Because of their short season and distance from major population centers, Waterton Lakes, a national park in Alberta, Canada, and Glacier National Park don’t get the visitation of some other national parks (though at 2.7 million people a year, the parks are plenty popular). The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier usually doesn’t open fully until mid-June and snow closes it by September. But that short season is spectacular at these sister parks, which taken together comprise the world’s first international peace park.

Global warming or cyclical climate changes, whichever you want to blame it on, have left Waterton with no glaciers and dramatically shrunk those in Glacier. No matter. The scenery is no less spectacular, the waterfalls no less beautiful and the hiking no less rewarding. And the drive over Logan Pass on Going-to-the-Sun Road, an engineering marvel when it was completed in 1932 (the same year the two parks became a joint international peace park) is one of the top three or four drives in North America, period. Some passes in Colorado and Wyoming, the Big Sur stretch of Highway 1 in California, stretches of the coast of Maine, and maybe one or two others are equally spectacular, but no one can say they’ve seen the best American roads have to offer who hasn’t driven Going-to-the-Sun. (For the record, GORP.com, one of the best resources for outdoor activities in the world, rates these as North America’s top 10 scenic mountain drives: 1) Mount Baker Scenic Byway in Washington state; 2) Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada; 3) Going-to-the-Sun Road; 4) Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming; 5) Snowy Range Road in Wyoming; 6) Trail Ridge Road in Colorado; 7) San Juan Skyway in Colorado; 8) Arkansas Scenic 7; 9) Skyline Drive in Virginia; 10) Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire.)

It peaks at the Continental Divide at less than 7,000 feet above sea level (some passes in Colorado, by comparison, exceed 12,000 above sea level), but the views on either side of the pass (and at the pass itself, for that matter) are stunning. Along the way are views of glaciers, mountain peaks, waterfalls, lakes, streams, wildflowers, and, if you’re lucky, mountain goats, bears, bighorn sheep, deer and other critters. Many visitors to Glacier limit their time to touring along the road, which certainly provides a first class tale to tell the folks at home. But just off the road in any direction are hikes from short strolls to monster backpacking adventures that lead to more great sites and more critters.

Waterton has a tamer feel about it, partially because its peaks are a little lower, it includes a small residential settlement with some modest commercial development, and it has no Going-to-the-Sun Road. Waterton has only one entrance, on the east, and is much smaller than Glacier. But if you’re going to Glacier, you must see Waterton, too. Wandering Waterton and Glacier is a great way to start off a tour of U.S. 89.

To get to Waterton from U.S. 89, take the Chief Mountain International Highway (Montana 17) about four miles north of Babb, Montana. The highway winds its way through the mountains before arriving at the Canadian border. U.S. citizens don’t need a passport, but they do need some kind of government-issued identification and need to declare certain items. Don’t even think about taking firearms into Canada. This is not a particularly busy border crossing and usually takes no time at all. From there, the road winds down to Waterton Lakes. (There is a separate fee to enter Waterton – your Glacier pass won’t work here. International cooperation only goes so far.)

You can save yourself 7 percent on many of your Canadian expenses by picking up a GST (Goods and Services Tax) rebate form and envelope while in the country or at the customs office as you leave. Most items you buy and take out of the country, plus your lodging costs, are eligible for rebate if you are a non-Canadian. Be sure to get your receipts validated at customs as you leave, then send in the form and receipts after you’ve returned to the U.S. The rebate can be hundreds of dollars if you stay in Canada for any length of time. There are some differences in the amount of the rebate from province to province, so read the fine print on the form carefully when you enter the country.

Upon entering Waterton you’ll note that Canadian national parks are a little different than American ones. As you approach the townsite of Waterton Park, you’ll encounter an 18-hole public golf course, open typically from mid-May through mid-October, depending on weather. The more lenient approach to development continues into the town of Waterton Park itself, which has a variety of privately owned residences, hotels, inns, restaurants and other tourist-based businesses, which lends to Waterton a very civilized feel. The modest development doesn’t detract from the experience.

The next thing that will strike you is the sight of the Prince of Whales Hotel perched on a bluff overlooking the community of Waterton Park and Upper Waterton Lake. Built by the Great Northern Railroad in 1927, the hotel is now a famous landmark and a favorite of photographers. The hotel still maintains the British tradition of afternoon high tea, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Waterton actually became a national park before Glacier when it was designated the Waterton Lakes Forest Preserve in 1895. Glacier became a national park in 1910. At 203 square miles, Waterton is about one-eighth the size of Glacier.

