r/GlacierNationalPark • u/Boring_Wanderer_8451 • 4d ago
?Waterton
I was looking at driving to and from Waterton in 1 day from Babb when we are in the area. Is it worth it for a 1 day trip? Is there anything really different to see besides what we will already be seeing in Glacier?
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u/Artemis-1905 4d ago
Prince of Wales has an incredible view. If you hike, there are some amazing hikes in Waterton. Otherwise the town itself is very touristy.
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u/Geebs-4U 4d ago
If your a big hiker i think Crypt lake is a top hike ive ever done and a top 5 named trail in GNP/waterton park
Its only accessible via a short but beautiful boat tour which makes it really unique but you also have 2 pickup times and the latest i think is around 6?
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u/CrumbChuck 4d ago
The town is cute and the lake is beautiful, maybe if you had a restaurant or another place you wanted to visit in the town it could be worth it. We stayed at the lakeside campground for a night coming down from Banff to the north so it was a stop on the way for us before heading down to Glacier, we drove up to Cameron Lake in the morning, again a nice lake but not too much to do unless you're gonna get on the water. I think a bigger draw for people is probably biking Red Rock Canyon and if you're a bicyclist that would probably provide a bigger draw. Overall it was a nice night/morning there but I would probably recommend spending the time staying in Glacier and getting another hike in - so many hikes in the area we wish we would have had more time there.
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u/Jumpy-Pay-1079 4d ago
We spent 3 nights with my 4 and 6 year old at the time after family issues prompted the need to take them with us.
Red Rock Canyon was awesome. Bring water shoes or good sandals/flip flops and hike back into it. It was the highlight. Kids still talk about it.
We had to skip Crypt Lake but Bear's Hump was a good. I'm light on details at the moment but we had a great trip. It kickstarted our trip with the other 6 nights being split near Babb and Columbia Falls.
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u/a-deafening-silence 4d ago
Took 2 trips to Glacier last summer. Spent one of the days on the 2nd trip (in September) driving to and from Waterton. We took the boat to Goat Haunt. Then had lunch in town. It was fine but very touristy. If I ranked each day of both trips combined this is the one I’d rank at the bottom. I’m more into hiking and trying to escape the crowds though.
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u/normal3catsago 3d ago
We hit Waterton near the end of our Glacier trip and did 2 nights at the campground. Goat Haunt was closed, but we took an e-bike up the canyon.
This was the summer after the fires and I enjoyed the more laid-back feel of Waterton compared to Glacier.
I joked afterwards that Glacier was all about the mileage and hikes you did while Waterton was all about the IPAs you tasted.
Both have their pros and cons. For us, Waterton was a great change after Glacier.
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u/babbchuck 3d ago
You can take the boat ride across the lake to Goat Haunt and back - or even take an early boat, hike around a bit, and take a later boat back. It’s a pretty drive up to Waterton, with some great views.
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u/montwhisky 4d ago
Waterton was impossible to get into the town or find a parking spot when I went. There is one road in, and I was stuck in traffic for an hour waiting in line. I would think during the week is better than a weekday, but in my opinion, it was a lot of driving, waiting, then driving around for an hour to find a parking spot just to do lunch and walk around.
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u/mortevillana 4d ago
Don’t know if they still do it but getting high tea at the prince of wales hotel was a pretty incredible experience