Point Roberts
Point Roberts is a small community in the Northwest Cascades region of the state of Washington, a tiny piece of the U.S. where the only road in or out is through Canada. This rectangular near-exclave sits on the Tsawwassen Peninsula just below the 49th parallel.
Understand
As a US near-exclave, only accessible by land from Canada, Point Roberts is effectively a gated community guarded by the US Department of Homeland Security. Sometimes visitors to Canada making a day trip to Point Roberts, but lacking a multiple entry visa to Canada, get stuck in Point Roberts. US Law Enforcement has used the Point, perceived as almost part of Canada, to trap US fugitives hiding in Canada. Once lured onto US soil on a false pretense, the Feds swoop in on the hapless crook who now has nowhere to run except into the ocean or back to the border and into the arms of US Border Patrol.
With only about a thousand people, Point Roberts has close ties with its neighbor to the north, serving as a border-hop destination for Canadians in Greater Vancouver. It has an elementary school but no middle or high school; after third grade, students have to cross an international border four times a day to go to school in the United States. (Canadian students can go to school in Delta.)
Get in
By car
If by land, Point Roberts is only accessible through the U.S. Border Station on Tyee Drive, which can be reached from 56th Street in (southern) Tsawwassen, Delta, British Columbia, Canada. For details, see Get in — By car section of the Northwest Cascades region article.
By plane
- 1 Point Roberts Airpark (FAA LID: 1RL), 622 Marine Dr, ☏ +1 360 945-3139, fax: +1 360 945-3169. Small private local airport with 2,400ft of grass runway. San Juan Airlines has scheduled flights between Bellingham and Point Roberts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
By water
- Point Roberts Marina, 713 Simundson Dr, ☏ +1 360 945-2255, fax: +1 360 945-0927. Marina with fuel, boat launch. Pier Restaurant at +1 360-945-7437 (945-PIER) with bar and grill, pizza, seafood, burgers, salads.
- Westwind Marine, 721 Simundson Dr, ☏ +1 360 945-5523. Boat repair service.
Get around
Public transit
- Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) Vanpool, Phone: +1 360-945-2844. Convenient and relatively inexpensive local van service.
Taxi service
- Point Roberts Cab Company, 1800 Benson Road, Phone: +1 360-945-2757. The only local taxi service in Point Roberts.
See
The line separating Point Roberts from Canada is the westernmost land border between Canada and the continental US. The westernmost spot is marked by a large monument honoring several UK soldiers from the 1800s. The monument is in a small park with a bench looking out over the Georgia Straight, the Gulf Islands, and Vancouver Island.
- Roosevelt Drive (North, along the Canadian border). Always open. Along this unassuming lane, the "undefended international border" is concretely visible. A narrow trench and periodic metre-high obelisks mark the boundary. To the north, back yards and wood fences of suburban Tsawwassen homes crowd in. To the south, groves of trees reveal the pastoral spirit of Point Roberts. No forbidding wall or cleared no-man's-land mars the scene. Free.
- 1 Monument Park. This small park includes a monument marking the establishment of the border between Canada and the USA. There is also a short but steep walk to the beach. Free.
Do
- 1 Point Roberts Golf & Country Club, 1350 Pelican Pl, ☏ +1 360 945-4653. Championship-sized golf & country club attracts golfers from around North America. Eagle's Roost restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. Due to slightly dryer and sunnier conditions compared to the Fraser Valley, weather in Point Roberts is ideal for golfing. One green fee, approx $60.
- There are many mountain bike trails that run through Point Roberts to the South East corner of the peninsula. Ramps and jumps are set up for beginner to intermediate level mountain bike riders.
- 2 Lighthouse Marine Park, ☏ +1 360 945-4911. Park on southwest corner of the peninsula with beach and public restrooms, 21 acres with unobstructed view over the Georgia Straight to the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. Thirty camp sites with fire pit, picnic table and parking. Whales can be spotted from here at times. $22/night for camper.
- 3 Maple Beach. The largest public beach in Point Roberts. Free parking at the northern end of the beach. Free.
- 4 Lily Point Marine Park, 2315 APA Road (Drive to the end of APA road where you will find the park entrance and parking.). Lovely park with a few well-maintained tracks and beach access. This used to be the site of a salmon cannery. Free.
Buy
- Point Roberts main business is selling gas in litres (lower tax rates), dairy products and US postal services to Canadians. The post office rents far more boxes to Canadian residents than to local residents.
Eat
- 1 South Beach House Restaurant, 725 S Beach Rd, ☏ +1 360 945-0717. Beachfront seafood restaurant, wine and beer, full bar, oceanfront patio. Dogs welcomed outside. Seasonal.
- 2 The Shell Center, 423 Tyee Dr, ☏ +1 360 945-2454. Breakfast, pizza, ice cream, coffee, wine and beer, gourmet sandwiches. Eat-in and takeout.
- 3 Saltwater Cafe, 1345 Gulf Rd, ☏ +1-360-945-7258.
Drink
- 1 Kiniski's Reef Tavern (The Reef), 1334 Gulf Rd, ☏ +1 360 945-4042.
Sleep
- 1 Maple Meadows Inn, 101 Goodman Rd, ☏ +1 360 945-5536, fax: +1 360 945-2542. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Wi-fi, fridge, microwave, breakfast room service, deck/patio. $145 May 15-Oct 15; $125 Oct 15-May 15.
Connect
Note that due to the proximity to Canada and distance from the rest of the United States, a US mobile phone plan not from Verizon (the only US carrier to place a cell site in the area) may not work or require an additional roaming add-on to function while in Point Roberts. If you need mobile coverage while here and are coming from the US, make sure your plan includes Canadian coverage. Conversely, if you are coming from the rest of Canada, your plan will likely function in Point Roberts as it does in Canada; all three major providers completely cover the community while Freedom Mobile may be spotty away from the border.