Once you get your bearings, your first stop is Cameron Falls, which is right smack dab in the middle of town. It’s a pretty cascade tumbling between angular rock before the river continues on through town and empties into the lake.

If you want to take a full day at Waterton and don’t want to hike, your best bet is to tour the park’s two main roadways: Red Rock Canyon and the Akamina Parkway. The drives take you past the many of the parks streams, waterfalls and mountain peaks. Akamina Parkway is 10 miles long and terminates at Cameron Lake, a great place to enjoy a picnic lunch (and the starting point for several hikes, including one described below). The drive to Red Rock Canyon is nine miles long and terminates in the canyon. Along the way you’ll get great views of Mount Balkiston, Waterton’s tallest peak at 9,581 feet.

There are many options for the hiker, but we’ll mention just four of the most popular, going from easiest to most difficult.

• Lakeshore Trail. The trail, as the name implies, runs along the shore of Upper Waterton Lake and is more or less flat. It’s hardly an easy hike if you do the entire 7.5 miles (one way) to Rainbow Falls and Goat Haunt, but you can decide how far you want to go before turning back.
• Bertha Lake. This is another one that can be relatively easy or more strenuous, depending on how far you want to go. It’s about a mile and a half to Lower Bertha Falls, an unusual cascade tumbling first down a rock stairstep and then turning into a V-shaped slot. From here, the trail gets steeper as you head toward Upper Bertha Falls and Bertha Lake. If you make the whole hike, it’s eight miles with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet. Many people turn around at Lower Bertha Falls. The first part of the hike provides great views of the town and Upper Waterton Lake with the mountains beyond. You can also easily view the Prince of Wales Hotel standing guard over the whole scene.
• Crypt Lake. This may be the best hike in either park. You can take a boat to the trailhead across Waterton Lake. The hike is an 11-mile round trip as it passes streams and waterfalls before actually going through a tunnel in the cliffs to get to the hidden Crypt Falls and Crypt Lake on the other side. This is a most-do for any serious hiker.
• Carthew/Alderson. A 12-mile one-way hike requiring a shuttle to the starting point (it ends back at town), this strenuous hike starts by climbing 2,200 feet before descending 3,400 feet as it makes its way back into the valley. A shuttle takes hikers to Cameron Lake, where the hike starts, from Waterton Park each morning. Inquire about times and fees.

As for dining and lodging at Waterton, it’s all right there in Waterton Park. There’s no gateway community to speak of, since the “gateway” community is inside the park itself. Waterton doesn’t get as much visitation as Glacier, but it gets enough that you’ll need reservations well ahead of time during July and August.

And, of course, you can do at least two things in Waterton that you can’t do in Glacier – enjoy high tea and 18 holes of golf.

It’s easy to think that touring Glacier is a simple task: Enter the park, drive Going-to-the-Sun Road stopping along the way to see the sites, leave the park. That would make for a tremendous day, but it would leave a lot unseen and undone. The better way to go is take a day to drive the road and get your bearings, then take a day or two (or three or four) and get off the beaten path, even just a little. Not only are there more than 700 miles of trails in Glacier, there are two other entrances to the park on the east side that take you to some beautiful spots nowhere near Going-to-the-Sun.

The west side is better known and more heavily populated than the east, and air travelers going to Glacier usually fly into Kalispell, which is about 40 miles west of the park. There are several sizeable gateway towns on the west, including Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell (plus the village of West Glacier at the park entrance), and there are more amenities available within 45 minutes of the west gate than there are on the east side. But since we’re touring U.S. 89, we’re going to focus on the eastern gateways, which are closer to the park anyway.

There are four communities on the east side, three of which are on U.S. 89. Two of the four are little more than a wide spot – Babb and Kiowa. St. Mary, which is on the eastern end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, is a little more substantial with a number of restaurants, motels and convenience stores. A lodge there underwent a major expansion in 2001, so rooms in St. Mary are reasonably abundant (though reservations months in advance are still a must). To the south, East Glacier Park (not inside the park and not on U.S. 89) offers a great place to stay in the Glacier Park Lodge, plus a number of other lodging options. East Glacier Park isn’t actually at a park entrance – the nearest entrance is about four miles north at Two Medicine. Still, it’s not a bad jumping off place, though St. Mary is more centrally located.

