Leaving Pincher Creek on Day 1 of my recent road trip, I arrived at Waterton Lakes NP in time for some good evening light. Today’s pictures are a compilation of my favourites from that evening and the following day spent in the park. This national park is a treasure, with much more to see than I was able to cover in my time there. And, I didn’t even venture into Glacier NP in the US. I do need to go back.
One of the landmarks of Waterton Lakes NP is the Prince of Wales Hotel, overlooking Upper Waterton Lake. Constructed between 1926 and 1927, the hotel was built by the American Great Northern Railway to lure American tourists north of the border during the prohibition era. The hotel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada by the Canadian government in 1995.
The first picture shows the hotel situated atop a bluff overlooking the lake and the majestic peaks bordering it. I used a wide angle lens to take it all in so the hotel looks small in relation to its majestic surroundings.
This next picture taken from the lake side during my first evening gives you a better sense of how the hotel looks.
No photo tour of Waterton Lakes NP would be complete without some mountain scenes. The dilemma is to choose which of the many great ones to post. I’ve selected two. Both were taken along the Red Rock Parkway,the first one near the beginning and featuring Bellevue Hill and Mount Galwey.
I like the wildflowers in the foreground and the line of rocks pointing the way to Mount Galwey. Those billowing, cumulus clouds in the sky aren’t bad either.I think the most appealing peak I viewed was Mount Blakiston, portrayed in the next shot.
Taking this shot, I concentrated on image detail and quality. I used my 24 mm tilt-shift lens with an aperture of f8. I’ll likely print this one to better appreciate the fruits of the effort I put into it. Interestingly, while I was working in this area, a grizzly bear walked right by me, not more than thirty yards away. Regrettably, I didn’t have the right lens handy to take his picture. By the time I retrieved one, he’d moved into some long grass and I was unable to get a good picture.
Another intriguing photo subject is aspen trees. The specimens in Waterton Lakes NP and much of southern Alberta seem to be unusually crooked and gnarly. I’m not sure why but they do make good subjects.
I wrapped up my visit with a stop at the Bison Paddock at the park’s exit. The bison never seem to congregate close to the road where you can get some good close-ups and the park wardens frown upon leaving your vehicle to get closer. So, this picture was taken from quite a distance. I used a 70-200 mm telephoto lens at full magnification. It lacks the detail I’d get with a close-up but I like the scene, a classic western image.
We have many national parks close to us: Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay, all wonderous places to see. I give high marks to Waterton NP, a place I plan to visit again soon. I recommend it highly.