Waterton National Park ...

Looking across Waterton Lake to the Prince of Wales hotel

Now that the excitement of the bear sighting has lulled somewhat, I can return to the beginning of my weekend in Waterton National Park.  The Waterton NP is one of Canada's smaller national parks but it has several unique features.  The most significant one is that it shares its boundaries with the United State's Glacier National Park.  Together, the two parks form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, promoting peace and cooperation between the two countries.  The International Peace Park is also a World Heritage site.  The other unique feature of the Waterton NP is that there are hardly any foothills surrounding the Rockies.  They simply emerge out of the prairie, which makes for an incredibly striking view.

The campground

View into Waterton NP from the campground

Waterton NP is about a 2.5 hour drive from Calgary, so we were able to leave after work on Friday and arrive in plenty of time to set up our tent at the Waterton Springs Campground.  We were told that lots of people had requested our 'cosy' tent spot.  'Cosy' it was ... to fit the tent and car in the spot, we had to move the picnic table so it sat over top of the fire place.  Camping is all about gadgets, most of which we didn't have, so we declared ourselves 'yuppy campers' for the weekend - a thick mattress and comfy pillows ensured a good night sleep, dinners out and a morning stop at the cafe for a cup of tea were all in order.  We vowed to do it 'properly' next time ... smoke covered clothes, dirty hair, burnt dinners, the works.

A buck struts across the street

Mother deer and fawn graze on a Waterton intersection

The town of Waterton is very quaint.  It sits on the banks of the Waterton Lakes (Upper, Middle and Lower) with the famous Prince of Wales hotel overlooking the small town.  There weren't an overwhelming number of tourists but there were a huge number of deer roaming the town.  Waterton is  a great place to spend a weekend or even more - there are a huge number of hikes for all fitness levels available well as all the creature comforts in the township.  Next year, I plan to return to do a two week camping trip through both the Waterton and Glacier National Parks.

Waterton at dusk