Before focusing on the centerpiece of Glacier – Going-to-the-Sun and the areas to which it provides access -- there are two other areas that deserve attention: Many Glacier and Two Medicine. A trip to Glacier doesn’t count if you don’t see these two areas.

Many Glacier is reached by traveling on U.S. 89 nine miles north of St. Mary to the hamlet of Babb, where you turn west toward the Many Glacier entrance. Many Glacier is home to the park’s largest hotel, the 211-room Many Glacier Hotel on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake. The hotel also features a very good dining room and often offers live music and other entertainment in the evenings. It’s reminiscent of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn, though smaller. If your stay in Glacier extends beyond one day, this would be a great choice for a night. Nearby is the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn with another 88 rooms and a restaurant. This is a spectacular region, with views of some of the park’s larger glaciers. It’s also one of the areas where you’re most likely to see bighorn sheep and bears. On a calm day, Swiftcurrent Lake perfectly reflects the scene confronting you to the west and south, including Grinnell Glacier and Mt. Gould and Mt. Siyeh, two of Glacier’s taller peaks.

There is some good hiking, including an easy, level loop trail of less than three miles around the lake. One of the park’s most popular hikes is here, too – the five-mile trail to Iceberg Lake. The lake gets its name from the chunks of ice that float in the lake until late summer, making it a popular hiking destination. Along the way hikers pass Ptarmigan Falls. There’s also a short hike to Apikuni Falls nearby, plus the trailhead to Cracker Lake, a 12-mile roundtrip under the watchful gaze of Mt. Siyeh.

The other “minor” entrance to Glacier is Two Medicine, which is 30 miles south of St. Mary. As you travel from Babb toward St. Mary on your way to Two Medicine you’ll pass a small, funky café called Two Sisters. You can’t miss it – it’s the one with “Aliens Welcome” painted on the roof. If you’re hungry (or maybe even if you’re not), stop by. The food is terrific and so is the service. Check out the license plates on the wall forming a map of all 50 U.S. states.

Two Medicine has no lodging – just camping and a store. All it offers is more spectacular scenery and a number of trailheads going in all directions. Perhaps the most significant attraction at Two Medicine is a most unusual waterfall called Running Eagle, also known as Trick Falls. It’s a short half-mile round trip to Running Eagle Falls, whose trailhead is just off the park road not far past the entrance station. Depending on the time of year (and, therefore, the volume of water running over the falls), you will see two distinct cascades. One spills over a ledge and down to a pool below. The second streams through a hole in the rock directly below the first waterfall. In high water the two are hard to distinguish, but toward late summer the upper falls diminishes and ultimately disappears, leaving only the water coming from the hole in the rock. It’s a rare sight and worth the 10-minute walk to see.

Of course, the star attraction at Glacier is the Going-to-the-Sun Road, both because it takes visitors to the majority of Glacier’s scenery and trails and because of the road itself. During late spring, plow crews begin working on either side of the pass as winter reluctantly loosens its grip on the Continental Divide. By Memorial Day, the road might be open to The Loop or perhaps the Weeping Wall on the west side and the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east. That still leaves more than 10 miles to clear by mid-June, the usual date for the opening of the pass.

While the crowds wait for the road to completely open, late spring isn’t a bad time to see Glacier. As the snow melts, water pours off the mountains from every direction. Wildlife is at a lower elevation, too, and the thinner crowds means there’s less competition for the road. There may still be some snow on some of the trails and not all the lodging and restaurants are open, but with some planning and imagination, you can see a lot during this shoulder season.

Here’s one way to do it: Travel as far up the Going-to-the-Sun Road as you can on either side, seeing the sites and keeping an eye out for wildlife. Then, backtrack the way you came and take the 90-mile drive on U.S. 2 skirting the south edge of the park to the other entrance, and take the road as far as you can on that side. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it can be a great experience free of the summer crowds.

Odds are, however, that you will visit during July or August when the road is completely open. If that’s the case, here are some stops you’ll want to make along the road. Later on is a list of hikes, both short and long, whose trailheads can be found along Going-to-the-Sun.

