Hike Location: Waterton Lakes National Park
Geographic Location: Waterton, Alberta, Canada (49.05116, -113.91590)
Length: 6.1 kilometers (or 3.8 miles)
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: July 2018
Overview: A double loop around the Waterton townsite and the
Prince of Wales Hotel.
Park Information: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton
Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at
Cameron Falls, which is located on Evergreen Avenue along the west side of the
Waterton townsite. If you cannot find a
parking spot near the falls, you will need to park wherever you can find a spot
in Waterton and walk to Cameron Falls.
The hike: Straddling
the United States/Canada border, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park was
created in 1932 as the union of two previously existing adjacent national parks:
Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta and Glacier National Park in
northern Montana. The union was the
world’s first international peace park, and it forms the centerpiece of a
transboundary area with unique geography, flora, and fauna. In spite of the designation, the two parks
are administered separately by their respective governments, they require
separate entrance fees, and a passport is required to cross the border. I had the privilege of visiting both parks on
my summer 2018 hiking trip, starting with Waterton Lakes, Alberta and working
my way south.
Narrowing
focus to the Canadian park, Waterton Lakes National Park was established in
1895 as Canada’s fourth national park.
The park gets its name from the three Waterton Lakes in its eastern
part, which in turn are named for Charles Waterton, a Victorian naturalist and
conservationist. Waterton Lakes are the
deepest lakes in the Canadian Rockies, and lake cruises on commercial cruise
lines are offered several times per day during the summer.
The only
developed site in Waterton Lakes National Park is the Waterton townsite, so almost
everyone visiting the park will find themselves in the town of Waterton at some
point. When I came here in July 2018,
most of the park was closed in the aftermath of the enormous Kenow wildfire
that burned a large area west of Waterton in September 2017. Thus, I hiked the Townsite and Prince of
Wales Trails described here partly because they were among the few trails that
were open. While these trails stay near
civilization for their entire distance (see the next hike if you want an
excursion into the park’s undeveloped area), they provide a nice introduction
to the townsite and surrounding areas, which are still quite scenic.
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| Cameron Falls |
You could
start this hike almost anywhere in Waterton, but I chose to start the trail
description at Cameron Falls partly because it is easy to find and partly
because its parking area experiences high turnover, thus making it fairly
likely that you can find a parking spot.
Cameron Falls is a cascade-type waterfall in Cameron Creek, and the
creek provides plenty of water to fall over the inclined rock layers. Cameron Falls is one of the most popular and
scenic sites in the Waterton townsite, so take a few minutes to enjoy the
aquatic action.
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| Exiting Cameron Falls area |
After
viewing the waterfall, begin the Townsite Loop by walking across the road and
picking up the asphalt trail that heads southeast with Cameron Creek on your
left. The trail heads through a mowed
grass area dotted with only a few trees as the Townsite Campground comes into
view on the right. As you cross the
campground access road, notice the constructions along Cameron Creek that
stabilize the banks of the creek’s channel.
At 0.8
kilometers, the trail curves left to cross Cameron Creek on a sturdy
footbridge. An excellent view south
across Upper Waterton Lake opens up here, and Parks Canada has placed a couple
of their famous red Adirondack chairs at this point to mark the scenic
view. Vimy Peak rises from the lake’s far
shore, and Mount Crandell towers over the townsite to the north.
 |
| Mount Crandell |
For the
next 1.3 kilometers the trail heads northeast along the shore of Upper Waterton
Lake. Picnic shelters, lodging
establishments, and other town buildings lie just left of the trail, so the
Townsite Loop earns its name on this section.
Near 2 kilometers, you reach the International Peace Park Pavilion,
which occupies a peninsula that juts north and separates Upper Waterton Lake
from Emerald Bay. The famous Prince of
Wales Hotel stands atop the hill across Emerald Bay, and this point gives you a
great view of that elaborate building.
 |
| Prince of Wales Hotel |
The trail
curves left again and heads northwest past the Waterton Cruises dock and ticket
booth to begin this hike’s journey around Emerald Bay. A shady section comes next, and some benches
here make nice places to sit, rest, and watch the lake just shy of this hike’s
midpoint. At 2.6 kilometers, you reach
Waterton townsite’s main entrance road. Do
not cross the road, but instead turn right to leave the Townsite Loop and walk
on a paved trail that parallels the road.
After
rounding the head of Emerald Bay, turn right and walk through the Emerald Bay
Picnic Area, which was very popular on the warm and sunny Saturday afternoon
that I hiked here. At the rear of the
picnic area, pick up the unsigned Prince of Wales Trail as it heads across a
gravelly (as opposed to sandy) beach on Emerald Bay. The beach offers another excellent view south
across Upper Waterton Lake.
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| View south across Upper Waterton Lake |
3
kilometers into the hike, you reach the east end of the gravelly beach, where a
brief rocky section needs to be traversed before you reach a second smaller
beach. When you exit the second beach
and return to single-track dirt trail, the body of water on your right is now
Middle as opposed to Upper Waterton Lake, but it is hard to tell the
difference. The hillside is steep and
the trail narrow, so even though horses are allowed on this trail, large
animals would struggle to fit through.
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| Hiking the Prince of Wales Trail |
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| Vimy Peak across Middle Waterton Lake |
As you
continue around the Prince of Wales Trail, the woods get denser, and another
face of Vimy Peak appears across the lake.
At 4.2 kilometers, you reach the northeastern corner of the Prince of
Wales Trail. The Linnet Lake Picnic
Area, a boat launch, and restrooms sit here.
Trails exiting left climb to the Prince of Wales Hotel and loop around
Linnet Lake, but both of these trails were closed on my visit. Thus, I had to head southwest on the roadside
sidewalk that goes up and over a hill to get back to Waterton townsite. Use the sidewalks in Waterton to return to
your car and complete the hike.
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