This one is for all our history buffs out there! Summer is a great time to get off the beaten path and explore two hidden gems along the north coast of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area: Blaine and Point Roberts. In addition to stunning water views and laid-back vibes, Blaine and Point Roberts share a fascinating history with the salmon canning industry. While fancy tinned fish may be all the rage now, it’s nothing compared to the roaring salmon canning business in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska during the late 1800s and early 1900s. On this itinerary, you’ll spend the night surrounded by historic cannery buildings, explore fishing history at charming museums, and hike at one of the most significant fishery sites in Washington State. Of course, no maritime adventure would be complete without the chance to sample some fresh seafood and enjoy a few beautiful beaches along the way!
Bring your passport: This itinerary includes a visit to the exclave of Point Roberts, a U.S. town that is surrounded by water on three sides and Canada on the other. To get there, you’ll need to drive through two border crossings (and two more on the way back), so pack a passport—and your patience. If you have your own boat, you can access Point Roberts through the Point Roberts Marina. There are currently no ferry services to Point Roberts.
Day One: Blaine
Take advantage of your summer Friday and plan to arrive in Blaine around 2:00 pm to ensure you have plenty of time to enjoy this small but vibrant seaside community.
Visit the Alaska Packers Association Museum
Open Thursday-Sunday, 1:00 – 5:00 pm during the summer and Saturday-Sunday, 1:00 – 5:00 pm fall through spring | Also open by appointment | 9261 Semiahmoo Parkway, Blaine, WA 98230
Start your adventure with a primer on the history of the canning industry in Washington State. The Alaska Packers Association Museum tells the story of fish canning, from the small boats on Bristol Bay to massive factories in the Salish Sea, to consumers around the world. The Alaska Packers Association (APA) was one of the largest salmon companies in the world, at a time when salmon was one of the biggest businesses around. In the 1890s, they built a cannery that later became their corporate headquarters on Semiahmoo Spit. The museum, located on the spit in one of the former cannery buildings, helps bring the APA’s fascinating story to life with an original 29-foot gill-netting salmon boat, hundreds of historic photos and cannery artifacts, and a scale model of a fish trap. Most days you can even purchase some canned salmon to take home with you!
“I think one of the coolest things about the APA is its longevity, the fact that they built all their own fishing boats, the fact that they used tall ships, and that they employed a lot of people. I am still learning more all the time; [APA was] a huge company with many connections in many places.”
Take the historic Plover passenger ferry across Drayton Harbor
Memorial Day through Labor Day, Friday and Saturday 12:00 – 8:00 pm and Sunday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm | Departs on the hour from Blaine Boating Center Visitor’s Dock (235 Marine Dr. Blaine) and on the half hour from the Semiahmoo Resort wharf (9598 Semiahmoo Pkwy, Blaine).
Park your car at Semiahmoo Resort (where you’ll be spending the night!) and take a scenic ride across the harbor for dinner. Recently back in the water after a heroic restoration by the nonprofit Drayton Harbor Maritime, the M/V Plover is an utterly charming 32-foot, 17-passenger foot ferry that sails between Blaine Harbor Marina and Semiahmoo Resort. Built in 1944, the Plover used to ferry workers to the massive cannery on Semiahmoo Spit. Today, she provides visitors with a lovely and scenic cruise with plenty of opportunities to spot harbor seals, oyster beds, and gorgeous views of the harbor.
Savor a seafood dinner at Drayton Harbor Oyster Company
Open 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm daily (except Tuesdays) | 685 Peace Portal Drive Blaine, WA 98230
Located just a short walk from where the Plover drops off in downtown Blaine, Drayton Harbor Oyster Company is a local favorite. Operated by father-and-son duo Steve and Mark Seymour, this charming waterfront eatery serves up fresh-as-can-be oysters grown less than a mile away—in fact, your ride over on the Plover will go right past their oyster beds. Order these fan-favorite bivalves grilled, fried, or raw on the half shell. Not a fan of oysters? No problem. Drayton Harbor Oyster Company also serves up shrimp, fish, and other tasty seafood.