Driving from east to west beginning at St. Mary, you’ll cross through Two Dog Flats and pass the Rising Sun Motor Lodge, with a restaurant and camping area adjacent. Shortly thereafter the road begins climbing along the northern edge of St. Mary Lake. Just around a bend or two is the turnout for Wild Goose Island, which is one of the most photographed scenes in the park. In the distance are a number of mountains reflected in the lake (if the winds are calm), with small Wild Goose Island in the foreground. This is an especially dramatic scene at sunrise or sunset.

On down the road is the stop for Sunrift Gorge, where Baring Creek slides down a fracture in the rock. There’s a short but fairly steep paved walkway to an overlook. A short walk to Baring Falls starts on the other side of the road. From this area you can look across the valley to the north and see a waterfall on Virginia creek seemingly pouring out of the side of the mountain, especially in late spring and early summer when snowmelt is at its peak.

Just up the road is the overlook for Jackson Glacier, one of the park’s major glaciers, which can be seen to the south between two peaks.

You’re now entering perhaps the most dramatic stretch of Going-to-the-Sun as you approach Logan Pass. To the south of the road the valley drops far below you and water pours from the hanging valley near the pass. It’s worth a stop at any of the several turnouts along this stretch of the road to look at the breathtaking scene both below and above.

You’re now approaching Logan Pass and the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Along this part of the road snowdrifts often stay well into late summer. If it’s mid-day, odds are that the parking lot at Logan Pass will be full and you’ll be facing a 30- to 60-minute wait to find a parking space. Since this has become a chronic problem, it’s hard to figure out why more parking hasn’t been arranged, but the National Park Service isn’t exactly swimming in money. At any rate, despite the frustration you can’t just drive on past. The visitor center has a great exhibit and selection of books on the area and it also serves as the trailhead for the park’s most popular hike, which is described later in this chapter.

As you head down the western slope, you’re now in the Pacific watershed, having passed over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. The road turns to the north, and immediately to your right is the Garden Wall, a glacial arete, or knife’s edge. Chiseled out of the sheer cliff is a portion of the Highline Trail, also described later in this chapter.

Soon you’ll be able to see to the south a glacier-fed waterfall called Birdwoman Falls tumbling nearly 500 feet from a hanging valley above the roadway. You’ll continue to see this waterfall for the next several miles as you pass the Weeping Wall, a spot along Going-to-the-Sun where springs seep through the roadside rock, virtually streaming out in the spring but slowing to a trickle by fall.

You come now to the Loop, where the road takes a sharp left turn. This is one of the exit spots of the Highline Trail for hikers who have arranged for transportation to take them back to the trailhead near Logan Pass. >From here, the road descends rapidly into the Lake McDonald region. This is an entirely different climate zone, more reminiscent of the rainforests of Oregon and Washington than anything commonly found in the Rocky Mountains. The road parallels McDonald Creek as it heads toward Lake McDonald near the west entrance to the park. Particularly in early summer, waterfalls can be seen high above the road on either side.

Just before getting to Lake McDonald is the turnout for the Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Creek, which also serves as the trailhead to Avalanche Lake. The Avalanche Lake hike is described later. The Trail of the Cedars is more a stroll than a hike, totaling less than a mile round trip, and is handicapped accessible. The walk is paved or on boardwalk its entire length and is virtually level. The path takes you through a grove of 500-year-old cedar and hemlock trees where the forest floor is covered in ferns, a result of the micro-climate created by the series of peaks you’ve just driven through. Avalanche Creek races through a small notch of rock along the pathway, another of Glacier’s most photographed scenes.

From here, Going-to-the-Sun follows the southern shore of Lake McDonald to the Apgar area and the west entrance of the park. The whole trip from entrance to entrance, assuming only short stops along the way, should take perhaps four to six hours. However, you’ll no doubt want to enjoy at least one or two short hikes along they way, which makes the trip an all-day affair.

Along the 50 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are dozens of trails, featuring everything from the short and simple to multiple day hikes traversing rugged terrain and requiring expert skill and good physical conditioning. Below are some of the most popular, but by no means an exhaustive list.

