Visiting the peace arch?

[Mdcastle]

One of my trip ideas is to  fly into Seattle, circle Olympic Park, then go through Victoria and Vancouver in a week. Doable or no? What are the logistics of visiting the peace arch? I've seen pictures of people walking through it, but the information I've been able to dig up seems that you're not allowed to do it, and in fact there's no parking nearby for people that might want to. Wikipedia implies that in order to cross the border on foot you have to "be cleared by the country you want to enter". But how does one do that, drive through and be cleared by US customs, then park and double back?

The earliest I'd be able to travel is November. Is this when the weather turns rainy and thus I should think of trying this some other time?

[NE2]

http://www.peacearchpark.org/peacearch.htm looks authoritative.

[J N Winkler]

One of my trip ideas is to  fly into Seattle, circle Olympic Park, then go through Victoria and Vancouver in a week. Doable or no?

Definitely doable:  I followed an itinerary somewhat similar to this (but not including Victoria) in summer 2003 over less than a week.  However, my visit to Olympic National Park was rather abbreviated.  The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the rainiest places in North America, so I don't recommend it for camping unless you are prepared to deal with copious amounts of rain.

What are the logistics of visiting the peace arch? I've seen pictures of people walking through it, but the information I've been able to dig up seems that you're not allowed to do it, and in fact there's no parking nearby for people that might want to. Wikipedia implies that in order to cross the border on foot you have to "be cleared by the country you want to enter". But how does one do that, drive through and be cleared by US customs, then park and double back?

My experience of the Peace Arch dates to 1991, so things may have changed, but at the time the most convenient way to visit the park was while waiting in queue at the border crossing.  I don't think September 11 has changed things that much.  The problem is not getting to the park, but rather leaving, which you must do through the Customs checkpoint of the country you are entering.

I have never had a desire to do a repeat Peace Arch visit because of the waits at that particular border crossing.  In 2003 I was in the Fraser Valley and wanted to go to Seattle (almost due south), but drove a considerable distance out of my way and crossed at Osoyoos, which is as close as Canada comes to high desert, and took the North Cascades Highway (SR 20, very scenic) back to the vicinity of Seattle.  It might be closed in November, however (Wikipedia gives the median closure date as 26 November and the median open date as 20 April).

[Alex]

Andy and I visited the Peace Arch in 2006 and the park grounds are a place where one can legally enter Canada and return without reporting to customs. There is a parking area along the east side of Interstate 5 off 2nd Street in Blaine. You can park there and stroll westward to the arch. A crosswalk is in place across the northbound lanes even.

Andy posted several photos from this visit on the Interstate Guide page for I-5.

...Looking at the aerials of Blaine, roundabouts are now in place at the ends of the diamond interchange ramps. This was not the case in 2006:



Clearly though, signs were posted for Peace Arch State Park.

[corco]

I did this in 2008.

I'd say your best bet is to cross back into the US on BC-15/SR 543 (much, much faster than I-5) and then head west on D St and then north up to the parking lot just east of the border. Park there and then stroll in.

[Mdcastle]

I guess I'm kind of confused by the statement on the official web site

You may walk around and enjoy the entire international (US/Can) park. However, do not walk outside the parks boundaries or enter the adjacent country unless you have cleared Customs to legally enter that country.

I thought it would work like the International Peace Garden, where (in theory- in practice we were stopped and harrassed by the National Guard when leaving the US) you enter freely from either side, walk around anywhere within the confines, and then go through customs for whichever country you want to end up in.

To me the statement means you're not allowed to cross the actual border within the park on foot unless you've cleared the opposite customs and double back.

Related question- particularly good or bad times to drive southbound from Vancouver to Seattle, or from Seatac to Port Angelas? And we won't be camping, we'll be flying in and so won't have the abiltiy to take equipment, and my sister's not a camper anyway.

[corco]

Nah, you're good as long as you don't leave the park. If you enter the park in the US and walk out of the park in Canada, then you'll get in trouble.

[Alps]

As JN suggests, what happened in my case is that we all hopped out of the car to go up to the arch and get a photo while waiting in line, then back in the car before it had moved forward too much. Several other carloads were doing the same.

[Kacie Jane]

Related question- particularly good or bad times to drive southbound from Vancouver to Seattle, or from Seatac to Port Angelas? And we won't be camping, we'll be flying in and so won't have the abiltiy to take equipment, and my sister's not a camper anyway.

For both, I would say to try your hardest to avoid the P.M. rush.

For Seatac to Port Angeles, you'll probably only ever hit major traffic from Federal Way to downtown Tacoma (possibly also Olympia if you plan on going through there rather than over the Narrows Bridge), and it'll be worst late rush, approx 5-8.

For Vancouver to Seattle, BC-99 is absolutely unbearable during rush hour, particularly through the Massey Tunnel.  (Definitely avoid this reverse-peak -- AM rush southbound -- as well, since it has a contraflow setup.)  During other times, it's a perfectly fine drive.  I've only taken TCH-1 to BC-15 once, I can't vouch for the traffic patterns there.  Once you get back into the States, you only really have to worry about traffic south of Everett, about 3-6 PM.

I may just be jaded since the Massey tunnel was the site of my only accident... Fortunately, since we were only moving 20 mph at most, it was just a fender bender.

[corco]

I much prefer using 15/13 to 1 to get up to downtown Vancouver. As you said, 99 during rushhour is a nightmare. In fact, I'd actually recommend using SR 539 and BC-13 during heavy traffic, and I haven't been on 539 since they fixed the road up- it's probably even better now. That's probably too far out of the way though if visiting the Peace Arch is a priority.  1 always seems to flow well in my experience, and 15 is a better road than it looks like on the map.

[Mdcastle]

My work schedule has changed so it looks like this trip might be an option again this fall- it's likely going to be either this or the Redwood Highway. I've only ever been to Seattle in May and liked it then- flowers everwhere and it didn't rain everyday, just maybe one out of three. Is the fall generally a bad time to visit in general or would September or October be OK, and are the Butchart Gardens worth seeing at this time?

[kkt]

My work schedule has changed so it looks like this trip might be an option again this fall- it's likely going to be either this or the Redwood Highway. I've only ever been to Seattle in May and liked it then- flowers everwhere and it didn't rain everyday, just maybe one out of three. Is the fall generally a bad time to visit in general or would September or October be OK, and are the Butchart Gardens worth seeing at this time?

September is usually nice in Seattle.  October you start getting rain way too much of the time.

Butchart Gardens are so expensive I'm not sure they're worth seeing at any time