Life Abundant

Where to Eat and Hike

We’ve been back in the USA now for a month, and are so grateful to have caught the tail end of summer here in Montana. I love the end of summer, when the weather starts to get a little cooler, the trees are still green, and the days are still long. Our 5th wedding anniversary was on August 26th, so we decided to drive up to Canada for the weekend to celebrate.

We had heard great things about Waterton Lakes National Park, which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from us in Lakeside. The town reminds me of a small Swiss village. It sits right in between middle and lower Waterton Lake and is nestled between the dramatic mountains that rise up on every side. We loved exploring this beautiful area! With it’s little tourist boutiques, coffee shops (our favorite was Larkspur Coffee House), great restaurants (we would totally recommend Lakeside Chophouse), and an amazing waffle house called Waffleton (our favorite was topped with strawberries, Nutella and whip cream).

One of our favorite hikes was our sunrise trek to Bears Hump, one of the more popular hikes in the area, as it has one of the best views of Waterton and the surrounding valley and Mount Cleveland. The hike is extremely busy during the day, as it’s only about 1.8 miles of mostly switchbacks up the mountain.

Allow yourself some time to get up this trail, we thought we would speed up this trail for sunrise with ease, but it took us a little longer than expected because of the elevation gain. We reached the top just after the sun had broken the horizon. Since it’s such a popular hike, we would recommend doing this trail either at sunrise or sunset to try to avoid some of the crowds and for some great lighting!

Where to Camp

There are a ton of cute hotels, Airbnb, and other amazing places to stay in Waterton, but we decided to camp for the weekend just outside of the park. We ended up at Crooked Creek Camp Ground and couldn’t recommend it more. It’s about a 10-minute drive from the park entrance with adorable secluded campsites separated by the creek that runs through the campground surrounded by green shrubs, berry bushes and birch trees that are growing in the area. The bathrooms are clean, the view is incredible, and the price is right.

Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon is another popular trail in Waterton. The canyon, exactly as it’s named, is carved down through layer upon layer of red rocks and it’s absolutely beautiful! You can hike up the canyon itself, walking through the cool mountain water, or hop from rock to rock if you’d rather stay dry. You can also hike above, following a trail that walks along the canyon’s edge.

The main entrance to the Red Rock Canyon is generally crowded, so you might have to wait a few minutes to get down to the stream and get past those who are wading in the water. But if you walk along the hiking path above the canyon right-hand hand side for about 4 or 5 minutes, you’ll see a path cut off to the left of the trail that leads you down to the stream. If you take this path you’ll pass the crowds and go deeper into the canyon’s winding path.

The Prince of Wales Hotel

Another one of our favorite stops in Waterton was the Prince of Wales Hotel. We decided to go there for drinks one night before dinner just around sunset. The hotel sits on top of a grassy hill and overlooks the town of Waterton below. Staying at the hotel is quite expensive, but you can enjoy the hotel and view by going there for a drink at the bar, or dinner at their restaurant.

They also offer Afternoon Tea from 1 – 5 p.m. during their operating season. Inspired by British tradition, Afternoon Tea is served in their gorgeous lobby, where the huge glass windows overlook Waterton Lake below.  A number of delicious sandwiches and pastries are served along with the tea for you to enjoy.

After we finished our drinks at the hotel bar we headed out to the hilltop to watch the sunset as it lit up the mountains from yellow to orange. We watched families fly kites with their children in the evening breeze, took a few fun photos, and sat to enjoy the view as we reflected back on our last 5 incredible years of marriage and dreamed about the many more to come.