Waterton Lakes National Park is a hidden Gem in Southern Alberta. It's not as popular as Banff or Jasper but it is just as lovely as any place in the Canadian Rockies. It's the perfect spot for a weekend getaway and has many beautiful hikes such as Bertha Lake.
The US Canadian border runs right across the middle of Upper Waterton Lake. So the further mountains in the photo are not in Canada. You can paddle or walk across the border here and no one is going to stop you. This is part of the longest undefended border on the planet although the mountains do make a formidable barrier.
Deer live on the lake shore making for the perfect photo opportunity. Living in a park protects them from hunters and cars. We came here a month ago and the water was still a little too cold to swim in but it would be great to get around the deer and take a photo of its reflection. They rent water craft and have cruises for those who are interested.
Many of the hikes in the area have great views of the lake. There was a fire in the area which makes it even more prominent. It was a cloudy day but at least we didn't get any rain. It would have been very slippery on the descent.
The deer aren't camera shy. They were within a few feet of the path and it was a busy Saturday evening. It doesn't get dark until around 10pm in June here so the golden hour is delayed.
The beach is rocky, similar to other lakes in the area. Waterton Lake is also in Glacier National Park on the US side of the border and their lakes are famous for these rainbow stones.
The Prince of Wales hotel sits alone on the hill. The trees burnt down making it prominent. We spent the night there and while a little dated, it had more than enough charm to make up for it.
You can see tourists on the hill taking photos of the lake. It's a shame that it was cloudy or the lake would be a perfect mirror. In the evening the water was calm as all the boats are in for the night and there was no wind.
We walked around for hours, getting in almost 25,000 steps. The temperature was perfect and there is nothing to do except grab a bite to eat in town, then enjoy the scenery.
The lakes in the area can change colour based on the minerals and the sky. You get vivid colours making it a treat for the eyes. I took a few hundred photos and can't possibly share them all. We really should get a landscape lens again.
This is another shot from the hike we took. In a few years this view will be gone forever, you can see the middle and lower Waterton lakes in the background with the upper lake in the middle of the photo.
This is a place we will go back to for sure. There are half a dozen more hikes I want to do in the area including the Crypt Lake Hike, which is often on lists of the best hikes in Canada. It would be behind those mountains. You have to take a boat across the lake to get there or waste a day walking around the lake.
Hiking during overcast days is so much easier. Without the sun beating down on you, walking 15 to 20 km in a day isn't so much of a challenge. We certainly made the most of our time here and covered a lot of ground.
The town of Waterton is really just for tourists, it almost shuts down in the winter. The filmed part of the most recent episode of "The Last of Us" here, the town was renamed "Silver Lake" and they passed it off as being in Colorado. The Rocky Mountains are beautiful no matter where you go, but the next time you are in Alberta, consider visiting Waterton Lakes.
All photos taken with an s22 or iPhone 13pro