Spend the night at the site of a historic salmon cannery
If you took the Plover to dinner, make sure to catch her last sailing at 7:00 pm (5:00 pm on Sundays) to ride back across Drayton Harbor, because tonight you’ll be staying at Semiahmoo Resort (9565 Semiahmoo Pkwy, Blaine). This hotel at the tip of the Semiahmoo Spit is built on the site of a former APA cannery. Several buildings, piers, and a water tower from the site’s cannery days remain intact alongside the newer buildings of the resort itself.
Pro Tip: Semiahmoo Resort can be a bit of a splurge, especially in the summer. If you’re looking for another option, Birch Bay (just 15 minutes south of Blaine) is home to plenty of vacation rentals as well as the beautiful Birch Bay State Park with plenty of campsites.
Day Two: Crossing the Border(s)
Search for birds at Semiahmoo Park
Open daily, 8:00 am – dusk | 9261 Semiahmoo Parkway, Blaine, WA 98230
A thin strip of land separating the Strait of Georgia from Drayton Harbor, Semiahmoo Spit offers some spectacular views of the water and mountains. Most of the spit and its tidelands are a public park, making it a prime destination for a morning beach walk. The paved 0.8 mile Coast Millenium Trail is a particularly great path for an easy and accessible stroll. As you walk, keep an eye out for seabirds: the Semiahmoo Spit is a famous birdwatching destination. In fact, it’s home to the annual “Wings Over Water” birdwatching festival each spring!
Enjoy a picnic lunch at Peace Arch Historical State Park
Open daily, 8:00 am – dusk | 19 A Street, Blaine, WA, 98230
Pick up lunch at a local eatery or grocery store on your way out of Blaine and head a few minutes north to visit an international park where you can stand in two countries at the same time! Peace Arch Historical State Park is a unique park co-managed by the United States and Canada, located along the border between the two countries at the 49th parallel. It is home to a 67-foot concrete arch that was constructed to honor the centennial of the treaties that established a peaceful, undefended border between the U.S. and Canada resulting from the War of 1812. Check out the interpretive panels and enjoy your lunch at one of the many picnic tables.
Drive to Point Roberts
When the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Washington in 1846, they established the international boundary between the U.S. and Canada at the 49th parallel. Located at the end of a peninsula that extends south of the boundary line, Point Roberts became an exclave: 4.88 square miles of American territory requiring travel through another country to access by land. Unless you have access to a private vessel, the only way to get to Point Roberts today is to drive about 30 minutes through British Columbia (B.C.), crossing the border twice. We promise: the hassle is well worth it to visit one of the most historically fascinating communities on the Washington coast!
Start your visit at the Point Roberts History Center
Saturdays 1:00 – 3:00 pm year-round, also open Sundays 1:00 – 2:00 pm in the summer | 1437 Gulf Road, Point Roberts, WA 98281
Located within the Point Roberts Community Center, the Point Roberts History Center is operated by the small but mighty Point Roberts Historical Society. This charming interpretive center is home to hundreds of historical photographs and other materials exploring Point Roberts’ rich history of canning, fishing, smuggling, piracy, and more.
While at the History Center, pick up a guide to the Point Roberts History Trail. Created by the historical society, this extensive trail—complete with 29 signs around the point and a detailed map to help you find your way—is the perfect framework for your exploration of Point Roberts, with stops at the most significant historic sites, beautiful vistas, and popular beaches.
“One of my favorite exhibits is the timeline. Quite often we’ll say to visitors, ‘what year were you born?’ and then we can see what happened. Another is the windows [that display historic news clippings about Point Roberts]. We had heard when we were putting all this together that there were windows available from the Baptist Bible Camp across the street, so we wound up getting these windows. It turns out that they came from an APA cannery at Lily Point by barge in the 1940s!”
Follow the Point Roberts History Trail to Monument Park
Open daily 8:00 am – dusk | 25 Marine Drive, Point Roberts, WA 98281
Start your journey back at the border to pay your respects to Boundary Marker #1, the monument marking the western terminus of the line separating the U.S. and Canada. If you need to stretch your legs, Monument Park’s eight acres include a 950-foot trail to the beach, where you can line your toes up with the border to stand in the north-northwesternmost corner of the continental U.S. As you explore, don’t miss the interpretive sign about Pansy May Stuttard, a local legend and brothel owner who smuggled liquor into the U.S. during Prohibition from her house built up against the Canadian side of the border.
