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Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park

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Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada is a breathtakingly beautiful national park that is always a joy to visit and explore. Connected to Glacier National Park along its southern border, Waterton Lakes National Park provides outstanding hiking and sight seeing opportunities, as well as many other popular outdoor activities such as canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, photography and much more.

Waterton Lakes National Park is packed with a wide variety of scenic landscapes and amazing wildlife in its 124,800 acres.  The scenery, the wildlife, the parkways and the hikes... it's all here for you to discover.

For many years we have spend time in Waterton Lakes National Park, whether it was exploring the wonderful treasures found within this park, or taking the boat across Waterton Lake from Waterton Park Townsite to Goat Haunt, Montana, which is the gateway to the remote Northern Wilderness of Glacier National Park.

We always enjoy the time we spend in Waterton Lakes National Park, and we now want to share everything we've learned in the past 30+ years about this wonderful national park with you...

You will find towering mountains, alpine tundra, large sub-alpine deciduous and coniferous forests, aspen groves and prairie grasslands. Founded in 1895, Waterton Lakes National Park has a rich and fascinating history, and through the twists and turns of time, Waterton Parks has resulted in a wonderful national park experience that you and your family will truly enjoy.

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Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park.
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Red Rock Parkway, Waterton Lakes National Park.

Waterton Lake

One of the biggest attractions in Waterton Lakes National Park is the amazing Upper Waterton Lake, which is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies.  This long and narrow lake runs north and south, and connects Waterton Lakes National Park with Glacier National Park. Half of Waterton Lake is in Canada and the other southern half is in the United States.

An extremely popular boat tour takes visitors up the entire length of Upper Waterton Lake all the way to Goat Haunt Montana.  This 9 mile long lake is half in Canada and half in the United States, so halfway through your tour the boat actually crosses the International Border.  Click Here to learn more about the popular Waterton Lake Boat Tour (see photo below).

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Waterton Lake Boat Tour in Waterton Lakes National Park.

The Wildlife

Waterton Lakes National Park is located at the most narrow point of the North American Rocky Mountains, and the diversity of wildlife and plant life will astound you.  You will see everything from bighorn sheep, mountain goats,moose, elk, deer, black bears and grizzly bears in this relatively small national park, as well as one of the most diverse assortment of wildflower species found anywhere in Canada.

Regarding wildlife, you will not be disappointed as you drive along Waterton Lakes National Park's two amazing parkways- the Red Rock Parkway and Akamina Parkway. Each parkway runs through the heart of the park... and takes you through magnificent scenery as you look for animals along the way.

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Black bear along the Red Rock Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park.

Hiking Trails

Waterton Lakes National Park has a fantastic trail system, so if you like to hike, you've come to the right place.  The Waterton Lakes National Park hikes are numerous, and range from very short and easy to very long and difficult... and every level in between.

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Carthew-Alderson Trail in Waterton Lakes National Park.

There are a wide variety of hikes that take you to secluded mountain lakes, rolling prairie and aspens, amazing forests, and high alpine ridges and peaks.  The variety of the Waterton Lakes National Park Hikes is quite remarkable, and we thoroughly enjoy hiking here.  For all the details on all the classic Waterton Lakes National Park hikes, click here.

Waterton Park Townsite

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Downtown Waterton Park Townsite, Waterton Lakes National Park.

Nestled in the center of Waterton Lakes National Park is the charming Waterton Park Townsite, also known as Waterton Village. This wonderful little village reminds us of Disneyland in the sense that it is so perfectly well-kept, charming and cute.

The Waterton Park Townsite offers amazing restaurants, shopping, lodging and much more... as well as some of the best ice cream you'll ever taste! This quaint little village only has 88 permanent residents, but during the summer, this marvelous camelot is full of excitement, energy and fun, and we always enjoy spending time here.   Click Here for all the details on the Waterton Park Townsite.

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Geologically, there is no separation between Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park.  Even Waterton Lake shares both parks equally.

So it only made sense to somehow "combine" these two parks so visitors can enjoy them "seamlessly", and have better access to remote areas of the parks that otherwise would have been impossible for most people.

Therefore, on June 18, 1932, The United States and Canada "combined" Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park into the world's very first International Peace Park. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a shining tribute to the peaceful and friendly relationship that exists between Canada and the United States, and this has been the model for all the other International Peace Parks throughout the world that have arisen since this historic day in 1932.

Discover Waterton Lakes National Park...

On this website, we cover in detail the "Top Ten Things To Do In Waterton Lakes National Park", as well as many more additional hikes and activities. We adore Waterton Lakes National Park, and after you've looked through our website and then personally discovered this wonderful park for yourself, you will fall in love with Waterton Lakes National Park just as we have. Click the following links to learn all about Waterton Lakes National Park....

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Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park.
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Cameron Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park.
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