Have you ever heard of Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta? How about Glacier National Park in Montana? These two parks are unique and amazing places to visit. Together, they are known as the International Peace Park and when visiting Southern Alberta, Waterton NP should be high on the list.
With beautiful hiking trails, glacier lakes, a famous hotel, and cute little town, there are plenty of things to do in Waterton Lakes National Park to keep you busy for a few days.
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About Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserved rolled all in one. It’s the only one of its kind in the world. Read more about Alberta: The 52 Best Things to do in Alberta, Canada – The Ultimate Guide
The Prince of Wales Hotel
The Prince of Wales hotel stands in the centre of the park overlooking a beautiful lake in a mountainous setting.
The Prince of Wales used to live in Alberta and was so taken with the land he actually bought a ranch right next door to the famous Bar U Ranch. His legacy remains with this historic landmark.
There is a small village in the park with some other hotel options and a chance to rent mini motorbikes and motorboats. There are general stores and a beach.It’s a place that feels like cottage country and we certainly would love to spend a few more days here in the park exploring.
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Hikes of Waterton Lakes National Park
One of the best things to do in Waterton Lakes National Park is to go hiking. You can make your home base in town and then do day trip hikes into the mountains. There are trails to suit everyone’s needs and if you only have a short time, there are a few short trails that will give you a taste of Waterton National Park. Check out: 14 Best Hikes in Jasper National Park – Alberta Canada
Red Rocks Canyon
There is a lovely loop trail that goes around Red Rocks Canyon. The Blackiston Valley Trail and Snowshoe Trail make for a great full-day hike.
Canyoning in Red Rocks
You can go canyoning and wade through the river taking in the scope of the canyon walls from below while staying refreshed in the hot summer heat. Read more: Best Canada National Parks – That We’ve Seen
Lower Bertha Falls
Lower Bertha Falls is another quick loop that is 5.2 km long. If you want to go further (which we didn’t have time for) you can do a full day hike out to Bertha Lake. It’s a 10km hike and is a bit more of an elevation gain.
Bear’s Hump
If you are looking for a hike that offers some stunning views, Bear’s hump is a steep, yet short climb taking up to an elevation of 1500 meters for a beautiful morning view of Waterton Village.
Crypt Lake
Crypt Lake Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Waterton Lakes NP and at 17 km long, it’s a full day. You must plan ahead for this hike as it starts with a boat shuttle across the lake from the Waterton Village Marina to Upper Waterton Lake. It has an elevation gain of 695 meters showcasing views of Burnt Rock Falls, Crypt Falls and Mount Boswell.
Boat Tour of Waterton Lake
I love hopping on a boat any chance I get. And if you want a different perspective of Waterton Lakes, hop on a boat tour. A fun little thing is that you get to cross the border into the United State for a view of Glacier National Park too! Check out United States National Parks in Photos
Waterton Village
There is a town in the middle of Waterton Lakes National Park and it is a spot where many people make their home base. There are plenty of things to do in Waterton Village from renting bicycles and kayaks, to booking guided hikes and eating at one of the restaurants. There are some shops to pick up souvenirs and supplies too!
Buffalo Reserve
On our way out, we also made sure to stop and see the buffalo reserve that is located just on the outskirts of the park. You can drive your car slowly through the enclosed reserve, but make sure you don’t get out.
Buffalo can be dangerous. Although the buffalo were so far away, I don’t think we were in any danger whatsoever. It was still cool to see them live as they did hundreds of years ago.
Waterton Park Front
On our way back to our hotel in Pincher Creek, we stopped at the ‘Waterton Park Front’ one of the largest land conservation initiatives in Canada.
An agreement with private landowners has made this 30,000 acre area a place to help prevent the loss of Canada’s most magnificent ranches, to keep the landscape intact and to maintain sustainable agriculture production.
I’m glad that the Weston family decided to start this initiative in the 90’s because this region is beautiful and it’s a wonderful thing to know that it will not be destroyed.
Now generations will be able to not only view the beauty of Waterton National Park, but also the surrounding area and ranch lands nearby.
Read More:
- Alberta Road Trip The Full Itinerary
- 21 Best Things to do in Calgary, Alberta
- Whipping Through the Olympic Village
- A High Mountain Trail Ride, Your Buns have come a Long Way Baby!
- 12 Best Hikes in Banff National Park
- The Best Things to do in Banff, Alberta
- The 52 Best Things to do in Alberta, Canada – The Ultimate Guide
great shot!
Thank you!
Very nicely written, and the photos, well let just say I may have to give my camera away now. Wow. Keep up the great posts.
Wow. These pictures are absolutely amazing! I think I know where I’m going on my next vacation… Hello Canada!
That’s some striking scenery and the water is so blue!!! Canada is just so beautiful =)
Thank you Nicole, Yes, the water is so blue and Waterton has magnificent views. We have to agree with you, Canada is quite beautiful. (not that we’re bias at all
;-)I’ve never heard of Waterton Lakes either, and I’m kind of a National Parks junkie! I love that picture of the prairie.
That makes me feel so much better. I was thinking to myself “What kind of Canadian am I that I didn’t know about this National Park?” I think it is lacking in publicity and we intend to change that. haha.
Stunning photos! What a beautiful place. We just bought an annual pass for all the parks in the USA because we’ve been enjoying them so much. We didn’t realise how beautiful the US (and Canada for that matter) is until we started exploring them. The obvious parks are places like Yellowstone (which was amazing!) but we’ve loved exploring the lesser known ones like Olympic National Park.
Wow, the colors in every single one of those photos are so vibrant. Stunning work!
It’s a beautiful place to be. Red Rock Canyon picture is really hot, i am in love with it.
I would love to go there someday! The view is astonishing. I do hope I can have that kind of view when I open my window at my room! 😀
Waterton looks amazing! I’m right there with ya. Everyone talks about Glacier National Park but I’d never heard of this one until now. It looks like a beautiful place to do some exploring. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It seems to be a nice place to be.
Found your article. I was just at Waterton again yesterday. I'm lucky enough to have been raised only an hour's drive away.
That is wonderful. Lucky you living in such a beautiful part of Canada. I was born in High River and was very happy to go back and revisit my roots. We’ll definitely be visiting more often. Southern Alberta is amazing!
I’ve never heard of it either- oops! It’s on my list now. Gorgeous shots.
Glad we could introduce it to you! We have too many amazing things in Canada and it’s hard to keep up with them all 🙂
Its so pretty there! That hotel is absolutely amazing.
Yeah, I’d love to stay at this hotel. I was so grand and had that old Royal Feel. I can only imagine what it was like in the early 1900s.
Alberta is absolutely stunning. I enjoyed my time in Banff so much. The hikes were beautiful. Plus, we got engaged there, so I’ll remember it forever.
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You are so right Quyen. Banff is beautiful too! We’re so glad that we’ve been able to explore a good portion of the province. We look forward to seeing more in the near future for sure. I think it’s Canada’s most picturesque province for sure.