Relax on the beach at Lighthouse Marine Park
Open daily 8:00 am – dusk | 811 Marine Drive, Point Roberts, WA 98281
Next up on the history trail is Lighthouse Marine Park. Located at the southwestern tip of the peninsula, this is the actual physical point of Point Roberts. Although there’s no lighthouse at Lighthouse Park anymore, it’s still a great place to enjoy sweeping vistas of the Salish Sea with a wide beach, paved walking path, playground, boat ramp, and public restrooms.
Just to the north of the park, you’ll find two more stops on the history trail, including the former Lighthouse Packing Company cannery, one of three canneries that once existed in Point Roberts. Known locally simply as the “Yellow Cannery,” it operated from 1934 to 1961. Although the cannery was first built for salmon, it converted to littleneck clams in 1940 and supplied famous regional restaurants like Ivar’s Acres of Clams.
Pro tip: Lighthouse Park is a stop on the Whale Trail, which means it’s a great place to search for wildlife like orcas, harbor seals, gray whales, sea lions, and porpoises. Orcas can be seen from the park as early as April or as late as October, but the prime months are July, August, and September when they pass by hunting salmon from the Fraser River.
Dinner at Kiniski’s Reef Tavern
Opening hours vary, check website for current timing | 1334 Gulf Rd, Point Roberts, WA 98281
A longtime community gathering space (and one of the only restaurants in Point Roberts), the Reef is a great place to grab a casual dinner while enjoying more beautiful water views. After your meal on their waterfront patio, don’t forget to find the five history trail signs nearby to learn about the history of the community and the pier that served as the only entryway to Point Roberts until a road was finally built in 1919.
Overnight at a vacation rental
There are no hotels in Point Roberts, but there are plenty of vacation rentals. Just make sure to book in advance—Point Roberts is a popular summertime destination for visitors from B.C., so accommodations can fill up fast. If you’d prefer to camp, Lighthouse Park offers the only campground in the exclave.
Day Three: Point Roberts
Hike at Lily Point Marine Park
Open 8:00 am – dusk | 2315 APA Road, Point Roberts, WA 98281
Grab your breakfast and start your final day at what locals call the “crown jewel” of Point Roberts’ parks. Located on the southeastern tip of the peninsula, Lily Point Marine Park includes miles of upland trails through the woods as well as a stunning beach. If you’re short on time, the short hike to the north viewpoint will provide great vistas of Boundary Bay and the beach below. However, if you’re able, we highly recommend the longer hike down to the beach—the stairs are well worth it.
The beach at Lily Point has long been an abundant fishing site for Coast Salish peoples. According to some, it was once the most important reefnet fishing site—and one of the most significant overall salmon fisheries—in the Salish Sea. When settlers arrived, Lily Point was home to at least six Coast Salish longhouses, and newspapers reported that a single reefnetter could catch up to 2,000 fish in a day. Sadly, the salmon run attracted white settlers who pushed the Coast Salish out in the late 1800s. The Alaska Packers Association operated a thriving cannery on the site from 1884 to 1917. During its heyday in 1900, 5.1 million pounds of salmon were caught at Lily Point in a single year, but overfishing soon depleted the salmon population. Today, you can still see pilings and foundations of the cannery on the beach.
Pro tip: Didn’t bring your own breakfast? Swing by the Saltwater Café (1345 Gulf Rd, Point Roberts) before heading to Lily Point to enjoy an early meal at one of the few restaurants in Point Roberts.
End your trip at Maple Beach Park
Open 8:00 am – dusk | Birch Street, Point Roberts, WA 98281
Round out your time in Point Roberts with a stop at one more spectacular and history-filled park. Maple Beach, located on the northeast corner of the Point, is a popular spot to enjoy sandy beaches and explore tidelands that extend a half mile into Boundary Bay at low tide. You’ll also find seven more stops on the Point Roberts History Trail in and around the park, including panels on shell middens and pop culture. Take one more dip in the sea or walk along the shore before you head home!
