Waterton Lakes National Park
With a long weekend approaching and the weatherman predicting wall to wall sunshine we decided to head out and explore a little further. I have been looking at Waterton Lakes for a while now as the snow tends to leave there earlier. We also thought we should head that way before the 'tourist season' starts at the end of May and the small town is inundated with thronging masses.
We decided to drive via the 'Cowboy Trail' (highway 22) rather than the normal route via the main highway. It only adds about 20 minutes to a 3 hour journey but has the benefit of passing through small towns, and of course seeing those strange roadside things that appear so random to us but are quite the norm in North America, here a 25 foot tall cowboy swings his lasso at the entrance road to a ranch along the way.
We decided to drive via the 'Cowboy Trail' (highway 22) rather than the normal route via the main highway. It only adds about 20 minutes to a 3 hour journey but has the benefit of passing through small towns, and of course seeing those strange roadside things that appear so random to us but are quite the norm in North America, here a 25 foot tall cowboy swings his lasso at the entrance road to a ranch along the way.
on arrival at Waterton we were greeted by a herd of Rocky Mountain sheep who lay nonchalantly around the lakeshore making the most of the fresh spring grass.
we arrived around 6pm and booked into our hotel before going to a lakeside restaurant for dinner. Once we had eaten (too much) we walked along the lakeshore watching the sun dip behind the mountains casting it's last golden rays against the leviathans opposite.
The lower the sun went the more red it became as it just managed to light the tips of the mountains across the calm water.
We sat and watched until the sun was gone before returning to the hotel, in all the time we were wandering the town and lake shore we saw many more sheep than people. Most of the stores were still closed and we felt like we had the place to ourselves.
In the morning the view from the hotel balcony comprised beautiful blues sky and a small herd of sheep staring intently toward us whilst chewing continually.
After breakfast we went out to the truck to take a ride up to Cameron Lake where the Canada/USA border is spanned by the high mountain lake. We stood looking at the truck for a while trying to decipher the strange 'dabbed' markings all around it.
Turns out we had received a 'Waterton Car Wash' during the night. The sheep had been down treating the truck as a salt lick, the culprits showed no sign of emotion as they wandered past giving us the eye. Sarah was not impressed with the assault on her new truck but it was funny, we were not the only ones to get this treatment....it is apparently a very common thing here.
On the road to Cameron Lake we stopped many times to look at waterfalls and overlooks providing views along a deep canyon.
from here most of the town site can be seen in the valley beside the lake though the trees are doing a good job of hiding a lot of it.
Sarah considered taking an old sheep trail down the canyon to a waterfall but on reflection didn't fancy the hike back up again, opting to save her energy for the hike ahead.
We arrived at a winter gate that closed off the last 3km of the route to Cameron Lake so we parked in the car park there and headed out on foot for the rest of the way. It was easy hiking with a dry clear road all the way to the lake.
At the lake we had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the area while admiring Mount Custer at the far end of the lake protecting the American border as part of the Livingstone range. We walked on the lake a little but it was melting too much for us to trust it very far.
We were joined by a 'Stellers Jay' (or Mountain Jay), the first either of us has ever seen and what a wonderful bird it is. It watched intently as we sat and had a little bite to eat but didn't come around for food as the whisky jacks do.
The picnic table still has a little snow left around it but it can be used for a lunch break and makes a welcome seat.
It was wonderful to watch the clouds race past Mount Custer changing the shadows along the snow covered face continually, we plodded a while but the deep snow prevented us making the hike to the border
After viewing all of the information boards around the (currently closed) visitor centre we headed off again back along the cleared roadway, downhill all the way.
once back at the car and heading down the mountain the views were once again, spectacular.
from the mountain road we get a great view down over the 'Prince of Wales' hotel which sits at the end of the lake. We had initially tried to book a room here but it is closed until the end of May, perhaps thats a good reason to return.
Once back in town we grabbed an ice cream and sat beside the lake before continuing our wanders along the lakeshore.
This little bird was sat beside us as we ate, he had difficulty walking on the rocks and looked like a fledgling, maybe a grebe of some sort.
looking back to the Prince of Wales hotel perhaps helps demonstrate why we wanted a room there.
the lakeshore is easy going on large pebbles of all colours beside crystal clear water, the lake is stunning and fully surrounded by mountains which today are reflecting back on the calm water.
at the far end of the town a shallow river pours into the lake and we cross over to a grassy paddock
In the paddock were hundreds of ground squirrels squeaking at each other and at us. Many of them were chasing around the grass out in the open and I really did expect to see an eagle swoop down for lunch, but fortunately for the squirrels there were no eagles around.
There are some large 'washout' areas that lead me to think there must be occasions where the water gets a little more lively, probably during the spring melt, though there is no sign of that today.
we laughed at this sign but decided to carry on our wander safe in the knowledge that there were no boxing deer around just yet....at least we hoped not..
