Seasonal port of entry to reopen for summer season

With the summer season approaching, plans to reopen some seasonal ports of entry are beginning to take shape.

On Thursday, April 25, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that the Poker Creek port of entry will soon reopen for the 2024 summer season. The port of entry is scheduled to open on May 17 and will close on Sept. 15.

According to CBP, the opening and closing dates of the site are contingent upon weather allowing access, and those dates may be changed “with short notice.” The agency added that travelers seeking to enter through the port of entry during those dates should plan accordingly.

CBP said the hours of operation for the summer 2024 season will be the same as last year, with the port open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time.

The Poker Creek port of entry is one of four land crossings into Alaska and is the northernmost border crossing in North America.

In a corresponding move, the Canada Border Services Agency announced that the Little Gold Creek port of entry – located on the Canadian side of the joint-border inspection station – will reopen at the same time as its U.S. counterpart. The hours of operation, as well as the expected closure date, also will be the same.

“This will enable travelers to use the crossing during the long weekends in May and September, and extends the season by an additional four weeks, weather permitting,” the Canadian agency said in a statement. “These changes will apply in future years.”

According to the agency’s data, more than 11,000 travelers entered Canada at the border crossing this past summer season. LL