Waterton Lakes

Waterton Lakes is Canada’s 4th national park (established in 1895) - it’s nestled in the south-west corner of Alberta and represents the Southern Rocky Mountains Natural Region. The campsite is on the edge of town, just past the waterfall:

From the campsite it’s a short walk into town which is tiny and bustling with a number of old houses along with a couple blocks with restaurants, coffee shops and touristy stores.

The Prince of Wales hotel (completed in 1929) is in a beautiful spot overlooking the lake and town. It was built during Prohibition so they could ferry passengers up Waterton lake from the US side (it straddles the border), booze them up proper in Canada, and then ferry them back home a few days later - big business until Prohibition was repealed. So it’s an American hotel in a Canadian national park, built in the Swiss style entirely from Douglas fir and called the Prince of Wales (who has never visited) with staff kitted out in tartan and kilts. The hotel also has the oldest working elevator in North America if you’re into that stuff.

The view from the balcony of one of the 4th floor rooms:

Some shots from around town:

Heck, even the RCMP office is nice: