Peace Arch Park

Peace Arch Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Peace Arch Park, seen from the Canadian side
Location	Canada and United States
Nearest city	Blaine, Washington/Surrey, British Columbia
Coordinates
Area	Canada: 9 hectares (22 acres) U.S.: 20 acres (8.1 ha)
Established	November 7, 1939
Governing body	Canada: BC Parks U.S.: Washington State Parks

Peace Arch Park is a park straddling the International Boundary between the United States and Canada at the extreme western end of the main contiguous section of the two countries' land border, where it reaches Semiahmoo Bay of Puget Sound on the continent's Pacific Coast. There is a detached section of the land border a few kilometers (miles) west on the Point Roberts peninsula. The park is at the Peace Arch Border Crossing (also known as the Douglas Border Crossing), where Highway 99 in British Columbia and Interstate 5 in Washington State meet.

This international park consists of the Peace Arch State Park on the United States side of the border and the Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side of the border.

History

The Peace Arch, dedicated in 1921, was the first such structure in the world. It was built on the International Boundary between Canada and the United States to commemorate the lasting peace between the two countries. The Canadian side was established as a provincial park on November 7, 1939.

Peace Arch monument

The Peace Arch monument

The park is notable for the Peace Arch. The northern portion is about 9 hectares (22 acres) and is managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. The southern portion is about 8.1 hectares (20 acres) and is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Visitors to the park are free to explore the entire park on both sides of the actual physical border, but should not cross the boundary of the park to enter the adjacent country without being cleared to enter by the respective customs authority.

Recreation

The following recreational activities are available: walking, indoor and outdoor picnicking and a playground for children.

Events

Demonstration against oil tankers on the Canadian side of Peace Arch Park, November 1970

The park hosts an annual International Sculpture Exhibition highlighting the work of American and Canadian artists. The Twelfth Annual Exhibition will include works by Micajah Bienvenu, Ho Baron, David Eisenhour, Thomas Givens, Mark Yale Harris, Elia Mishkis, Kono Moriyuki, Leo Osborne, Chris Rench, Thor Myhre, Beverly Steigerwald and the team of Margo Westfall and Don Levett.

Peace Arch Park was the western United States gateway to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

See also

• Blaine, Washington
• Douglas, British Columbia

External links

• Peace Arch State Park, Washington
• Peace Arch Provincial Park, British Columbia
• United States Canada Peace Anniversary Association (USCPAA), is a nonprofit association dedicated to the heritage and preservation of the international monument. The association hosts annual events & activities in the international park.