Internationally known as one of the most beautiful destinations in the Canadian Rockies, Waterton Lakes National Park is the perfect destination if you're looking for adventure, fun and relaxation no matter what season it may be.
Recommended to do bear's hump hike to have an amazing overlooking view of Waterton. At the "hump", you will see one of the most iconic and recognised views of the Waterton Valley. This vantage point shows off the mountain peaks down the valley and views of the prairies to the north. Below there's the town of Waterton, the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel and the glistening waters of Upper Waterton Lake. Hike Distance: 2.8 km/1.8 miles
, Elevation: 225 m/738 feet
, Rating: Moderate
, Timing: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Here are the must-do for first timers:
1. Bear's Hump Hike
2. Red Rock Canyon - you'll get a view of Mount Blakiston in Red Rock Driveway
3. Cameron Falls
4. Waterton Townsite
5. International Peace Park
6. Prince of Wales Hotel
7. Upper Waterton Lake
Quick Facts:
- Rolling prairies meet Rocky Mountains in Waterton Lakes National Park, creating a dazzling diversity of scenery.
- No other national park in Canada protects as much wildlife in such a small area, enabling visitors to spot everything from bighorn sheep to grizzlies.
- On its southern border, the park connects with Glacier National Park in Montana, U.S.A., forming the world’s first International Peace Park.
- Waterton Lakes National Park is tucked away in a quiet corner of southwest Alberta covering an area of 505 square kilometres (195 square miles).
- Waterton Lakes National Park is part of the traditional territory and a place of significance for the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and other Indigenous peoples.
- The traditional Blackfoot name for Waterton Lakes - Paahtómahksikimi - means the inner sacred lake within the mountains.
- The earliest evidence of hunting and gathering among Waterton’s lakes and mountains stretches back more than 10,000 years. In these rich valleys, Indigenous peoples, including Niitsitapii (Blackfoot) and K’tunaxa peoples, hunted bison and collected plants for food and medicine.
- Waterton was named by Lt. Thomas Blakiston, a member of the famous Palliser Expedition and one of the area’s earliest explorers. He named it after 19th century British naturalist Charles Waterton.
- Waterton was Canada’s fourth national park and is the smallest in the Canadian Rockies.
- Waterton has some of the oldest, exposed sedimentary rock in the Rocky Mountains.
- The park is part of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem - a place with unusually diverse physical, biological and cultural resources. The ecosystem is one of the narrowest places in the Rocky Mountain chain.
- Waterton is one of Alberta’s windiest places. Winter winds over 100 km/hr are common. Waterton has many chinooks, which contribute to it being one of Alberta’s warmest areas in winter. Chinook winds can cause winter temperatures to rise dramatically within hours.
- More than half of Alberta’s plant species are found in Waterton.
- Waterton is home for more than 60 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 24 species of fish and 10 species of reptiles and amphibians.
- Large predators in Waterton include grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, coyote and cougar.
- Waterton Lakes is the only Canadian national park that preserves foothills fescue grasslands.
- Upper Waterton Lake is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies - 148m (487 ft) at its deepest.
- The park has two national historic sites located within its boundaries: The Prince of Wales Hotel NHS (designated in 1995) and the First Oil Well in Western Canada NHS (designated in 1968).
- The community of Waterton sits at 1280m (4200ft) above sea level. The park’s highest peak, Mt. Blakiston, is 2940m (9645ft) above sea level.
- Waterton is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (IPP), created in 1932 as a symbol of peace and goodwill between Canada and the United States.
- The Waterton-Glacier IPP became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
• Waterton was Canada’s second biosphere reserve and the first Canadian national park to take part in this UNESCO program.
- Fire is a natural process in Waterton Lakes national Park and in 2017 the park experienced a severe wildfire - the Kenow Wilfire - which will influence the park for generations.
- In 2017, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park received provisional Gold Tier designation as Waterton-Glacier International Dark Sky Park through the International Dark Sky Association, becoming the first multi-national dark sky park in the world.
Sources:
Parks Canada www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/wate...
My Waterton mywaterton.ca/
Glacier Park Collection www.glacierparkcollection.com
Travel Alberta www.travelalberta.com/
Wikipedia
Music:
Shape of Things by Michael Lockwood