The Prince of Wales Hotel was the perfect ending to a perfect road trip with a very relaxing atmosphere, a great vantage point for panoramic views, and lots of interesting history. Since we were only here for one night I left wanting more, and a return trip was just added to a future itinerary.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit The Trip of Our Lives 2023.

On the Road Again

Once I saw pictures of the Prince of Wales Hotel perched above Waterton Lake, I knew this had to be our final stop in Glacier National Park. The header photo above was our first glimpse of this place from across the lake and all I could say was Wow!

Although we could have easily stayed one more night, it had already been a long (and pricey) trip. So instead we opted to head out earlier this morning to give us plenty of time to explore the hotel and the surrounding area yet today. We enjoyed a great breakfast at the Glacier’s Edge in Babb, MT on our way by and although the view from the parking lot was not too impressive (spoiled much?), of course it improved.

We crossed the border into Canada at the Chief Mountain Summer Station via Chief Mountain Highway (Hwy. 17). This entry point closes for the season October 1 till May 14 – or whenever Mother Nature commands it.

Waterton National Park Viewpoint

As you’ll see in the photos above, with that border-crossing we left Glacier National Park and entered Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, which is celebrated at the Waterton National Park Viewpoint. Along with fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, there is a lot of information about how this park came to be.

“It was the Rotary Clubs of Alberta and Montana that proposed, in 1931, uniting Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and Glacier National Park in Montana as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first such park in the world. It was intended not just to promote peace and goodwill between nations, but also to underscore the international nature of wilderness and the co-operation required in its protection.” ~ READ MORE and watch a great video

Where the Mountains Meet the Prairies

“Welcome to Waterton Lakes National Park, one of five Canadian and several United States national parks in the Rocky Mountains. Each is dedicated to protecting the natural and human heritage of the mountain landscapes of western North America. In this southwestern corner of Alberta are found the Border Ranges, smaller than the awe-inspiring peaks of Jasper and Banff to the north, but more colorful. Foothills are few here… where “the mountains meet the prairies” with dramatic effect.” ~ from the sign above.

Heading on Down the Road

There will be no falling asleep at the wheel on this road of ever-changing views. Today we are traveling on a portion of The Waterton-Glacier Peace Park Loop, which has been designated one of the Top Ten Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies. Here are sixteen more Trip Plans for awesome views in the area.

“A grand loop drive or bicycle ride will take you to two national parks, over three continental divides, and into some great communities in the heart of the Crown of the Continent where Alberta, British Columbia and Montana converge.

During the summer months, the bonus option puts you on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Regardless of the season, however, you will experience a tremendous diversity of scenery, wildlife, and history.

The loop drive is between 315 and 400 miles long, depending on your route choice. The loop can be driven in one day, but I’d recommend at least three days or as much time as you can spare. Excellent lodging or camping options are available.” ~ READ MORE

Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach was our first stop in Waterton. From here we enjoyed a panoramic view of our hotel and an awesome assortment of driftwood that had washed up from the emerald waters of Middle Waterton Lake.

“Driftwood from Waterton Lakes washes up on shore and creates a beautiful natural mosaic of rock and wood. This spot is perfect for a picnic, with iconic views of Mount Vimy framing middle Waterton Lake and the Prince of Wales hotel atop the hill in the distance. Many like to create their own driftwood artwork during their visit, but remember the Leave No Trace principals; leave the beach and the driftwood how it was when you got there and take nothing but memories with you.” ~ READ MORE

Our Accommodations for the Evening

The Prince of Wales Hotel was the perfect ending to a perfect road trip with a very relaxing atmosphere, a great vantage point for panoramic views, and lots of interesting history. Since we were only here for one night I left wanting more, and now I’m thinking about a return trip for a special occasion – maybe a 45th Anniversary? I’ll get right on that!

The Best Views of Waterton Lake

The lake in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel is considered Upper Waterton Lake and is shared by Canada and the United States. Canada’s portion is about two-thirds and the southern third falls in the U.S.

A nice walkway curves around the crest of the hill on which our hotel is perched. Depending on the sun and clouds, the water could be the most warm and inviting shade of emerald, or a daunting, cold, and frigid shade of dark blue. Although it looks inviting, I’m not sure it ever gets warm enough to swim in – at least for me. Check the temps to see if it’s warm enough for you!

