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Waterton National Park: Where Prairies Meet Rockies!
Touch the Time: from Calgary to 1.5 billiard y.o. mountains for 3 hours
Tour Highlights
- Private Guided Tour: One or Two Days at Your Own Pace!
- A Stunning National Park Famous for its Geology and Unique Landscape
- Scenic Drive through Prairies
- Red Rock Canyon, Waterfalls, Peaks
- Outdoor activities of Your Choice: Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Hiking
- History and Culture Heritage of the Real Canada!
Waterton Park: Irinerary and Attraction
Driving to Waterton: 3 Hours in Grand Prairies
The road to Waterton lies through hillly meadows and agriculture fields of Grand Prairies with tops of Rocky Mountains emerging from the morning mist. The highway is spectacular!
Moreover, it's a great chance to see the real Canada with numerous scattered ranchos, famous "ground beef" cows, stacks of hay and huge wind generators.
We will also stop at the U Ranch Historic Site to learn about the life of first settlers in this harsh place!
Waterton Village: Europe in the middle of Canada
Waterton village is one of the prettiest in all of Canada. It gives you surprising vibes of a tiny Eropean village deep in the mountains. You may wander around the village looking at fancy old-fashioned houses which are so cozy that you just want to stay and drink coffee. It's full of flowers and even wildlife! You may easily stumble upon uncautious deer eating violets from the carved pot (just as we did).
There's plenty of things to do, the truly heart of the Waterton Park! You may ride pretty old-fashioned tricycle, go boating, paddleboarding or kayaking in the huge lake, hike one of numerous trails to find a best viewpoint, gaze starts in the night or learn more about cultural and historic heritage.
During the tour, we will stop there for a lunch and then discuss plans for the day!
Best ways to spend a day in Waterton Park:
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Our Trip to Waterton National Park
July 1, a Canada Day! Only 155 years ago the British North America Act was signed by the British Parliament. It became a holiday only 30 years ago, and before that, it was Dominion Day. My attempt to ask locals how people celebrate this event failed very quick! I did not hear anything except for advice to drink, drive to the campsite and go to Downtown. Of the three possible options, the third one seemed too easy, the second one was already done on Friday evening, so the only thing left was to camp. Local camping traditions deserve special admiration, not every Russian has the living space that local campers have. More on that later, but now on the trip.
Picking up Alberta globe, we began to think about where to go? We have already traveled to the West, in addition, traffic jams towards Banff were depressing (by megapolis standards, there were no traffic jams). Eastern prairies and badlands are amazing, but we have already been there. It is worth going north only if you miss Siberia, mosquitoes, and the oil industry. So we chose the South, driving towards the USA seemed somehow cool for people who had never been there. So, we drove to Waterton Park.
Waterton Park is an absolutely stunning place. Is it worse than Banff? No way! It's just less popular. The most impressive landscapes can usually be found at the junction of two completely different ones, for example... where the Great Prairies meet the Rocky Mountains? We drove for several hours in a slightly rolling plain, around green fields and ranchlands with ordinary Canadian farmers. Then, mountains appear just in front, they were approaching and approaching, but we were still gathering all around the same hills and windmills. Actually, I even do not remember the foothills. Literally, the prairies just hit a rock from which a waterfall falls.
Since we didn't want to bother with planning, we simply chose the closest campground with a "for a first come first serve" rule. At first, we were unlucky, the place went out from under our noses, we already noticed it and drove in its direction, but the pickup truck with the senior couple beat us to it. And then we stumble upon a hidden in bushes parking lot (B1) with a tiny piece of paper: OCCUPIED (for the next three days). Friendly neighbors quickly told us, that the previous family fell somewhere to make ends meet, and we got the place. After us, a few more cars came and circled, but they all left with nothing. The local officer told us another secret... if there's no tent and people at the campsite, it's free! Even if you leave your car! You or your tent should be there or this campground is considered as available!
In the morning we drove around the area. Waterton town is just incredible! Small and very cozy, such a nice village with European vibes and deers roaming the streets full of fachwerk houses with chimneys and funny-looking bikes (a pedal-powered car assembled from 2 bicycles). Waterton town is surrounded by a lake and mountains - a beautiful spot to enjoy nature sitting in your fancy lodge. The Prince of Wales hotel stands out for its location on the top of the hill in the middle of the lake. Actually, you can already get stuck in here for another day or two... Kayaking, riding, swimming, and just relaxing.
Right in the city, a large waterfall hits the ground of Precambrian rocks. A special pleasure to geologists! To be honest, geology was the central word of our trip, we talked about it almost all the time. In this part of the Rocky Mountains, very ancient rocks (1.5 billion years) creep onto younger ones and end up on the surface, the process is quite active and vigorous. These rocks are not covered by any sedimentary. If you love unique landscapes, you can just touch rocks of 1.5 billiard y.o.! For others, the whole area is just stunning because of beautiful and diverse stones, very photogenic canyons, and mountain peaks.
Dead-end roads depart from the town, built only for tourists and leading nowhere except for the parking lot, from which trekking trails fan out. There are thousands of them, with 99% of tourists concentrating on the first 200-300 meters. So it is worth moving 500 meters away and the number of bears will exceed the number of people. In general, the wild nature here is so wild that it crawls into your life itself. Squirrels outside the window do not cause emotions even in children, hares in the city are perceived as crows. For a single day, we saw: a bear on the roadside, a small herd of bison, several varieties of deer, three fucking pelicans, all sorts of loons, ducks, and other ground squirrels. It has already become a firm habit that we cannot walk without bear spray even on crowdy trails.
And in the evening we were overtaken by a tremendous downpour that went on all night. Of the minuses, damp things and departure without breakfast, but how well you sleep.
Greetings, I'm Tony, a physician turned travel entrepreneur. After years of practicing medicine, I realized that what I truly desired was to explore the world, meet new people, and learn their stories. I enjoy engaging in conversations on various topics such as politics, religion, and stereotypes with an open-minded perspective. A good sense of humor is always welcome as it makes the world a better place.
Before the pandemic and a tumultuous political climate, I owned a tour company in Russia. However, I now find myself fortunate to be in Canada, surrounded by the magnificent Rockies, contemplating the complexities of our world.
If you're seeking an opportunity to explore this marvelous area, you've come to the right place. Travel Real Canada offers unique Banff and Jasper holidays, tailored to your interests, ensuring you make the most of your travel experience. Let's discover the beauty of Canada together!
