OFF TRAIL HIKING IN WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK
My ex-wife’s family had a beautiful cabin in the Waterton townsite and I had the opportunity to hike this park for portions of 18 summers. This is where I first started hiking and developed my love for walking and exploring mountains. I virtually always hiked alone. Besides hiking all the trails, I climbed every mountain at least once and walked every ridge. I started a register program and put a book in a plumbing tube on every peak (unfortunately these were not maintained after I stopped going to the park). I was also very interested in writing a book on off trail hiking in the park with the cooperation of the Waterton Lakes Natural History Association. It did not receive the blessing of the park service and thus never happened. This is understandable – Waterton is such a small park with few places for the animals to go, and encouraging people to go all over the place would be an unwanted side effect.
Days without wind are rare. The average wind speed is 35km/hour and has occasionally reached 160km/hour. Warm Chinook winds can have a dramatic effect on temperatures especially in the winter. On one day in January 1966, in nearby Pincher Creek, Alberta, the temperature rose 21°C in 4 minutes! Waterton has the entire range of environments, from wetland to prairie to alpine.
I would like to give a summary of most of the off trail hikes available in the park. You will recognize few of these as they all involve climbing mountains and walking ridges. My directions are purposely somewhat vague. Part of the adventure is discovering the route either up or down. My purpose is to give you some ideas of great places to go that are not in the standard books on hiking. Good topographic maps are necessary to understand where you are going and the scope of the hike. Many are also long days so plan accordingly.
1. Mount Forum. This mountain is on the BC-Alberta border just above the US-Canada border. It gives great views down to Cameron Lake and to the big mountains to the south in Glacier NP in Montana. The bear grass here is often world class.
Take the Akamina Parkway 14.4 km on the way to Cameron Lake and park at the Akamina Pass trailhead. Walk up the trail 1.6km to the pass and turn south to walk up the border cut. It has one very steep part. When you reach the cliff below the top of the mountain, take the animal trail that continues under the cliff to the very low point of the ridge where it switchbacks briefly to the top. Turn east and walk up to the summit. It is not obvious what is the true top as there are a few cairns appearing to be the same height. It is possible to climb down to a very neat marker at the continental divide/ US/Canada border. But it is a difficult scramble.
2. Mount Crandell. From the summit, one gets panoramic views of the townsite and down to the hotel and the lake.
From the park visitor’s center, take the trail up to the Bears Hump. Start the big climb up the ridge. At each cliff band, bypass them to the left. There is minimal scrambling to get to the summit. To get back down, there are three choices. Returning the same way poses some difficulties as from above the route is not obvious even though you just came that way! The ridge going down to the NE takes you down towards the golf course. My favorite is to take the long ridge heading west towards Crandell Lake. On top I once walked beside a large herd of male sheep. When above the lake pick the easiest way down and then walk around the south side of the mountain back to your vehicle.
3. Mount Blakiston and Lineham Lakes. This is the highest mountain in the park and makes a great climb with panoramic views of most of the park as it is in the center of the park. There are five lakes in the Lineham Lakes basin. There used to be a map at the trailhead showing the 100m high Lineham cliff and how to negotiate it, but after an accident, the cables were removed along with the map. The first time I was here, I had never been on the cliff, the route was not obvious from above, and I followed a goat down the cliff to the south of the falls. As almost no one goes here because of the cliff, it is a mecca for wildlife.
Drive the Akamina Parkway 9.3 km, park at the Lineham Lakes trailhead and walk the trail until you come to a gully coming down from west of the summit. After climbing to the top of Blakiston, return along the ridge and continue on it to circle around the north end of Lineham Lakes basin. Work your way down to the upper lake, walk through the basin and then down Lineham cliff. One can go down either side of the falls. Both routes are actually game trails. Although not obvious from above, either way works fine. Simply work your way down the ledges. Apparently this requires a climbing permit now.
4. Mount Vimy and Crypt Lake Trail. This mountain across the lake from the town site has great views. Taking the ridge to the east and then down to Crypt Lakes giving one a chance to see the most popular day hike in the park (although it is certainly not mine). Then take the boat that picks up hikers at the end of the day at the Crypt Lake Trailhead on Waterton Lake.
