Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is the Canadian portion of Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Biosphere Reserve which extends into the US as Glacier National Park. The park is in the southwestern corner of Alberta, and protects the southernmost portion of the Canadian Rockies. As a destination, Waterton is best known for hiking and sight-seeing.

Understand
Waterton Lakes National Park covers an area of 505 km2 (195 sq mi), about the size of the Island of Montreal.

Waterton is open all year, but the main tourist season is during July and August. The only commercial facilities available within the park are located at the Waterton Park townsite. The park ranges in elevation from 1,290 metres (4,232 ft) at the townsite to 2,910 m (9,547 ft) at Mount Blakiston. It offers many scenic trails, including Crypt Lake trail. In 2012/2013, Waterton Lakes National Park had over 400,000 visitors.

Contact the park office, toll-free: or email waterton.info@pc.gc.ca@undefined.

History
The park is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for its distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide. Together the parks are areas of significant scenic values with abundant and diverse flora and fauna.

Landscape
In 1979, Waterton and bordering Glacier National Park in the US were designated as World Biosphere reserves, preserving mountains, prairie, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the parks' range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests.

Flora and fauna
There is a good chance of seeing black and grizzly bears in the park, also if you are lucky badger. Birds in the area include osprey, bald eagle and a number of waders.

Animals that inhabit this national park include wolverines, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, white-tailed deer, mule deer, mountain goats, elk, moose, foxes, wolves, coyotes, beavers, river otters, cougars, lynxes, bobcats, snowshoe hares, pikas, hoary marmots, grizzly bears and black bears.

Climate
The climate is typical of the northern hemisphere, located at just above the 49th parallel. The summers reach temperatures up to 30ºC (86ºF) but it is usually mild around 23-25ºC (73-77ºF) for most of the summer. There are a few heat waves that last a couple of days, but for the most part summers are very comfortable for people from warmer climates. Winters are a bit more severe due to the mountain elevations which bring heavy snowfalls to the mountain peaks and to the townsite. Temperatures can dip to -30ºC (-22ºF) but the prevailing western air currents bring warm air from the Pacific Ocean in the winter time. These are called chinooks by the locals and can raise the temperature from -30ºC to +2ºC in a couple of hours. If you do not mind a bit of wind the climate is good here. The park is sheltered by trees so the winds are not so bad in the camping areas and in the townsite.

Visitor information

 * Park website

Get in
Waterton Lakes is at the end of Highway 5, about an hour and a half from Lethbridge and 3 hours from Calgary. If driving from Calgary, take Highway 2 south out of town to Cardston and then follow Highway 5 west to the park. There is no bus service into the park.

Some tourists may fly in from Montana (U.S.) via Kalispell or Missoula and will visit the park before/after visiting the nearby Glacier National Park in the United States.

Fees and permits
There is no fee to enter the park if you are just driving through along Highway 6. However, if you want to do any activities, visit the townsite or stay overnight, a daily fee will apply. The fee is paid at the gatehouse on Highway 5, on the road to Waterton townsite, just after its junction with Highway 6.

If staying for a week or more, the annual park pass is a good value, though it can only be used in Waterton. An annual Discovery Pass can also be purchased for a higher fee and be used in Waterton and at the nearby Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, and many other national parks and historic sites.

Fees and permits (2024):
 * Adult $11.00
 * Senior $9.50
 * Youth and children free
 * Family/group $22.00
 * Seasonal passes are available for less than the cost of 5 day passes.
 * Fishing permit: daily $13.50, annual $46.25

Get around
The townsite is small and can be easily travelled on foot. However, if you want to see some of the lakes, hikes and other features of the park, a car or bike will be necessary. There is a shuttle bus service.

Do



 * [[Image:Bertha_Lake.jpg|thumb|Bertha Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park]]
 * [[Image:Bertha_Lake.jpg|thumb|Bertha Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park]]
 * [[Image:Bertha_Lake.jpg|thumb|Bertha Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park]]
 * [[Image:Bertha_Lake.jpg|thumb|Bertha Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park]]

Buy
There are souvenir shops, a small supermarket, a liquor store and a fuel station in Waterton town. Expect to pay a premium for goods, so best to stock up with supplies before entering the park.

Eat
There are several restaurants in the town-site, they tend to be a little pricey and of medium quality as they have a captive customer base.



Camping
There are three drive-in campgrounds available in the park. Fire permit, per night $11.00 (2024).

Backcountry
Backcountry camping is available in a number of spots. The fee is $13.50/night (2024).

Connect
There aren't any Internet cafés per se in Waterton, but a couple of the restaurants and coffee shops provide access.

Stay safe
Beware of the very strong winds at times in the main town site area.

Hikers should be aware that although it is possible to cross the geographical border (49th parallel) into the USA there are further on ranger control points that you cannot pass unless you have a US passport. Non-US citizens must use the main road crossing, where identification checks can be made.

This is bear and cougar country, when hiking make plenty of noise and take the usual precautions for bears.

Go next
There are a number of small towns and parks nearby that make good day trips or next stops to move on to.


 * Waterton Lakes is joined with Glacier National Park across the border in Montana. It can be accessed by heading south on Highway 6 (The Chief Mountain Highway). The border crossing on the highway is only open between May and October.
 * The Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre in Cardston is half an hour east on Highway 5. It has many interesting stories on the horse and carriage era and how the collection was built.
 * Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site outside of Fort Macleod is a 1½-hour drive north-east.
 * Bar U Ranch near Longview.
 * Crowsnest Pass is an hour north-west on Highway 6 and has several attractions on its coal-mining past and the Frank Slide. It is also the gateway to British Columbia.
 * If you're looking for more mountains and alpine lakes, Banff National Park is 4-5 hours north. A scenic way to get there is the Cowboy Trail (Highways 6 and 22) which traverses the foothills while keeping the mountains in sight.