🚶♀️A Border You Can Walk Through: My Quiet Escape to Point Roberts
I didn’t expect to end up in the U.S. that day—but I did. On foot.
There’s a strange little corner on the map where the U.S. dips below the 49th parallel and tucks itself quietly under Vancouver. That’s Point Roberts. A tiny slice of Washington State that you can only reach by crossing the border—by land, sea, or… in my case, by walking 2 kilometers through suburban quiet and into a pocket of somewhere else.
The Border That Feels Like a Secret
I started with a local bus to Bridgeport, then followed side roads towards the Boundary Bay border. There’s no dedicated lane for pedestrians here—just a car lane and a narrow shoulder, so I slipped quietly past the parked vehicles, up to the booth, passport in hand.
There’s something surreal about walking into another country without much fuss. The officer barely looked up, asked a few questions, and I was through. No stamp, no souvenir—just the crisp air of a town that feels more like a nature reserve than a geopolitical oddity.
The Town Where Time Moves Slowly
Point Roberts doesn’t shout. It whispers.
I passed a gas station, a modest grocery store, and eventually made my way toward a marina that felt like it belonged in a dream—quiet, bright, and still. I sat for a while near the docks, sipping from my flask, watching the light bounce off the boats.
It took about 20 minutes on foot to get there. Not much happens along the way, but that was kind of the point. I carried just a waterproof backpack for hiking, enough for the unpredictability of weather and the comfort of moving light. There’s no public transport in town, so if you walk in, you walk everywhere—or you walk back out.
Notes from a Solo Border Crosser
There’s no signal for a good portion of the way, but I managed to stay connected most of the time. Not enough for streaming, but enough to drop a pin and text a friend: “Yes, I just walked into the States.”
This isn’t a place of big landmarks or loud adventures. It’s the kind of place you visit when you want your mind to feel a bit quieter than usual. Safe, peaceful, a little odd—but exactly right for a slow afternoon.
I turned around after the marina, legs tired, mood light. The sun was still high as I crossed back into Canada. A quick glance from the border guard, a nod, and I was walking home again—grateful for a day that felt like stepping through a hidden door.
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