My family and I are taking a long weekend trip up the north shore to do some day hikes and waterfall watching. We are planning on crossing into Canada to see the other side of the High Falls of the Pigeon River and to have lunch.

I haven't been across the border in years and I am hoping some of you more regular crossers can give some advice on what I need. My wife has her passport, I need to get a new one since mine expired. We have two kids (9 and 5) and the .gov site says they just need proof of citizenship - is a birth cert ok or do they need passports too? also we will have our dog with us - what does she need if anything?

I always bring passport, birth certificate , another form of ID, and a Canadian insurance card that you can get from your agent. It all depends on what mood the border crossing attendant is in. Sometimes they can be a little picky, but most of the time it’s pretty painless. The truth is they pretty much know everything about you before you get up to the main gate. Your info will be up on their screen before you even talk to them. Most of the time my passport and drivers license does the trick.

How about for the kids and the dog? Ever bring them along? I guess those are the three i am wondering the most about.

Thanks for the response

It looks like things have really changed since this picture was taken.

It seems the trailhead to the Falls has moved. You might have to park at the information center and start your hike from there. You used to be able to drive to a small lot on the west side of the road. You can walk out onto the edge of the falls from the Canadian side if conditions allow.

I haven’t crossed the border in 20 years now, but I remember reading you have to have proof of rabies vaccination for your dog.

Remember that it's not getting into Canada that's the problem, it's getting back into the US. The Canadians should be fine with a birth cert. for the kids. Coming back into the US, I bet you'll be fine but in recent years I've just given them my daughter's passport right away, it makes things quicker.

Keep in mind that for kids passports are only good for five years, and they're only a little cheaper than for adults. If you're not planning to fly internationally, you can get just a passport card for your kids instead of a full passport book. It's only good for land and sea crossings within North America, but it has the added bonus of being an actual photo ID for kids who otherwise don't have one, without having to carry around passports for them. It also meets Real ID requirements, unlike the MN driver's license and/or ID card (most other states' licenses and IDs meet the requirements). Getting a passport card is kind of a pain in the butt - basically the same process as a full passport - but at least it's only $40 instead of $120.

I don't know anything about dogs, but I don't think they require any special documentation. A vet's letter that they've received all their vaccinations might be a good idea. Horses apparently require passports.

Yeah, i think for the dog you're right i found some FAQs on the ole web that say just proof of rabies

yes, park at the visitor info center, give that a look-see inside, pretty cool. trail head starts right there and continues under the highway onto the trail.

You used to have to take a left at the school bus sign (still there) a little north of where the trail goes under the road. The entrance is now blocked off. I have no clue when they built the visitor’s center.