How is borderwatch different from other border wait time sites?

Borderwatch predicts wait 30/60/90 minutes ahead and ranks all four Cascade Gateway crossings against each other, instead of only showing a live camera image or a single raw number per crossing.

What is the best border crossing between Seattle and Vancouver?

It depends on the time of day and which way you're going -- Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas are the four Cascade Gateway crossings between Washington and British Columbia on the Seattle-Vancouver corridor, and the fastest one changes throughout the day as traffic shifts between them. Borderwatch ranks all four by predicted wait so you don't have to guess.

How do I choose which US-Canada border crossing to use?

Weigh the 30/60/90-minute forecast more heavily than the current wait if you're not leaving immediately -- a crossing that's backed up right now may already be draining, and one that looks clear can fill up by the time you arrive. Also check the other crossings' current wait: drivers divert between them, so a spike at Peace Arch often predicts a spike at Pacific Highway 30 minutes later.

Which Border Crossing Should I Take Northbound? — WA–BC / Seattle–Vancouver Wait Times

Predicted general-lane border wait times in minutes, northbound, for Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas, at 30/60/90 minutes from now.
crossing	now	in 30m	in 60m	in 90m
lynden	0m	0m	0m	0m
peace arch	<5m	0m	0m	0m
sumas	<5m	0m	0m	0m
pacific highway	9–10m	6m	4m	3m

live sources

Live, unreconciled border wait times in minutes reported directly by CBP, WSDOT, and CGDW for each crossing, northbound, general lane.
crossing	WSDOT	CGDW
lynden	— 7m ago	0m 7m ago
peace arch	5m 7m ago	0m 7m ago
sumas	5m 7m ago	0m 7m ago
pacific highway	10m 7m ago	9m 7m ago

how this works

Borderwatch answers "which border crossing should I take": it predicts wait at Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas 30/60/90 minutes out and ranks all four against each other, instead of leaving you to compare live camera images or a raw number per crossing yourself.

Predictions come from a LightGBM model trained on CGDW's 5-minute-resolution archive (2023–present) for all four Cascade Gateway crossings, using time of day, day of week, US and Canadian holidays, school breaks, each crossing's recent trend, and cross-crossing diversion patterns (a busy Peace Arch predicts a busier Pacific Highway soon after, since drivers divert) as inputs. "Now" values come directly from CBP, WSDOT, and CGDW's live feeds.

Typical error is 6–8 minutes depending on horizon, worse at hours flagged above (empirically Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday evening are hardest to predict). This is a predictive estimate from a hobby project, not an official source.

frequently asked questions

Which border crossing should I take northbound right now?: Peace Arch or Lynden or Sumas, currently reporting about <5m wait, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
Which border crossing should I take northbound if I leave in 30 min?: Peace Arch or Lynden or Sumas, predicted at about 0m.
Which border crossing should I take northbound if I leave in 60 min?: Peace Arch or Pacific Highway or Lynden or Sumas, predicted at about <4m.
Which border crossing should I take northbound if I leave in 90 min?: Peace Arch or Pacific Highway or Lynden or Sumas, predicted at about <3m.
What is the current border wait time at Lynden going northbound?: About 0 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the predicted border wait time at Lynden going northbound in 30 minutes?: About 0 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the current border wait time at Peace Arch going northbound?: Less than 5 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the predicted border wait time at Peace Arch going northbound in 30 minutes?: About 0 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the current border wait time at Sumas going northbound?: Less than 5 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the predicted border wait time at Sumas going northbound in 30 minutes?: About 0 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the current border wait time at Pacific Highway going northbound?: About 9 to 10 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
What is the predicted border wait time at Pacific Highway going northbound in 30 minutes?: About 6 minutes, as of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31.
Which Washington to BC border crossing is fastest right now?: As of 9:30 PM PDT on Fri, Jul 31, Peace Arch or Lynden or Sumas is the fastest crossing northbound, checked live against CBP, WSDOT, and CGDW.
How is borderwatch different from other border wait time sites?: Borderwatch predicts wait 30/60/90 minutes ahead and ranks all four Cascade Gateway crossings against each other, instead of only showing a live camera image or a single raw number per crossing.
What is the best border crossing between Seattle and Vancouver?: It depends on the time of day and which way you're going -- Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas are the four Cascade Gateway crossings between Washington and British Columbia on the Seattle-Vancouver corridor, and the fastest one changes throughout the day as traffic shifts between them. Borderwatch ranks all four by predicted wait so you don't have to guess.
How do I choose which US-Canada border crossing to use?: Weigh the 30/60/90-minute forecast more heavily than the current wait if you're not leaving immediately -- a crossing that's backed up right now may already be draining, and one that looks clear can fill up by the time you arrive. Also check the other crossings' current wait: drivers divert between them, so a spike at Peace Arch often predicts a spike at Pacific Highway 30 minutes later.