We circled the town site before making our way back to the harbour where tour boats take day trippers along the lake, down in the clear water we saw plenty of fish....wish I'd brought my tackle now.
by now the sun was high in the sky and and huge clouds billowed across the horizon, it was a stunning scene that left us both saying 'wow' almost simultaneously
further beyond the tour boat area a guy was just preparing to set off in an open canoe which must be quite an experience on a flat clam lake of this size on a day like today.
as we walk a little further we come across these guys.....hoping they aren't the boxing deer associated with the earlier sign. They were too busy enjoying the grass to even look up at us as we passed.
we decide to walk around to the end of the lake in the hope of getting a good photo along the length of it with reflections to match
It is very difficult to stop shooting as we walk around to the bridge that leads to the spit of land sticking out at the end of the lake
Even with the tree shadows reaching out into the lake the reflections of clouds and mountains demand capture and the trees make a good place for me to hide my own shadow.
working our way around the bay we are not disappointed with the view that awaits us.
Once around to the rocky point the deep water provides a green tint to the wonderful landscape and the reflections just get stronger and stronger.
The scene is one of absolute beauty, the trees on the point opposite must look even better in autumn when they will burn bright orange...that would be a great time to return here.
Sarah stood mesmerized on the point as I scurried around trying to grab photos from every angle before the wind could come along and ripple the mirror like surface of the lake.
The depth of the reflections are such that the image could almost be turned upside down without notice.
there is even a small beach hidden away between the rocks, though I suspect the water would be a little chilly for paddling right now
eventually I've captured every possible angle from the point and we head back into town for dinner with a plan to return to the point later for a sunset shoot
Even crossing back into town I couldn't help but grab a couple more shots of this wonderful (and apparently rare) sight. It seems Waterton is reknown for its constant windy days...I guess we got lucky .
After dinner I asked Sarah if she wanted me to take her back to the hotel and go back to the point alone but she didn't want to miss it and made the return hike across town and around the end of the lake once more as the still calm of evening set across the bay area.
as we sat talking on the point waiting for sunset it was nice to see a little fox sneak behind us and along the stoney beach
things started promisingly enough with a beautiful orange glow on the tips of the mountains just as it was last night
Disappointingly that was the best of the sunset this evening, there was a moment when it promised more but eventually it died out to a red glow and we set off back to the hotel in the dusk.
On sunday morning we had breakfast overlooking the lake before packing our bags and heading back toward Calgary via a UNESCO World Heritage site called 'Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump' . Along the way we stopped and admired the view across the prairie toward the Rocky Mountains
We love the prairies, they remind us of our time in Oklahoma, though we didn't have these stunning mountains around us then.
It's easy to find the place once you find buffalo junction and the huge weathervane which has full sized buffalo on it and rotates with the wind
the entrance sign leaves us laughing at the image of the buffalo literally launching themselves off a cliff
The visitor centre is blended into a sandstone ridge and uses three levels to show the lifecycle of the Blackfoot Tribe that called this area home
As we walked out onto the interpretive trail that leads to the 'jump' we saw a hoary marmot sitting on a boulder beside the trail which made our day as it is the first one we have ever seen.
the trail along the ridge top gives fantastic views east across the prairies
having seen our first hoary marmot we quickly saw our second and third sitting on a rock looking out over the ridge
Here the jump can be seen in full, in simple terms the Blackfoot people would stampede buffalo over the ridge using a funnel like set up though often this would cost the lives of a number of the braves.
even though we have travelled miles to the east the rockies still peek over the top of the prairie to the west
another hoary marmot you say.....damn things are ten-a-penny around here. They are bigger than cats but smaller than dogs...maybe a jack russel size...fantastic to see.
We had a great time at the buffalo jump and really enjoyed the visitor centre info. There were hundreds of artifacts and incredible old photos of the area from a hundred years ago, best of all we learned a lot about the first nations people whose direct descendants still run the centre.
On leaving we decided to go back across country to the cowboy trail and stop for lunch at one of the small towns over there called Pincher Creek, as we approach the town we stopped to grab a shot of these metal cut outs that are lined up beside a road junction.... I'll bet they really look incredible at sunrise.
On leaving we decided to go back across country to the cowboy trail and stop for lunch at one of the small towns over there called Pincher Creek, as we approach the town we stopped to grab a shot of these metal cut outs that are lined up beside a road junction.... I'll bet they really look incredible at sunrise.
A little further along is another series of these, this time it is of the first nations people, it somehow looks a little more artificial than the cowboy one, maybe it's those sharp corners on the teepee.
After a nice lunch we continued on our way with Sarah spotting a moose in a hidden gully along the prairie, when we passed through a small town called Black Diamond we stopped for a wander around before carrying on the journey home.
This was a wonderful weekend and one I'm sure we'll repeat at some point in the future.....at least I hope we do.
This was a wonderful weekend and one I'm sure we'll repeat at some point in the future.....at least I hope we do.