• Hidden Lake Nature Trail. Easily the most popular hike in the park, this three-mile round trip requires a 500-foot climb above the Logan Pass Visitor Center to a spectacular view of Hidden Lake and the peaks to the south and west. The trail is on boardwalk for the first portion, which gives way to a very good traditional trail. Even late in the summer snow may cover parts of the trail, so good footgear is a must. It’s very common to see mountain goats and bighorn sheep on this trail. Early or late in season this is bear country, but the crowds generally drive them out during peak season. This is an interpretive nature trail that is great for kids. The trail continues on to Hidden Lake, a much more strenuous hike.
• Avalanche Lake. Another very popular hike, this trail is between five and six miles round trip, depending on whether you stop when you reach the lake or continue to the end of the lake. It’s a relatively easy 500-foot climb through cedar groves in just over two miles to a mountain lake surrounded on three sides by cliffs and mountain peaks, with waterfalls streaming toward the lake. It’s probably got the best scenery for the least effort of any hike in the park. The trailhead is at the Trail of the Cedars area near Lake McDonald.
• St. Mary and Virgina Falls. A relatively easy hike of about three miles just above St. Mary Lake, this heavily used trail goes past two waterfalls – St. Mary, which is a pretty tumble of green water just before the creek empties into the lake, and Virginia, about a half mile past St. Mary, which is a stairstep cascade very typical of Glacier. This hike can be combined with the Sun Point Nature Trail, which adds about a mile and half to the round trip and takes you past Baring Falls.
• McDonald Falls. A short and level hike near Lake McDonald that goes through a cedar grove and past a modest waterfall on McDonald Creek.
• Highline Trail. This is a truly spectacular hike that can be as short as a mile down and back or as long as 40 miles into the town of Waterton Park. The most common route is to arrange for transportation (you can reserve a shuttle at the Logan Pass Visitor Center the day before your hike) to meet hikers at the Loop on Going-to-the-Sun, which is 11 miles from the trailhead. This makes for a generally level hike with spectacular views to the west. It’s not recommended for anyone afraid of heights – the first portion of the trail is literally chiseled out of the Garden Wall. Don’t take this hike if the weather is threatening, as it is exposed to lightning.
• Red Eagle Lake. If you’re looking for a long hike without a lot of elevation change, this is the one. Starting at the end of a road near the St. Mary Visitor Center (near the St. Mary ranger station), this is a 15-mile round trip with only a 200-foot elevation gain. >From Red Eagle Lake, trails continue into the backcountry, eventually leading to Two Medicine or all the way across the Continental Divide to the western section of the park. The latter hikes get very strenuous and require backcountry experience.

If hiking is not your thing but you want to see more of the park than the roadside views provide, there are two more options: horseback or whitewater rafting. There is an outfitter in the park that has trailrides from an hour to a full day, originating at Apgar, Lake McDonald and Many Glacier. Rafting trips can run from a half day all the way to five days.

Because the vast majority of Glacier/Waterton’s nearly 3 million annual visitors come during July and August, lodging reservations far in advance are an absolute must. The quality of lodging inside the park is consistent with other Park Service units – clean, comfortable, but spartan. The Many Glacier Hotel and the Prince of Wales Hotel are the best if it’s tradition and history you’re after, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the lodging inside the park. The private lodging at Waterton Park ranges from very good to acceptable. Lodging in the Glacier gateway cities ranges from very, very good to not very good at all. A little local insight is helpful, so try to find someone who’s been there before if you’re making lodging plans. Here’s a hint: As with everything else, you generally get what you pay for.

On the east side, there are restaurants of one sort or another at the gateway towns and a couple of spots in between. St. Mary and East Glacier Park offer the most variety. On the west, West Glacier is a small village with a handful of motels and restaurants, but there is both lodging and dining strewn along the highway between West Glacier and Columbia Falls. Whitefish, just a few miles past Columbia Falls, has some very fine lodging and dining, and there are additional choices in Kalispell and all around Flathead Lake. However, straying very far on the west side will take you a long way from U.S. 89, which begins a decidedly southeasterly course just south of St. Mary.

The later in the year you wait to visit Waterton/Glacier, the thinner the crowds (August is peak) but the higher the chance of an early snow closing the pass. It can happen any time after Labor Day. Should you arrive at a time when the pass is closed, the drive along U.S. 2 south of the park is pleasant and scenic, not at all a disappointing alternative.