Point
Roberts
End of the line, USA
GETTING
THERE...By car: Follow directions on B.C. Hwy 99 for
Tsawwassen/Island ferries. Turn south on 56th Street. The U.S.
border
crossing is at the top of the hill. By boat: Point Roberts is
the first port of
entry for vessels entering the country. A phone at the fuel dock
connects
you to border officials for clearance.
Photos
by Karl
King
Once you’ve crossed the U.S. border into Point Roberts,
you’ve reached the end of the line, both figuratively and
literally.
Turning
onto Tyee Drive, lined with evergreens on either side, you’ll
see the blue waters of Georgia Strait lapping on to the southern
end of Point Roberts less than two miles away.
Compact
(just 4.9 square miles), lightly populated (just a tad over
1,200 permanent residents) and somewhat isolated (no doctors
or dentists), Point Roberts is a quirky kind of place that
has attracted people from all over the world and hasn’t
let them go. One well-known local artist calls it the vortex
effect. If it happens to you, well, you’ll know what
he means.
The
Point hangs down from British Columbia and is about three miles
wide by two miles long. Much of the central portion is covered
by forest with clearings on the beaches that ring the peninsula.
On the east are the warm waters of Boundary Bay with its extensive
sand flats while the south and west is bounded by Georgia Strait.
Immediately north of the border is Tsawwassen.
The original
visitors, Coast Salish Indians, called Point Roberts Cheltenum.
They typically rowed over from the mainland during the summer
to take advantage of the bounty of the sea. Take a drive,
walk or bike in the Maple Beach area. Depending which street
you go down, you will notice a large hump in the roadway. This
is a midden that stretches southeast to northwest and is
comprised of seashells and the detritus of many, many years.
Occasionally,
a homeowner in the area has gone to build a new cabin or undertake
a major remodel only to discover archaeological remains.
The
first European explorer, Spanish captain Juan Francisco la
Bodegay Quadra came through in 1775 and called it Punta Zapeda.
In 1792, Captain George Vancouver sailed by and named it
Point Roberts after his friend and colleague, Henry Roberts.
Recent research strongly suggests that in the late 1500s Sir
Francis Drake voyaged through Washington, British Columbia
and Alaska on his search for the Northwest passage. He didn’t
name it but he described Point Roberts as “beautiful
bay.” Local
lore holds that there used to be a plate marker on
the west side of the point indicating Drake’s
passage up the coast.
Things have
changed. Now the most frequent visitors are from up north,
coming down to their cabins, to go fishing, golfing, sunbathing,
biking, exploring and pretty much goof off. Come
join them.
Keep an
eye out for wildlife - Great Blue Herons, eagles, orcas, deer,
raccoons and Kingfishers all call Point Roberts home – as
do a steadily increasing population of rabbits
and coyotes.
If you’ve
timed it right, you’ll
catch what the locals call the ‘Orca show.’ Point
Roberts is home to two pods of Killer whales who are often
seen as close as 10 feet off the beach when the salmon
is running. There is also a ‘false
killer whale’ that shows up – kids
on the dock have actually stroked its back
as it swims by. Check with the Lighthouse Park
but the whales usually show up around 3 or
4 p.m.
Take the
time to explore, especially on foot or bicycle. No hill is
too steep or too long and the Point can be given a good
once-over in a day. Pick up a complimentary
map available at the tourist booth at the
Shell gas station.
Commercially,
there is a large supermarket, art gallery and a variety of
restaurants and cafes. Much of the interior contains trails – watch
for mountain bikers entering or leaving
trailheads or ask a local for suggestions.
If you’ve
got the stamina, pack up a lunch and walk from Maple Beach
around to the Lighthouse Park. Maple Beach’s
half-mile of sand flats makes for great
crabbing and clamming and allegedly boasts the warmest
water north of California (it can get close to 80 degrees
in the late afternoon when the tide comes in). Lily Point
is the halfway mark and makes a great place to stop for
lunch, a swim or just plain relaxing.
Keep an
eye out for eagles – there are a number of perches
and it’s not uncommon to see
as many as 10-15 eagles at a time.
The beach is pebbly at high tide so
wear sneakers at a minimum if that’s
the time you go. Check the tide tables
on page 22. While you can make it around
at high tide, it’s
easier and more interesting when the
tide is on the way out.
Once you’ve
reached the 1,000- slip marina (which
offers a restaurant, chandlery, repair
services, haulouts, guest moorage
and 24-hour refueling), you walk along
Edwards Drive on a grassy trail until
you get to Lighthouse Marine Park.
The park’s
boat launch is also a good place to launch your boat or kayak
and the floating dock is a favorite place to fish for bullheads
and salmon.
A few years
back, a fisher caught a 55-pound Chinook salmon off the beach.
The park has picnic areas, BBQs and a campsite. It’s
a great place to end the day
and watch the sun go down.
The Point
is a favorite launch spot for boaters wanting to go
to the Canadian Gulf Islands or
Washington’s San Juan Islands
due to their proximity. For a
reasonably fast boat (25-mph/40-kph) Active Pass is only 30
minutes away. There is also the 18-hole Point Roberts Golf & Country
Club. Call ahead for tee times.
Don’t miss:
• Check out the orcas at Lighthouse Marine Park.
• Walk around the Point
at low tide.
|