From the park entrance, take Hwy 5 SE .9km, turn right and drive .5km on the Chief Mountain Hwy 6. Park in the pullout across from the Y Camp access road. Walk down the road 2.6km to the Y Camp and the trail. It is a long boring walk to start the climb (and thus a long way back) and do this only if just climbing Vimy which is a long day in its own right.
As a result, if you want to do the entire loop to Crypt Lake, it is necessary to get a boat ride through the Bosporus to the east shore of Middle Waterton Lake to access the trail up Vimy near the shore. Follow it, turn east at the Vimy junction and scramble up to the summit from the east. Then follow the long easy ridge all the way back to above Crypt Lake and scramble down the easy slopes to the lake and the tunnel and the crowds. The trail down from Crypt Lake is nice with several waterfalls. The boat makes the trip every day in the summer as the Crypt Lake trail is one of the most popular in the park. Verify the times at the boat dock.
5. Alderson Carthew Trail and Mount Alderson or Mt Carthew. This is probably the nicest trail hike in the park (and my favorite) but requires a shuttle (or hitchhike from town). It passes past the very pretty Carthew and Alderson Lakes. The mountains are nice climbs. The view from the top of Alderson down to Alderson Lake is dramatic. After climbing Alderson, don’t be tempted to do the Bertha Cirque. One runs into multiple cliffs each requiring difficult down climbs. The one time I did this, I eventually ran out of time, and had to descend to the south down to the Boundary Trail and walked home in the dark.
Park at Cameron Lake and take the trail to Summit Lake. Continue on the trail, leaving it to climb Alderson and Carthew, each mountain along obvious routes. For a really long day, climb the ridge off Bertha Peak and go back to town via that trail.
The Alderson Carthew trail comes out right in town next to Cameron Falls after 19km.
6. Wall Lake Cirque. This hike is not in Waterton but is in Akamina Kishinena PP in SE British Columbia. There are great views straight down to Wall Lake and south into Glacier NP. The only time I attempted this, the wind was so powerful that you could not move safely without locking arms with your fellow hikers.
Park at the Akaminia Pass trailhead on the Akamina Parkway. Take the trail up to Forum Lake and access the ridge to the west of the lake. Hike up to the ridge to access Akamina Ridge. Walk over 4 bumps around the cirque above Wall Lake. After descending to the Bennett Pass Trail, turn north and go down to Wall Lake and the trail that returns to Akamina Pass.
7. Red Rock Creek and Cloudy Ridge. After a fun wade up the middle of the creek, the walk along the ridge provides great views north of the park boundary.
Park at Red Rock Creek and walk right into the creek marvelling at the incredible colours in the rock. Walk under the bridge and keep going. There are no difficulties. When you reach the Y where 2 creeks meet, head up the ridge between the two and climb up to Cloudy ridge. Explore along the ridge and descend any way you think would be the most fun.
8. Avion Ridge and Goat Lake. This great hike follows a ridge on a standard trail with good views along its entire length. It is a nice scramble down to Goat Lake.
Park at the Red Rock Creek and walk 8.2km to Snowshoe Campground on an old fire road. Take the Avion Ridge trail with huge panoramic views. At the end of the ridge, drop down negotiating two bands of rock outcroppings that form short cliffs into Goat Lake and hike out on the steep trail. Cycling to the Goat Lake TH and ditching your bike here shortens your day by a couple of hours.
9. Bertha Peak and Carthew Lakes. I like the Bertha Lake trail with its 2 waterfalls. The lake is very pretty set in a hanging valley with a high rock cirque above it. The cirque is formed from left to right by Mt Richards, Mt Alderson and Bertha Peak. This is the very first hike I ever took when I carried my almost 1-year-old daughter to the lake in a lot of snow.
Cross the bridge at the base of Cameron Falls in the townsite. After .4km turn right on the Bertha Lake Trail. At the lake, access the NE ridge of the mountain. It is a straight forward climb with great views of Upper Waterton Lake. From the top head down to the north west to Carthew Lakes. Return on the Alderson Carthew Trail to make a nice loop.
