Best trails in Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is located on the South border of Canada, right next to Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. It was established in 1895. Its landscape is made of mountains, prairies, lakes and waterfalls. It is home to a varied wildlife including grizzly bears, black bears, moose, cougars, timber wolves, mountain sheep, mountain goats, etc. It is a great place to backpack, hike, camp, watch wildlife and snowshoe or ski in the winter.
Top trails
Visitor info
Waterton Lakes National Park charges a fee to enter.
Trail reviews for Waterton Lakes National Park
Access via Wishbone/Vimy Trailhead located along Highway 6 in Waterton Lakes National Park. At 26km this is a full day hike so be sure to bring plenty of water, or for those with a water filter you'll find two stream crossings along the way. Vimy Peak is a distinct landmark throughout the park however panoramic views from its summit are beyond words.
We didn't find the phone!!! This is an extremely hard 14.5 km hike. Straight up some reprieve on the ridge and then more uphill climbing. The trail is tricky with rocks and sand and scree. Coming down is equally challenging as going up. Beautiful views of Waterton Lakes when you get to the top.
Great hiking trail with picturesque surrounding mountains and lakes. One of best scenic trail in Waterton lakes NP.. Love it.
It’s LEGS day kind of hike ! It’s all incline. This has been in my bucket list and so glad I got to complete it with my family so that was a bonus. Parking is limited. We tried for 3 days to park here and by the 3rd day, we found a spot driving into town! Blessed. Since after we parked… parking lot was full again by seconds. Bring lots of water, SPF, lip balm, good hiking shoes for grip, poles if needed for balance and support, and light clothing since it is HOT. Due to the fires, this hike has high sun exposure. No shade at all so hike early! … & enjoy the views. Waterton lakes is one of the most beautiful lakes in my opinion. We come here every year! It’s glorious.
Bertha Lake is a large hourglass shaped alpine lake with one of Waterton Lakes most coveted and scenic back country campgrounds. This hike is a definite 5 stars for a combination of the views of Waterton Lakes along with Bertha Peak, Mount Richard’s and Bertha Falls on the way up the mountain pass. You will walk through some of the burned areas from the 2017 fire but it is balanced by plenty of lush conifers along the way. This time of year there will be snow at the lake and in the higher elevations as you climb up and over the mountain pass. The lake sits at around 5800ft/1770m. Today there was no need for cleats as the trail was still accessible with good shoes. See pictures for more details. Overall I would consider it a moderate to hard hike depending on various fitness levels. The park did a great job on the number of switchbacks on the trail in order to minimize the grade and make it manageable by more hikers. If you go during the peak season you may struggle to get a parking spot so plan to get there early.
Good trail to lake. Trail is decent to the summit block. Some route finding. Blue and orange ribbons and cairns. AllTrails map is accurate. Very pronounced trail compared to 5 years ago… attests to the popularity of this summit. Easy scrambling. Steep hiking. Incredible views or Waterton Lakes, Bertha Lake and falls, and numerous Waterton peaks.