Our view of the town of Waterton.

You name it, Waterton has it, and it has it the way mountain park aficionados love it best – unspoiled, uncrowded, and unbelievably beautiful! View our interactive Waterton Activity Guide, or 8 Things to Do, and here’s a great video.

Red Rock Parkway

Since we only had time for one drive today, we chose the short but sweet Red Rock Parkway. The nine-mile drive in itself was amazing, since we could see the road’s gentle curves off in the distance as well as plenty of mountain peaks.

“The Red Rock Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park is a classic example of “where the mountains meet the prairie,” and is one of only two paved parkways in the park (the other being Akamina Parkway)…

This two lane, narrow, windy, paved road is absolutely a joy to drive. The scenery is breathtaking, and there is wildlife throughout the parkway, including black bear, whitetail deer, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep and much more.” ~ READ MORE

On our way to the Redrocks, several folks were parked alongside the road with massive zoom lenses pointed at the Waterton Lakes Golf Course (the only course in this area). We noticed a black dot ambling down the hill and onto the green. Oddly, we didn’t see even one person running across the prairie to get a closer shot.

On our way out, there was a bear but no golfers, and on our way back there were golfers, but no bear. I think maybe wildlife and humans have a mutual respect for each other in this part of the country. What a concept!

Since I did not have a massive zoom lens, I had a little fun this morning with Photoshop. I replaced my teeny-tiny, blurry bear with a cutout of the wooden bear shown below. The wooden version was alongside the road near some lovely flowers and informational signage. I made him plenty big – similar to “The Boss“ – the biggest baddest grizzly of the Bow Valley.

The Boss lives!

Sturdy Green Bridge

I don’t remember the name of the river or where this bridge leads, but we had to stop and take a look. My guess is with such a sturdy bridge, this river must get raging during certain times of the year.

Red Rock Canyon

Since we passed by very few cars on the drive here, it was surprising to see so many people crawling all over the beautiful red rocks when we reached the canyon. It seemed in contrast to the rest of this trip where folks stood at the edge and gazed down at the beauty. Perhaps the water temperature had been the culprit – or a raging river. But this was a perfect spot with easy access and shallow water so people are compelled to explore.

This place brought back memories of Slide Rock in Sedona, AZ. Even in my post in 2019, I preferred the “uncluttered” version in the winter to swimmers enjoying that natural waterslide. I guess we’re just here for different reasons.

Leaving the crowds behind, a short walk downstream gave us the clear views we were looking for. Although the sun was kind of blowing out my photos, it helped to show us the striations in the rock – the landscape sculpting – from millions of years of erosion and upheavals. It was really quite amazing.

“Every day, erosion continues to tear down mountains then deposit fragments to create new landscape features. Erosion has created land features such as the alluvial fans of Blakiston Creek and Red Rock Canyon.” ~ READ MORE

Home Sweet Home Away from Home

We explored a bit in Waterton, but the skies were getting ugly and it turned awfully cold and windy. I think the first two photos below were taken at Marina Point, and had we gone just a little further we may have seen our final two Red Chairs which would have been a treat. As you may remember we saw our first pair of Parks Canada Red Chairs at the Marble Canyon Trail in Banff about a month ago.

Although we were going to grab some dinner in town, we decided to head back to the hotel to use what we paid for. The Windsor Lounge provided a great view out its massive windows and the atmosphere was just what the doctor ordered. We relaxed and enjoyed a few cocktails and some fish and chips, and we talked about how bitter-sweet it was to be heading home tomorrow.

A Little History

Our elevator-operator doubled as one of the hotel staff who gives talks about the hotel every evening in the lobby. Even though Evan was only 19 years old, he really did his homework and put on quite a show with his wit and knowledge of the area and the telling of funny stories. It didn’t hurt that he was very cute, wearing a kilt, and had the biggest smile! Right away he mentioned that it was highly unlikely that you’d drown in the lake out front of the hotel. You’d freeze to death long before you’d drown!

Here is the Prince of Wales Ghost Story – another of the stories that Evan shared – along with a short video celebrating the Hotel’s 90th Birthday! What an absolutely fantastic place to spend the evening (or the weekend)!

Goodbye Glacier. We’ll be Back!

Next up: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Happy trails,
Barb