What to See in Blaine - Top Sights and Attractions

Monument and lawns on U.S./Canada border. The Peace Arch is a monument situated near the westernmost point of the Canada–United States border in the contiguous United States, between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. Construction of the 20.5-meter tall arch was headed by American lawyer Sam Hill and dedicated in September 1921. The Peace Arch commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, and symbolizes a long history of peace between the two nations. The monument is built on the exact U.S.–Canada boundary, where Interstate 5 on the U.S. side of the border becomes Highway 99 on the Canadian side, in the grass median between the northbound and southbound lanes.

The monument and the surrounding land is part of Peace Arch Park. Within the park is Peace Arch Border Crossing, a major border crossing between Interstate 5 and British Columbia Highway 99.^[1]

Ferry. MV Plover is an 11-ton, 17-passenger ferry in Whatcom County, Washington, built in 1944, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. She is owned by the City of Blaine, Washington and operated by the nonprofit Drayton Harbor Maritime. She originally ferried workers from Blaine to the Alaska Packers' Association cannery at Semiahmoo Spit, carrying out this function until 1964. She was restored by volunteers of Whatcom Maritime Historical Society, and now carries passengers during the summer months from the Blaine harbor dock across Drayton Harbor to the resort dock. At approximately 1 kilometer, this is claimed to be the shortest ferry run in Washington. She is the second oldest operating foot passenger ferry in Washington, next to Kitsap Transit's Carlisle II which was built in Bellingham 27 years earlier, in 1917.

In 1998, the Plover restoration was recognized by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation as demonstrating "the best of preservation practice" with a Valerie Sivinski Award for Outstanding Achievement in Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Projects.^[2]

The Peace Arch Border Crossing is the common name for the border crossing which connects the cities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia on the Canada–United States border. The crossing is reached by Interstate 5 on the American side and by British Columbia Highway 99 on the Canadian side. It serves the most direct route between the major cities of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia, and the crossing is the third-busiest on the border with up to 4,800 cars a day. Wait times can be up to four hours; traffic lights exist on the southbound lane, with timers showing when the light will turn green so drivers can turn off engines, visit the park, and use public restrooms. Between the two border stations sits the Peace Arch Park, where visitors are free to cross the border within the confines of the park.

Border inspection services at this crossing long predated the 1921 construction of the Peace Arch. The Canada border station is officially known as "Douglas" after the surrounding locality, although it has been known over the years as "White Rock" and "Surrey". The US border station is known as "Blaine – Peace Arch".

The crossing is less than a mile west of the Pacific Highway Border Crossing; trucks and other commercial vehicles have been prohibited from using the Peace Arch crossing since the 1970s, in an effort to improve the visitation experience of the park.^[3]

The Pacific Highway Border Crossing connects the towns of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia on the Canada-United States border, and is located on the Pacific Highway, which runs from San Diego, California to Vancouver, British Columbia. The crossing was opened in 1913 as a dirt-road alternative to the Peace Arch Border Crossing, and became more popular when it was paved in 1923. As the highway passes through the crossing, it is known as British Columbia Highway 15 on the Canadian side and Washington State Route 543 on the American side. All commercial vehicles traveling between Blaine and Surrey are required to use this crossing, a policy established in the 1970s. This means that for the purposes of commercial traffic, it is the northern terminus of the Interstate 5 corridor. It is one of the five busiest commercial US-Canada border crossings.^[4]