Where We Be
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| At the far end of the cruise you'll be dropped off in Glacier National Park, Montana, where you'll show your passport at this tiny ranger station before beginning your hike |
| Waterton Lake Cruise -- Alberta, Canada |
Waterton's scenic lake cruise takes you across
the length of Waterton Lake and back, with a
pause for hiking at the far end (if you so wish).
It’s listed as the #1 thing to do in Waterton on
Trip Advisor, and we really enjoyed it. At the
town marina we paid 45 CAD per person (about
$35 US) for the cruise aboard the historic
International. We set off at 10 am on a sunny
day. The cruise took about an hour each way.
Without a doubt the highlight was watching a
huge black bear foraging along the shore.
Debarking at the far end, we found ourselves
in Montana once again -- in the northern part
of Glacier National Park known as Goat Haunt.
From there we did a 5.6-mile round-trip hike to
Kootenai Lakes, hoping to spy a moose (but no
such luck). We caught the 2:30 pm boat back.
The cruise makes a figure eight on the lake so
you get fresh views in both directions. Note:
Bring your passport if you want to go on a hike.
the length of Waterton Lake and back, with a
pause for hiking at the far end (if you so wish).
It’s listed as the #1 thing to do in Waterton on
Trip Advisor, and we really enjoyed it. At the
town marina we paid 45 CAD per person (about
$35 US) for the cruise aboard the historic
International. We set off at 10 am on a sunny
day. The cruise took about an hour each way.
Without a doubt the highlight was watching a
huge black bear foraging along the shore.
Debarking at the far end, we found ourselves
in Montana once again -- in the northern part
of Glacier National Park known as Goat Haunt.
From there we did a 5.6-mile round-trip hike to
Kootenai Lakes, hoping to spy a moose (but no
such luck). We caught the 2:30 pm boat back.
The cruise makes a figure eight on the lake so
you get fresh views in both directions. Note:
Bring your passport if you want to go on a hike.
| The highlight of the trip was spotting this black bear foraging out in the open. He ambled along the shore for a good ten minutes as our boat made a circle so all the passengers could have a look. |
| Pleasant scenery surrounds you on both sides as you cruise along the lake. We started off wearing our rain gear as windbreakers but soon shed them. |
| We also paused at this geologic point of interest where ancient rocks have clearly been bent and folded due to the collision of the plates that created the Rockies |
| At the halfway point, a long chute of cleared trees marks the official U.S.- Canada border. Apparently this chute continues all the way along the border. |
| At the far end of the cruise, we disembarked for a short hike |
| Of course, even a "boring" trail in Glacier National Park offers good views from time to time |
| Kootenai Lakes itself is quite beautiful, although it can be buggy and hard to find a place to sit that isn't wet |
| Okay, Kootenai Lakes really isn't so bad! Can you really go wrong with a hike in Glacier National Park or the Canadian Rockies? |
| We chose Kootenai Lakes in hopes of seeing a moose. We found most of this trail boring, to be honest, with thick vegetation and few views, so our advice would be to ask at the ranger station if any moose have been sighted recently. If not, consider hiking to Goat Haunt Overlook instead. |
| From the pier you can see the ranger station set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains |
| The trailhead map shows the two most popular day hikes: Goat Haunt Overlook (1 mile each way but steep) and Kootenai Lakes (2.8 miles each way but flat) |
| This is the view as you begin your lake cruise at Waterton marina. A section of the town beach can be seen at right. |
| The ubiquitous Prince of Wales Hotel is visible on the left as the boat sets off from the marina |
