Waterton Lakes National Park

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Waterton Lakes National Park
Upper Waterton Lake
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park Location
Waterton Lakes National Park Location
Location Alberta, Canada
Nearest city Pincher Creek
Coordinates 49°02′45″N 113°54′55″W / 49.04583, -113.91528
Area 505 km²
Established 1895 (national park)
1979 (biosphere reserve)
1995 (world heritage site)
Visitors 367,500 (in 2004)
Governing body Parks Canada
354

Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake. The park contains 505 km² (203 mi²) of rugged mountains and wilderness.

Operated by Parks Canada, Waterton is open all year, but the main tourist season is during July and August. The only commercial facilities available within the park are located at the Waterton Park townsite. The park ranges in elevation from 1,290 metres (4,230ft) at the townsite to 2,920 m (9,580 ft) at Mount Blakiston. It offers many scenic trails, including Crypt Lake trail. In 2004, Waterton Lakes National Park had 367,500 visitors.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1932, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was formed from Waterton and Glacier. It was dedicated to world peace by Sir Charles Arthur Mander on behalf of Rotary International. This park symbolizes the bonds of peace and friendship between the people of the United States and Canada, and a border crossing is open in the park during the summer. Although the park has a lot of diversity for its size, the main highlight is the Waterton lakes—the deepest in the Canadian Rockies—overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel.

[edit] Biosphere Reserve

In 1979, Waterton was also designated a World Biosphere reserve, preserving mountains, highlands, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the park range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, Arctic-alpine communities above the tree line, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests.[2]

[edit] World Heritage Site

The park is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for its scenery and wealth of plant and animal species.[3]

[edit] Photo gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cameron Lake

Moose at Cameron Lake

View from top of Summit Trail

Summit Lake

Panorama taken from Prince of Wales hotel looking south

49th parallel at Waterton Lake

The Prince of Wales Hotel at Waterton Lakes National Park

Cameron Falls

[edit] References

  1. ^ Alberta Tourism - Tourist statistics and revenue
  2. ^ UNESCO - Park description at UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
  3. ^ UNESCO - Park description at UNESCO World Heritage

[edit] External links

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