Border crossing
 

I also posted this question on the BC board, but wanted to get opinions from the Washington group too.

My husband and I are traveling to Vancouver December 21-17 for a much needed restful holiday trip. Looks like we need to make a day trip to Bellingham on the 22nd. We could go by train, but it leaves Vancouver at 6:30am and Bellingham at 5:35pm. We really only need a couple of hours there, so I'm not sure what we would do all that time without a car.

We could drive, but I have no idea how long it would take to cross the border both ways, especially with the holidays. Any idea?

Also, is there a bus that might be quicker and more flexible with the times?

Thanks for any help and happy holidays everyone!

Drive. The border won't be a problem. Note there are two crossings at Blaine; the "Peace Arch" crossing (BC 99/I-5) and one a little to the east, called the "Truck Crossing" in the US and "Pacific Highway Crossing" in BC. There are reader boards on both sides of the border indicating the waiting times at both; on a Thursday I'd be surprised if the wait is any longer than 10-15 min. tops; entering the US is usually slower than entering Canada. Don't forget your passports.

There are buses, but that would leave you in Bellingham with no way to get around, and it's been known to rain (and snow) in late December,y'know.

If time allows, spend a little time in Fairhaven, Bellingham's old town, south of downtown. It's a very pleasant district.

Most of my answer to you is on your thread on the Canadian board, but here's some more:

Without a car in Bellingham you'd have a hard time getting around ... it's surprisingly spread out and being smaller, local bus service is a bit sporadic ... you'd have to rely on taxis.
But, if you're visiting friends who could pick you up, yes, there's bus service. Quick shuttle has 2 or 3 busses daily direct from Vancouver hotels to Bellingham *airport* (not inside town) http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm and Greyhound has 3 buses daily https://www.greyhound.com/en/ecommerce/schedule

The border crossing's heaviest users are Vancouverites, so the wait times both directions largely depend on their traffic patterns. Hence southbound *tends* to be busier w/ longer wait times in mornings (or evenings immediately before a weekend or holiday), northbound moreson in evenings.

I'd agree that most Thursdays the wait times are more likely to be near 5 - 15 min. both directions. But the Thurs before Christmas could be a bit unusually heavy. In addition, both Canada and US have a finite amount of border guard staff, and they adjust their schedules to expected demand. I would expect them to use a lot of them for the Christmas rush, possibly shorting their staffs a bit on the slower weekdays both sides. So I'd still allow yourself an hour each way, but expect a pleasant surprise when its much shorter.

Thanks for the info from both of you. Having a car and not having to follow a schedule would be much easier. Keeping my fingers crossed that the border is a short wait.

Gardyloo, I love Fairhaven! It's a lovely part of Bellingham and so many yummy places to eat.

We never use the Blaine crossing when heading north. In Bellingham, when you get to Guide Meridian (WA-539) take it north to the crossing.

WA-539 via the Aldergrove/Lynden Border Crossing is definitely my preferred (and fastest) route to Whistler or the North Shore (West Vancouver and North Vancouver) and Burnaby and points east of there. Often it has much shorter waits (though I have occasionally experienced longer waits there than at Blaine).

To/from downtown Vancouver I still find the Blaine crossing preferable. Usually, the hassle and time getting to/from downtown Vancouver (and the tolls on the Port Mann bridge) outweighs in both hassle and time any possible savings.

There are some significant exceptions. At the start of a US holiday northbound, or the end of it southbound, I would usually use Aldergrove/Lynden since so few Americans don't know that route. Most Canadians do know that route though, so at the start of Canadian holidays southbound and at their end northbound the Aldergrove/Lynden crossing tends to equalize with Blaine.

Often overlooked is the Sumas crossing even further east. It is the preferable crossing if headed to the Fraser Valley or headed to eastern BC.

During the 15 years I lived in Vancouver I'd cross the border at least 12 times a year, often more. After I moved to Seattle I gradually crossed it less, but at a minimum 4 times each way a year. Various of those years I'd have a Nexus pass (or its predecessor) which saved wait time. But since my crossing times were flexible and when one gets used to travel patterns, I found I could successfully second-guess the best times to cross so didn't bother with Nexus. (However, this year, for the first time in many years, I did get a Nexus pass since that also serves for, and is cheaper than, global entry, and it can be used to shortcut the lines at the airport. Ironically, 2 times for me this year both directions the Nexus line has been a tad longer than the regular lines.)

"So few Americans know that route"

Don't know about that. For one thing there are clear signs directing people towards it. I just don't bother taking it because as you say, the tolls and traffic make up for any time savings.

And to avoid confusion for others who may find the this thread:

All references above to "Blaine border crossings" actually refer to 2 separate crossings at Blaine: the main "Peace Arch" crossing on I-5, and the separate "Pacific Highway Crossing" (also known as the "truck crossing" 1 mile to the east. Both serve all traffic on I-5 (BC-99), and either allows convenient access to the freeway.

PS
There's talk afoot to perhaps charge tolls on all the principal lower mainland bridges near Vancouver ... so enjoy the free bridges while you can.

Topeater I would just add that since you're 2 people, make sure you make use of the HOV lanes. Since there have been major improvements to Hwy 1 heading east, we find using HOV a good way to get out to Hwy 15 south. We don't use First Ave though, we use 12 th Ave, which takes about 20 minutes to get out to Hwy 1.

However as elbegewa suggests, the best way is heading south on 99. If you are leaving during morning rush hour though, the southbound tunnel traffic gets reduced to one lane and sometimes causes a bottle neck. But if you are relaxed about your leaving time you should be fine.