American Visitors

As an American you may be unaware of the vacation posibilities in Ontario. There is a surprising amount of incorrect information in circulation about Canada. Canada is not so remote and cold a place as you may believe. Below is a list of quick facts that may surprise you:

• Population approximately 30 million.
• Size: 9,976,000 square kilometres (slightly larger than the U.S.A.)
• Almost all Canadians live within 100 miles of your northern border.

Here are some facts about Ontario.

• The second largest province at 1,000,000 square kilometres.
• One sixth of the provinces area is occupied by rivers, lakes, and ocean.
• The name means "beautiful water" in Iroquois.
• Population approximately 10 million.
• Parts of Ontario are south of Michigan.
• Sections of Ontario are at the same latitude as Northern California.
• The average July temperature in Southern Ontario is greater than 25C [80F]
• There are thirteen border crossings between Ontario and three U.S. states.

If you live in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, or New York then you share either a land or water border with Ontario, and are within a six hour drive of a border.

If you live in the states of North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Deleware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine then you are within a single days drive of Ontario.

Border Crossings

All you will need to cross into Canada is an American Birth Certificate or Passport. Please be aware that weapons will not be allowed across the border. Hunting permits are available. There is a very serious zero tolerance law in effect at the borders. If you decide to bring recreational drugs with you, you could lose the vehicle that transports them across the border.

A list of border crossings is provided HERE

Currency

American money is readily accepted in Canada. The current exchange rate works in your favour. It has floated around 30% in the past few years. This gives you $1.30 Canadian for every American dollar, a considerable boost to your wallet. Most stores will give you a reasonable rate of exchange, but generally not as good as the exchange rate available in banks.

The Metric System

The highway system is labelled in metric. Here are the most common speeds you will encounter.

The START HERE page will explain how the site is layed out.Maps of North America will provide a better understanding of Ontario's location compared to the U.S. Border crossing maps are also provided. From there you can proceed into maps of the province and begin to explore.

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