Are you itching to go somewhere, anywhere for a change of scenery and a reboot? How about a winter road trip to southwest Alberta? If you live in the Calgary - Edmonton - Canmore corridor, you can knock off the drive in as little as 2.5 hours if you're coming from Calgary and in just six hours if you're driving from Edmonton. I'd suggest a loop drive - taking Highway 22, the beautiful Cowboy Highway…
The Goat Lake hike in Waterton Lakes National Park reopened in the summer 2020. It had been closed for several years due to the 2017 Kenow fire that devastated some of the infrastructure in the park, including part of the Red Rock Parkway - the pretty access road to the trailhead. The trail to Goat Lake was closed many times again in 2020, but that was on account of bear activity. Two days before my…
Waterton Lakes National Park, A UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Alberta, is an absolute gem of a place to visit in summer and fall. It's the smallest of the Rocky Mountain National Parks - with drop-dead gorgeous mountain scenery that's easily accessible. That means you can cover a lot of ground in the national park if you're short on time. If you're not, explore at a more leisurely pace, trying a variety of activities…
Enjoy a selection of these 7 things to do in Waterton Lakes National Park, located in southern Alberta. The park shares a border with Glacier National Park in Montana. Remember you can even visit Waterton National Park as a day-tripper from Calgary! Even though it may be the smallest national park in the Rockies, it sure delivers a punch for its size. While parts of the park remain closed after the Kenow Fire from 2017,…
Waterton Lakes National Park is a superb destination for hikers. It doesn't see anywhere near the crowds that Banff and Jasper National Parks see - and yet the Rocky Mountain scenery here is truly spectacular. The best time to visit - if its hikes in Waterton you're after, is between July and mid-September though some people enjoy October when almost everyone has gone home. There was a forest fire in 2017 that destroyed about 38%…
Horseback riding will never be my first choice of adventures probably because of some deep-seated fear of galloping off and holding on for dear life until the horse either tires or bucks me off. So it was with some reluctance I agreed to go horseback riding in Waterton Lakes National Park. It turned out to be far more fun than I anticipated. As a bonus, I wasn't on edge except for the first few minutes. That's probably a…
Taking time to smell the flowers is more fun at the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival three hours south of Calgary, Alberta in Waterton Lakes National Park (WLNP). But looking for wildflowers in Canada's smallest Rocky Mountain national park isn't for sissies. You need to watch for bugs, bears and big foot (the human kind, not the legendary yeti). Waterton's compact size and rapid elevation change provides forty-five vegetation communities and is home to over 1000…
One of the great Canadian hikes I've done is the Carthew Alderson Trail in Waterton Lakes National Park. It's a beautiful hike - with varied and outstanding scenery. You'll see mountains, glaciers and many high alpine lakes. Throw in wildflowers in season, marmots and mountain goats, and possibly even a bear and you can understand why it's one of the best hikes in Waterton Lakes National Park. In 2020 you will have to ride a…
The Crypt Lake hike in Waterton Lakes National Park has been called the "Indiana Jones adventure of the Canadian Rockies." The hike to the lake is by no means the prettiest hike in the Rockies – or even in Waterton Lakes National Park for that matter. But the Crypt Lake hike does offer a variety of experiences that you’re not likely to find on any other hike in Canada. There are some glorious views along…
I like to mark the end of summer by getting away over the Labour Day weekend. Most years we've done a hiking or backpacking trip and this year was no exception. Our destination was Waterton Lakes National Park, about three hours south of Calgary on the border with Montana. Waterton adjoins Glacier National Park so the hiking options between the two parks are extraordinary. On the first day we knocked off the Lineham Ridge hike.…