In September of 2023, we were in the Cardston, Alberta, Canada area. Waterton Lakes National Park is nearby. It is considered the Canadian sister of Glacier National Park across the border in Montana, USA. We were there the day before the park closed for the 2023 season.

There is no direct route from the United States to Waterton Lakes, so you have to have a passport to enter Canada. The area was discovered in 1858 by Lieutenant Thomas Blakiston. He named the chain of lakes after Charles Waterton, an English naturalist. The original interest of the area was oil, but it was feared that would destroy the natural surroundings, specifically the 3 body of waters…Upper, Middle, and Lower Waterton Lakes.  The park was the 4th of the Canadian national park system, being formed in 1895. It did not receive a name until 1911. It covers 195 square miles and is named after the Waterton Lakes. 

The Prince of Wales Hotel was constructed in 1926-27 by the Great Northern Railway to lure American tourists during the prohibition era. It was named after King Edward VIII, in an attempt to entice him to stay at the hotel during his 1927 Canadian tour.

We decided to eat lunch in the dining room over-looking the lake. Lunch was very good, but very British.

After lunch we went to the original townsite, where the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is located. George Kootenay Brown was the first person to prose a borderless international park. The union of the parks occurred on June 18, 1932. It was the first park dedicated to world peace on behalf of Rotary International. One of it’s purposes is to promote goodwill between nations.

There is a ceremonial border pillar, great views of Prince of Wales Hotel, the iconic Canadian red chair (which means it is a good photo spot, and a map of the park.

The visitor center had several exhibits about the First Nation that lived in the area, as well as the wildlife.

We stopped at Cameron Waterfalls. Being the falls season, the water was just a trickle compared to spring. During heavy rainfall, the falls will turn pink due to the red soil.

We decided to drive the Akamina Parkway to Cameron Lake. The road was paved and we had no trouble in our car.

Cameron Lake is a small lake in comparison to the 3 Waterton Lakes. During the summer months this a popular kayak and canoeing destination. There were even red bears…lol.

The area had experienced a forest fire but was still interesting scenery. There must be a tremendous spring run-off to create a huge catch basin.

The park is a hiker’s paradise, but since we were just driving, we drove all 3 park roads. Our last being Red Rock Parkway, which ends at Red Rock Canyon. There is a great walkway that circles the entire canyon. 

We went through the Chief Mountain Border Crossing. It is one of only two crossings that are closed in the winter and also has limited hours of operation.

On our way back to Idaho we stopped in Helena and ate at the R-B Drive-In. It was delicious. A great way to end our trip.