10. Western (Continental Divide) Border of the Park. This is a mammoth day hike if one were to try to walk the entire route in one go. It is a long hike just to get to the north end of each part. It is only really practical to do it in two parts.
For both parts, park at the Red Rock Creek parking lot. For the first north section, walk the Snowshoe trail and continue to Twin Lakes. Leave the trail before the lakes and traverse over Kishinena Peak ending at the historically significant South Kootenay Pass where there is a trail. Return on the Blakiston Valley Trail. For the second part, return to the pass and follow the continental Divide south over multiple mountains including Mt Festubert ending at Akamina Pass and the Akamina Parkway for a big day.
11. Anderson Peak and Mt Bauerman. From the Red Rock parking lot, climb the south face of Mt Anderson from Blakiston Creek going up an obvious gully. Turn west and walk the very long ridge over Mt Bauerman ending up above Twin Lakes. Return either by Blakiston Creek or the Snowshoe trail. This is a big day so get a very early start.
12. Rowe Lakes and Lineham Ridge. Rowe Creek has nice cascades and a red creek bed. Rowe Lakes are lovely and the views from Lineham Ridge astounding.
Park at the Rowe Lakes trailhead 10.5km along the Akamina Parkway. Instead of going to Upper Rowe Lake, follow the Tamarack trail to access Lineham Ridge. Walk the ridge for great views down to Lineham Lakes. Return the same way. It is not possible to continue on the ridge to get down to Lineham Lakes without a rope.
MOUNT CLEVELAND
Although not in Waterton, the only practical way to reach it is down Upper Waterton Lake, either by boat or a long walk along the lakeshore.
The highest mountain in Glacier National Park, it is only easily climbed from Goat Haunt at the south end of Upper Waterton Lake. I have climbed it twice plus another attempt that was aborted as the mountain was in total cloud. Note that I am writing this 30+ years after my last climb and so the descriptions that follow are slightly vague but more than adequate to climb the mountain.
Take the boat from Waterton Townsite to Goat Haunt the afternoon before and camp at Goat Haunt where there are some covered shelters (on cement). Leave your big packs and take daypacks from here. The destination of both routes is a waterfall on the west face from where it is an easy climb up the south ridge to the top.
The summit of Cleveland is spectacular with a sheer 4000-foot drop down the north face. There are great views north to Waterton.
1. Elk Trail Route. Using this route, climbing Cleveland is usually a two-day adventure as the bushwalk through the alder is very difficult. Once through the alder, you will be below a waterfall coming down from the west face. This is where most people camp, climb the mountain and come out all the way on the second day. From here the trailless route is obvious up to the south ridge.
Walk up the Waterton Valley for several kilometres and try to find the bottom of an elk trail that ascends to below the west face. It is through terrible alder and was impossible to follow from below 30 years ago (I can only imagine how difficult it would be now), although the one time I descended on this “trail”, it was actually possible to follow it most of the way.
If you want to come out this way, don’t even consider going straight east to avoid the alder and bushwhack – it is worse following the creek down.
2. Northwest Ridge. Using this route is wonderful, there is no bushwhacking and makes climbing Cleveland a relatively easy one-day trip from Goat Haunt. The ridge follows the edge of the spectacular north face of Cleveland, the highest face in the USA.
Go up the Waterton Valley trail keeping your eye on the NW ridge. Reach some meadows where it is obviously the easiest access to the bottom of the ridge. Cross them and walk up the game trail that follows the ridge. When you come to obvious ledges that traverse the west face of the mountain, leave the ridge. It is a pleasant walk to above the waterfall that comes down the west face. Then work your way up to the south ridge that leads to the summit.
Return the same way.
GOAT HAUNT to MOUNT FORUM and CAMERON LAKE
This is a three-day backpacking trip I did about 30 years ago. It follows a trail from Goat Haunt to Boulder Pass and then goes off trail to cross the US/Canada border and climb the south face of Mount Forum. The valley here is spectacular with animal trails a foot deep. Pass another wise very difficult to reach place, but with a significant cairn – where the continental divide meets the US-Canada 49th parallel.
Camp at Lake and Hole in the Wall.