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Camping 99 Destination Series: Waterton-Glacier National Parks

© Thomas Stephens Sr.

This is the fifth in a series of articles that offer suggestions for your 1999 camping/vacation destinations. The articles share our personal experiences at these great places and provide links to more explicit information on attractions, parks and campgrounds.

There is an area of the Rocky Mountains, located in northwestern Montana and southern Alberta, Canada, that cannot be contained by national boundaries. Its glacial valleys, soaring mountains and deep cold lakes offer allegiance only to Mother Nature. Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park are, in essence, one grand exhibit. They have been officially recognized as such since the 1930s. This spectacular International Peace Park is the largest intact ecological system in North America and a camper's dream come true.

If you love the outdoors as we do, you'll go bananas over Waterton and Glacier National Parks. Waterton Lakes has over 200 square miles of unspoiled natural wonders. Ranging in elevation from 4,050 feet to 9,646 feet (Mt. Blakiston), the park's diversity of terrain, wildlife and vegetation is simply unbelievable. Glacier Park contains another 1,600 square miles of peaks, grassland, sculptured valleys, forested hills and alpine meadows. Elevation here ranges between 3,150 feet and 10,466 feet (Mt. Cleveland). This is America at her very best - raw, wild, magnificent! And yet, both parks provide some great camping and visitor's facilities. No matter what your age or your outdoor interests, there is plenty to do and lots to see and experience.

Park Attractions and Activities

Waterton

Waterton Lakes National Park is easily accessed via Alberta Highways 6 (north) or 5 (east). Montana Highway 17 (Chief Mountain International Highway) and U.S. 89 connect the park with Glacier. Waterton's Lower, Middle and Upper Lakes offer unparalleled scenic beauty and a host of outdoor enjoyments. The Waterton Shoreline Cruise Co. supplies scenic tours on Upper Waterton Lake as well as guided hikes and private boat docking. The Wilderness Tours Co. provides fishing, hiking, bird watching and kids' packages in the area. There is even an 18-hole Waterton Lakes Golf Course near the town site. Gorgeous Cameron Lake lies at the end of the Akamina Parkway - a 10-mile drive from Waterton Townsite. Another scenic drive through Blakiston Valley terminates at fabulous Red Rock Canyon (about nine miles).

Waterton Lakes possesses an abundance of outdoor recreational activities. There are more than 190 miles of trails within the park. Be it backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife watching or just sightseeing that tickles your fancy, Waterton Lakes National Park has got it!

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