I’m in a great spot in Alberta. If the weather’s garbage in Calgary and area, I can drive a few hours to find the sunshine. So I did exactly that.
I checked the forecast and pointed my Qashqai south to Waterton for a three-day weekend for a change of scenery. First I lucked out on a camping spot for three nights.
Sitting in the southwest corner of Alberta (on the Montana border), Waterton is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I toured Waterton briefly about 12 years ago in the fall when snow unexpectedly put a wrench in my camping plans.
My plan was to tackle the world famous Crypt Lake and highly recommended Carthew-Alderson trail. Anything else was bonus.
Crypt Lake
In 2014, and again in 2017, National Geographic named the hike one of the World’s Most Thrilling Trails. Google “Crypt Lake” and it’s still one of the first things you see when you look it up. In the last decade, the trail’s reputation has only grown. I’m a pretend thrill seeker so I wanted to see what the hype is all about. I wasn’t able to track down the original article but I can surmise why it is deemed “thrilling.”
Firstly, you must take a 15-minute boat ride to Crypt Landing to start the hike. There’s one boat company in Waterton that offers the $35-return trip. The trail is roughly a 19km out-and-back with something like 800 metre gain. (I later learned that you could also hike in 14 km from the townsite to get to the landing.)
Now let’s talk about the trail. There was nothing thrilling about the first kilometres in the trees especially because the route quickly becomes a conga line of hikers and runners jostling for position. My takeaway is to get off the boat first, and leave the masses behind. The trail opens up to views of Upper Waterton Lake and winds past multiple waterfalls before climbing to the headwall before you hit the three features that make Crypt Lake famous:
- Steel ladder bolted into the cliff
- Short, narrow natural tunnel that you have to either crawl through or bend down to pass
- Exposed ledge with a fixed steel cable for balance and support
After the three defining features, it’s a short jaunt to the cirque-bound Crypt Lake.
Carthew-Alderson
The Carthew-Alderson is a 20-kilometre point-to-point trail that runs from Cameron Lake to the Waterton townsite. It takes its name from the two peaks the route travels between. Mount Carthew, named after William Morden Carthew, a Canadian soldier who died in the First World War, and Mount Alderson, named for Sir Edwin Alfred Alderson, a British Army officer who commanded the Canadian Expeditionary Force and also served in the Second Boer War.
A local travel agency offers shuttles to Cameron Lake for a fee. If you have two vehicles, that’s the way to go.
It’s hard to put in words the beauty of this trail. If Crypt Lake was gimmicky, Carthew-Alderson was pure, glorious mountain terrain. Picture dense forests, open meadows, show-stopping alpine lakes, runnable ridges and dramatic alpine cirques.
I love Waterton Lakes. The driveβs a bit long, but once those peaks pop into view, you forget you ever cared. Besides summer is made for road trips. Camping is not easy to get so I really lucked out this past weekend. After the two big days, I climbed Bear’s Hump and ran to Bertha Lake. There’s so much to see and do in Waterton Lakes. I can’t wait to go back.