Porthill/Rykerts Border Crossing, Idaho
One of two border crossing in Idaho, less than 15 miles west down the line from the other, the Porthill/Rykerts crossing is on Highway 1, at the town of Porthill, on the east bank of the Kootenai River. The river meanders back into Canada here after coming out from under the Libby Dam, 80 miles upstream. The current USA Port of Entry is a modest and modern building. There is an old Port of Entry, just up the hill behind it, abandoned. It was replaced when Route 1 was straightened out, cutting off the loop through the east side of Porthill. The old road passed by the brick housing that was used by the customs officials. The boundary line runs directly behind the homes, through their fenced back yards, in fact. West of the Port, the line continues through the grassy parking area for the local airport, where pilots can park their planes and walk up the steps to report in. There is a row of concrete slabs, set in the grass of the parking apron, indicating the border line. Across the aircraft parking area, the border heads due west, along the 49th Parallel, into the mountains. A few miles south of the crossing, Highway 1 merges with US 95, which runs south all the way to Mexico.
