Point Roberts, Washington: The Bizarre & Beautiful Place that Should Probably Be Part of Canada
Join us in Point Roberts, Washington---one of Washington State’s most unusual places. It’s a place of uncommonly beautiful coastal scenery, but what makes it truly unusual is that it’s cut off from the rest of the US—getting there by road from the US requires crossing the Canadian border twice!
In today’s video, I’ll share a little more about Point Roberts, Washington, and an afternoon walk along the beach in Point Roberts. 🔔 If you enjoy this video, remember to give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to our channel! / @adventurespnw
Apparently this bizarre border anomaly started in 1846, when a treaty established the 49th parallel as the demarcation line for most of the western US-Canada border. Adjustments were made to dip the border lower around Vancouver Island, but no adjustments were made for Point Roberts. I’ve seen discussion suggesting that the anomaly may have been intentional because at the time, it was a militarily strategic place.
Either way, if you visit Point Roberts, you’ll need to go through a full border crossing checkpoint, with the same ID requirements as larger US-Canada border crossings.
After crossing, we headed to the Lily Point Marine Reserve for a walk through the forest to the beach. The route we took was a 2-mile lollipop loop with some fabulous views, plus a steep descent to the beach itself. Here is the link to the trail entry on AllTrails, in case you'd like to do the hike yourself: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wa...
From the beach, there are fabulous mountain views (including Mount Baker!) and city views.
It’s a rocky beach, so just be careful of your footing. It’s a great place to enjoy the water, explore the driftwood, and look for wildlife.
Point Roberts is just a few minutes’ drive from the ferry to Vancouver Island. For more on the scenic ferry ride, see our video here: • How to Get from Vancouver to Victoria (or ...
Thanks for joining us at Point Roberts, Washington!