Day 5: Cut Bank, ND to Waterton Park, AB Canada - Tuesday, 5/14

Photo of the day:

Bertha Lake hike at Waterton Lakes National Park.  Awesome place!

We woke to light rain in Cut Bank and eventually got on the road to Canada.  The border crossing at Del Bonita was supposed to open at 9:00 AM, but we'd heard stories about the opening and closing times being "flexible."  We were pleasantly surprised to see it opened right at 9:00 AM, and we were the only car there for at least the first 20 minutes.

It wasn't a long drive to Waterton Lakes, where we found great scenery, lots of wildlife, and some fun hikes.  Plus, since it is early in the season, there are very few people here.

The day started as overcast, but later turned sunny and beautiful.  This is the first sight when entering the park.

Cameron Falls in the background

Looking back down at our RV from a walk next to Cameron Falls.  Pretty crowded down there!

After going to the Visitors Center and figuring out our plans, we started driving towards Cameron Lake.  The road was closed near the end, but we saw some Big Horn sheep on the way, and more on the way back down.

On the way down, we stopped for the Lineham hike.  We didn't go the entire way, but went about 2 miles total.  There was some elevation gain that we felt in our legs.

Thankfully, we didn't see any live avalanches, but saw the remnants of some earlier ones.

In 2017, much of Waterton Lakes was impacted by a fire.  As we hiked, we were happy to see the forest coming back to life with new growth.

Apparently, part way up this road is the first oil well in Western Canada.  They couldn't have picked a much harder spot to get to, but it sounds like it paid off.

On the way back to the town, we saw 6 young Big Horn sheep.  They crossed the road and found some tasty grass.  Then we turned the corner and ran into a group of deer.  The area is packed with deer wandering through the streets, yards, campgrounds - everywhere!

Ignore the side commentary by us!

Yep, a lot of deer butts.

We visited the Peace Park.  The walk and stairs down to the lake are awesome.  Too chilly to dip our toes in the water, though.

It was finally camp check-in time, so we grabbed our site for the evening.  Not a bad view!

After settling in, we wandered off for another hike.  This was the Bertha Falls hike.  We hiked up along the shore of Waterton Lake and then back to a beautiful waterfall.

We loved the various colors of the water plus the mountains in this view.

Here's Bertha Falls (and Lynda)

About 1/2 way up to Bertha Falls is a great spot to rest and to take pictures!  (the camera and tripod are on the bench where we took a short break after posing.)

We decided to eat dinner in town rather than cook pizza in the RV.  The Thirsty Bear had some outdoor seating, and our burger and beers were great.

It is easier to remember what you are drinking when it is written on the side of the glass!

One last note.  Many people know there are wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada right now.  Today we weren't impacted - we didn't smell any smoke and didn't see any haze in the sky.  We are hoping it stays that way.  There have been closures of the Alaska Highway near Fort Nelson due to the fires, so we may change our planned route after leaving Jasper in a few days. 

Total distance traveled today: 99 miles.

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Next: Day 6: Waterton Park, AB Canada to Radium Hot Springs to Banff, AB Canada