk around in) may be?
Aldergrove: Because crossing the Canadian border should be a pleasant experience.