Waterton Lakes National Park is located in the southern part of Alberta on the border with Glacier National Park in Montana. This is a beautiful park composed of rugged mountains, prairies, lakes and subalpine forests. It is a great place for hiking with hundreds of kilometers of trails. While I was there I hiked several trails including Bear's Hump, Forum Lakes, Red Rock Canyon and Carthew Alderson Trail.
 |
| Panaramic view of Waterton Lakes from Bear's Hump |
 |
| Prince of Wales Hotel |
 |
| Waterton Lakes view from Prince of Wales Hotel |
 |
| Forum Lakes, BC is a half day hike from Waterton Lakes |
 |
| Carthew Alderson Trail |
 |
| Carthew Alderson is an amazing hike which starts at Cameron Lake and ends at Cameron Falls. It offers spectacular views. |
On my way from Banff National Park to Waterton Lakes I stopped at the Bar U Ranch and Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump.
The Bar-U Ranch is situated in the Foothills of Southern Alberta near Longview on Highway 22 (also known as the Cowboy Trail). From 1882 to 1950, the Bar U was one of the largest and most successful corporate ranches in Western Canada. Today, it is a National Historic Site consisting of over 30 historic buildings and a modern visitor orientation centre that illustrates the functionings of a typical western ranch.
You can wander the site either on foot or take a wagon ride pulled by two of the famous Bar U Percherons. Learn how to lasso a calf from a professional cowboy and sit by a camp fire and chuck wagon at Roundup Camp enjoying some fired brewed coffee and eating freshly made bannock.
There are many other interpretive buildings to explore on the premises such as the Bar U Post Office, cookhouse and stables.
The ranch which is situated roughly 100 kms south of Calgary is well worth a visit and makes for a great day trip from Calgary. This is also great stop for those who are going to or coming back from Waterton Lakes National Park.
 |
| View of Bar-U Ranch and Canadian Rockies in the distance |
 |
| Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo Jump is around 300 meters long and 10-18 meters high.
Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump is one of the world's largest and best preserved buffalo jumps located in the Porcupine Hills of southwestern Alberta. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. There is an impressive interpretive centre and museum which is built and blends into the ancient sandstone cliff. The centre is composed of 5 levels which depict the history and culture of the Native Americans.
Native people of the North American plains (The Blackfoot) used a creative strategy of rounding up the bison and chasing the herd down drive lanes lined with more than 500 stone cairns over a precipice. This began nearly 5,500-6,000 years ago and continued into the middle of the 19th century. After being killed due to the fall from the cliff, the dead carcasses were processed at a nearby camp. The bison provided the Native People of the Great Plains with food, hides for clothing and shelter, sinew, and bone for tools.
Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump is situated 18 kms west of Fort Macleod and roughly 180 kms south of Calgary. This is a great stop for those who are going to or coming back from Waterton Lakes National Park.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment