Canadian side of Peace Arch Park reopens for visitors

B.C. Parks reopened Peace Arch Provincial Park October 24 nearly 2.5 years after it closed in June 2020 due to Covid-19 concerns.

B.C. Parks’ notice on its website announcing the park’s reopening after 28 months said the agency has been working in collaboration with Semiahmoo Nation, the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), RCMP and other agencies to ensure the reopening was done in a safe and respectful manner. 

In July, B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy officials told The Northern Light it would not reopen until B.C. Parks could verify visitors’ vaccination status, which the ministry said was not feasible at the time.

The gate to the parking lot is closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. B.C. Parks asks visitors to park only in the designated parking lot and not to park on Beach Road or the access road, according to its website. The park does not offer access to the beach.

Visitors can access both Canadian and U.S. sides of Peace Arch Park from either side of the border without going through customs. The U.S. side of the park, known as Peace Arch Historical State Park, remained open when the border closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic and became a gathering place for family and loved ones separated by the closed border.

Thirty-year Blaine resident Michelle Peacey and her dog Zoe visited the B.C. side of the park November 8 for the first time in over two years. Peacey said they visit the park about once every week. They had their photo taken in front of the Peace Arch Park sign to send to Peacey’s sister to say, “We’re enjoying the park again in the fall,” Peacey said.