Richard has sent the first report and photos we’ve ever had from Waterton:
“Is there snow in Waterton Lakes National Park? You bet! Skied there Saturday and it is about 3 feet deep by Cameron Lake. It was cloud covered, -5 and snowing all afternoon with only a light wind. The track is reasonably set and the snow shoers seem to respect it. It was a great day to be out skiing.
Waterton
Richard, how far does that trail go?
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Backcountry users take note:
I noticed this on Twitter on Feb 20 at 7:29 a.m. from Kananaskis Public Safety:
Kananaskis Avalanche Hazard is CONSIDERABLE in K-Country. Computer server didn’t publish our bulletin last night…stay tuned for updates.
I love Waterton in the winter! Don’t get me wrong though, its also wonderful in the summer! I used to winter camp there and its definately a ghost town in the winter………kind of eerie in fact with all the windows boarded up on the the buildings downtown. Great skiing though! The Forum/Wall lake trip is very nice (plus you ski from Waterton national park into Akamina Kishinena park in BC where these lakes are located). Nice turns can be had near Summit lake and Cameron lake can’t be beat for scenery. If you don’t mind avalanche runouts you can even ski into the USA at the far end of Cameron lake (no passport required! Just don’t get buried!).
Hi Bob,
Cameron Lake is an out and back, either 5km from the Little Prarie picnic shelter (easy) or 10.5km from the Rowe Trailhead (intermediate). The easy portion of the trail is good for families and beginner skiers. This trail is also used by backcountry skiers to acces Wall and Forum Lakes via the Akimina Pass. Here are details:
http://www.watertonpark.com/activities/ski.htm
Trail report:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/tcond/cond_E.asp?opark=100429
One more note. Waterton is pretty much shut down in the winter. The Firehall is the only place open with a heated public washroom. You can’t buy gas or snacks there, although the Waterton Lakes Lodge (with restaurant) is open. Waterton is a good place to go if you wan’t to get away from it all 🙂