still Making Waves on top of the world: Waterton Lakes National Park "Welcome" August 15, 2022

A mere month and a half ago was when I last spent time in Waterton Lakes National Park! The more I go there, the more I want to go there! This trip was last minute when I saw a suite become available for the exact days I wanted to escape the hot concrete jungle. The suite had a kitchenette, air conditioning and this one had a rocking chair at my front door. I like that the shade hits this suite very early afternoon. The weather for Waterton was forecasted to be just as hot if not hotter than Calgary but I will take mountainous heat over city heat any day.

It's a three hour drive which I like to not leave too late in the day to attack. I am fresher in the morning so have a couple of hours to pass after arriving and before checking in. The Buffalo Paddock is on the way not far from the park entrance. After entering through the fence and driving for a few minutes, I rounded a corner with a bit of a hill and this was what I saw. The white vehicle must have just driven along here then the bison decided to cross the road. It stopped and looked at me and then stayed there. I assumed it would just move along but it was just short of a fifteen minute wait for me until it completed crossing the road. In hind sight with the price of gas these days, I should have parked my car.

After visiting the Buffalo Paddock, I stopped in at the Boat Inspection Station just outside the Park Gate. I needed to register my packraft so I could paddle in the local lakes. The inspection sticker and form gave me permission to paddle anytime I wanted at any lake within Waterton Lakes National Park.

Next on the agenda was to drive the Chief Mountain Highway to the closed border. The first time I did that was during my last visit and I really enjoyed the scenery along there. Because the border is closed, there is no traffic other than the odd person like me who enjoys the drive, the Parks People patrolling it and those that enjoy bike riding. It is a great place to bike while the border is closed. Not far from the closed border I spotted a black bear on the side of the road. There was no worry with creating a bear jam, so I pulled over and watched it feast on the berries. It looked at me twice but then carried on with its business.

There are two locations along the highway that have lookouts. They have signage, one has picnic tables and washrooms. This is the view from one of the viewpoints. This is the view towards Waterton and Lower Waterton Lake.

the view driving the Chief Mountain Highway back from the closed border

With still some time on my side, I drove up to Cameron Lake. By now it was mid afternoon and the typical breeze picked up making the lake not so calm. The water was unbelievably warm. I picked a spot to stand away from all the others who were doing what I was doing and from some who were even swimming. I will be back to Cameron Lake tomorrow morning when I begin the Carthew Alderson hike.