Our brief respite in Ontario approached its conclusion and we had to return to the United States. Three days earlier, we crossed the border using the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia, which involved an hour-long wait. So this time we tried something different that had the added benefit of increasing my personal ferry count.
As it turns out, one small ferry still traverses the St. Clair River between Ontario and Michigan: the Walpole Algonac Ferry. The Walpole Island First Nation operates the service and it’s a great convenience for its band members. Simultaneously, it also benefits the general public and it can be quite a shortcut in the right circumstances.
Please refer to the official Walpole Algonac Ferry website for specific fare information and hours of operation as these things change. I can only say what it was like the day we caught it.
The ferry crosses between Walpole Island, Ontario (near Wallaceburg), and Algonac, Michigan as it has for more than a century. It’s an international border and that’s why I’m mildly surprised it still exists in the modern era. Border security has become increasingly onerous over the last couple of decades. Bring a passport and be prepared for the full set of border formalities even at this lightly traveled crossing (map).
On the Canadian Side
We drove down to the ferry landing from Sarnia which took about 45 minutes. Route 32 is the only access to Walpole Island, using the Tecumseh Road Bridge. Even so, it’s barely an island. Only a narrow channel of the St. Clair River separates Walpole from the rest of Ontario.
Walpole Island was rather sleepy on this random Tuesday morning in late October. I imagine it’s not fully awake even at busier times. I respected the pedestrian friendly speed limit on the island and slowed down even further at the school zone. We were in no hurry. Soon we pulled up to the ferry landing and parked behind a single car ahead of us in queue. Nobody else joined us for this particular crossing.
Nookshkaan
The Walpole Island First Nation occupies this little corner of Canada as unceded territory. This includes Walpole Island of course, plus several smaller islets within the St. Clair River. Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa people share this space and their cultural touches appear in notable ways. Collectively they call this Bkejwanong Territory, from an Anishinaabemowin word meaning, rather poetically, “where the water divides.”
Local signage reflects their heritage. Here for instance, directly across from the ferry landing, we encountered an all-way Nookshkaan sign. I’ll take their word that it means “to move forward gently, proceed cautiously“. Nonetheless, it’s pretty obvious it means Stop by its placement on a red octagonal board even though the literal translation might be something closer to Yield. Semantics aside, I didn’t need an Anishinaabemowin-English dictionary to figure it out, and of course I stopped.
Then I had to take a photo because I like unusual signs and I probably wouldn’t see this one again.
Ferry Arrival
Our ferry arrived a few minutes later. It doesn’t run on a fixed schedule so you get what you get. It simply goes back-and-forth all day long, loading and unloading and cruising back across.
Sometimes they run two ships, the smaller “Walpole Islander” that holds nine cars and the larger “City of Algonac” that holds twelve. The one pulling up in the photo — the one we rode — was the Walpole Islander. That was the only ship operating during our visit so I guess it was a slow day. Slow is good.
The United States looms in the background across the river. You can almost read Algonac on the water tower. It’s a short ride.
Boarding
The ship pulled up to the dock like any other ferry and cars disembarked, and then Canada Border Services processed them. We waited briefly for the deck to clear and then an attendant guided us to park at a good spot to balance our weight.
Once settled, the attendant collected our fare. There were a variety of ways to pay including cash, debit, credit, and even Apple Pay. We used cash, specifically Canadian cash. They charged the same dollar amount whether Canadian or U.S., so paying Canadian made it meaningfully cheaper because of the exchange rate. Fortunately, we had a little leftover Canadian cash that we wanted to put back into circulation from our trip earlier in the summer. Generally though, you almost never need actual paper currency in Canada unless you simply prefer to use it.
Crossing the Border
So the ferry began its brief crossing of the St. Clair River lasting all of ten minutes. It was scenic but uneventful, with partly cloudy skies and a light wind. I remembered to photograph my navigation screen as we passed over the actual border and entered the United States. The trip was much more pleasant than sitting in traffic, bumper-to-bumper at any of the other crossings between Ontario and Michigan.
American Border Control
But we still had to pass through border control in Algonac, Michigan. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection says that 2,900 inbound travelers entered the U.S. at Algonac in October 2025. That roughs-out to about 94 people per day. So even our single car carrying three passengers made a measurable dent in the statistics that day.
This must be one of the more laid-back border agent assignments: process a handful of vehicles every once in awhile whenever the ferry arrives. I wonder if they work here permanently, or whether they rotate between the much busier stations at Detroit and Port Huron so they get to see some action.
The border agent didn’t understand why I took the ferry when I said we were coming from Sarnia, which is situated literally at the base of the Blue Water Bridge. Coming down to Walpole Island adds quite a bit of distance and time, and generally doesn’t make much sense. I explained that I ride ferries as a hobby and he responded with a terse, “please open your trunk.” That’s the only time I’ve ever had my trunk searched on multiple drives across the Canada – United States border. Remind me why I have weird hobbies, again?
Of course I didn’t have anything improper and he let us on our way. But maybe you’ll want to have a better story when you go across.
Articles in the Borderland Series
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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