A while back we talked about Sam Hill, a champion of Pacific Northwest road building. He also helped to create monuments such as the Peace Arch. This is an installation on the western-most border between the U.S. and Canada.
You will find the Peace Arch in a grass median between the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. Interstate 5, which in Canada is called Highway 99. The 67-foot-tall monument commemorates the peaceful history of the two nations Wikipedia, 2025).
The Peace Arch is essentially an international park
In addition to the arch, which was completed in 1921, the U.S. side of the border has a playground, interpretative displays and a rentable kitchen (Washington State Parks, 2025).
You have historically been allowed to walk around the area surrounding the Peace Arch as long as you didn’t try to enter the other country without first going through its border checkpoint.
As a result, the area has functioned as something of no-man’s land. For example, during the pandemic families and friends reportedly met at the Peace Arch when the borders were closed. And back in 1952, African-American singer Paul Robeson performed here because he was banned from leaving the country (Wikipedia, 2025).
Has access to the park recently tightened?
I took these photos more than a year ago. News reports and social-media chatter suggest that access to the park may have been tightened since then (Alden, 2024; neilk, 2025; BC Parks, 2025).
For example, the International Peace Arch Association (2025) states that the park is monitored by border patrols from both countries. If requested, “you must present your photo ID (passport, visa, or legal status).”
When I was there no one asked me for my ID. That said, agents were stationed around the park and signs warned people not to enter the U.S. without going through the checkpoint. That gave the place a certain tension between the lofty words engraved on the Peace Arch and the realities of managing a border.
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RE:SOURCES
- Alden, Charlotte; 2024. “Border Patrol restricts Canadian access to Peace Arch Park.” Cascadia Daily News. Posted May 30.
- BC Parks; 2025. “Peace Arch Park.” British Columbia Parks. Accessed Sept. 14.
- International Peace Arch Association; 2025. “Travel and Tourism Information.” Accessed Sept. 14.
- neilk; 2025. “Is it legal to enter Peace Arch park but not cross to the other side?” Accessed Sept. 14.
- Washington State Parks; 2025. “Peace Arch Historical State Park.” Page accessed Sept. 14.
- Wikipedia; 2025. “Peace Arch.” Page last modified June 25.
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