Waterton Lakes National Park Things to Do

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On the south shore of Upper Waterton Lake you will find this Pavilion, between downtown Waterton Park and the town's Marina. There is a small park with a collection of interpretative displays that tell the story of the formation of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. As a history buff I found it very interesting. By taking the time to stop and read the displays here one will have a better understanding and appreciation for everything else they see and do at Waterton Lakes.

The Pavilion was established in 1982 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the creation of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

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The Glacier National Park in Montana, U.S.A., actually joins Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada.
We went for the drive to Glacier, so we could drive the "Going to the Sun" scenic road journey.
Lucky we remembered our Passports, as we had to go through a border crossing. On the way, there were nice scenic views, this meant a few stops for photo's.

Once we reached the St. Mary visitor Centre, we found out the road was still partially closed because of snow, we could go so far, and then would have to turn back. When taking the park entrance fee into consideration, we decided against it. The road was to be fully open a week later, this was in June.
I did check the website before leaving home, this gives details about the road condition and whether it is open or not, I was hoping that it would be open by the time we reached there, it wasn't to be!

In future years, it is hoped the entire Going-to-the-Sun Road will be open for public vehicle access from mid-June to mid-September.

Day Single Entry Permit
Summer Rate - $12.00 May 1 - November 30
Winter Rate - $10.00 December 1 - April 30
Per person entrance fee for a visitor traveling on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or for individuals traveling together in a vehicle as a non-commercial, organized group. Non-transferable.

Waterton Village, and I couldn't believe my eyes!.......there were Deer roaming the streets, infact, Deer were everywhere, in people's front yards, on the roads, and some had Fawn's too!
Waterton Village is only very tiny, offering everything you could need, such as activities, lodging, dining and other services.
The Village is scenically located, one of the prettiest location's a Village could be!
From the village, you can easily see the majestic Prince of Wales Hotel looking down on the Village.
This area has warm weather in the summer that is cooled by warm breezes.

Of course, all the Deer and the beautiful setting made this a favorite of mine.

Even if you are not staying here, do stop and go in for a look, we did!

As you follow the road to the township of Waterton, you can't miss the Hotel, sitting alone, high on a high with the lake & beautiful mountain's surrounding it.

The 86-room hotel, named after Prince Edward, was opened in 1927. Of course, we couldn't see the rooms, I have seen photo's, and they do look nice, but we did walk around inside and upstairs. All the staff were wearing Kilt's and they looked so nice.
Inside, the wood is dark, and in the impressive lobby where the window's are wall-to-ceiling high, I had wonderful views of Upper Waterton Lake and beyond to Goat Haunt in Glacier National Park, Montana.

At the gift shop, we found some different souvenirs, probably not the cheapest, but lucky we bought here, as we didn't see them elsewhere. The staff were so friendly and helpful, we had to drag ourselve's away.

As you may know, the Hotel is a well known landmark!

The Cameron Falls are located in the townsite of Waterton Village.
They are signposted, so you really shouldn't miss them. We went for a look, and were not disappointed, as they had plenty of water pouring over the Precambrian bedrock which dates back 1.5 billion years (1500 million years) old.
If you happen to come at night, they are lit, and there are seats by them to enjoy a romantic evening.

The falls are also the site of the oldest rock in the entire Canadian Rocky Mountain range!

A nice place for photo's of the Lake!
The best time to visit Cameron Falls is during July and August, when Waterton Park Townsite and other nearby park services and facilities are open, in June, most was open.

The Buffalo Paddock is a fenced-off area of prairie grassland that is home to the park's buffalo herd. It is situated on the road leading from Pincher Creek to Waterton Lakes, so as we were staying at Pincher Creek and were driving past, we decided to go in for a look.

We drove in and followed the loop around the paddock. For us, it was a chance to see Buffalo in the wild for the 1st time. I thought that this drive gives you the feel, that these animals are out in the wild, which they are to a certain extent.

Rember, do not get out of you car to take photo's close up, these are huge Animals, and can run speeds of up to 50 km/hr, that is fast for such a huge animal.
When I saw their huge heads [this was at another time], there was no way I would want to come in contact with one!

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This is another must do drive.

16 ks from Waterton village, following a scenic road, we came to roads end and the beautiful Cameron Lake. The drive itself is lovely, passing by many scenic views plus the National Historic site of western Canada's 1st Oil well. We pulled off now and then to have a look at the rapids in the fast running creek.

Majestic mountain peaks of the Akamina Ridge surround this sub-alpine lake, it really is stunning scenery. You can rent a canoe,[we didn't], how nice would that be in this beautiful setting, and grizzlies are often seen on the far slopes!
We looked through the interpretive center and souvenir shop, [Toilets are located here,] then just sat at one of the picnic tables, and took in the beauty of this area. A Blue Jay settled in a tree near us, so I managed a photo.

At an elevation of 1646 metres, this picturesque alpine lake, not only offers pristine beauty, but fresh, clean air, Birds, Wildlife and wildflowers, and don't forget........... The drive to Cameron Lake is almost as beautiful as being there!

A lovely scenic drive to Red Rock Canyon is a must.

It is only 16kms to drive, so not far, along the way the views were of hanging valleys, alpine meadows, jagged mountain peaks and we saw some Deer as well.

At the canyon car park, once again in miserable misty rain, we headed for our loop walk, up one side of the canyon, and back the other. The walk is only .7km return, and is very easy.
The Canyon is so "RED", layered in colours of red and green colored minerals, so different. The stream, with its crystal clear water was tumbling down and over the rocks, not a lot of water, but enough!

Something to remember is, this is Grizzly Bear country, and the day before us, one was on the other side of the bridge you cross to do your walk, glad he wasn't there when I was!