This ferry crossing is a great example why you must do your due diligence prior to taking a…read morevacation to a place you've never been. This international border crossing is like no other and I mean like no other - first of all it's a water crossing which by no means makes it rare but this
small family run operation is very rare, they are in the history books as the oldest ferry in the United States. For more than 200 years, the Horne family has been shuttling people from Cape Vincent, New York, to Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada across the St. Lawrence River. The ferry was chartered in 1802 and today, still in the family, they continue to pack up to a dozen cars on their little ferry built back in 1952 for the short trip to Canada and back.
Fortunately on this day we were the single passengers, my rental and the captain's aging old pickup truck were the only vehicles on the deck. Boarding on the Canadian side was quite the adventure with the high water level they have been experiencing, it was my first ferry boarding where I had to maneuver through a flooded ramp with the choppy river water threatening. A little nerve racking but vacations are suppose to be filled with adventure right?
I'm told many travelers use this as a convenient "back door" entry to and from Canada for its ease and convenience however this wasn't the case today thankfully. Horne's is the only international ferry in the region and is located at one of the narrowest crossing distances between the two countries. The ferry ride, which takes all of 10 minutes to cross the seven miles is like no other, it's very small and rolls with the waves but the crew takes great care ensuring it's a safe voyage so pay attention to the crews instructions, back in 2013 a minivan rolled through the gate and plunged off the ferry mid river - fortunately no one was inside, the genius rent a wreck driver had failed to set the parking brake and left the van in neutral before exiting, no injuries from the spill but the captain did suffer a heart-attack and fortunately survived.
The schedule of trips begins at 8 am and ends daily at 7:30 pm.
Everything is small at Horne's ferry. The ferry boat itself, the family operation, the duration of the trek to Canada and even the fare. Coming in at $18 for a car and driver, plus $2 for each passenger, you cannot find a cheaper, quicker, fun and hassle-free way to go from the U.S. to Canada.