Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is located right across the US-Canada border from the US Glacier National Park.
VISIT Waterton Lakes National Park:
Park Details
Waterton Lakes National Park was established in 1895, and has a total area of 124,800 acres (195 square miles, or 505 square kilometers).
| Address | 404 Cameron Falls Dr, Waterton Park, AB, T0K 2M0 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 403-859-5133 |
| Hours | Open year-round |
| Entrance Fee | Free-$11 per person daily, depending on age |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Waterton Lakes National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Waterton Lakes National Park are September, July, August & June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 15,300 | 11,100 | 16,900 | 20,300 | 42,400 | 81,000 | 118,200 | 108,200 | 68,600 | 25,600 | 10,000 | 8,200 |
| Precipitation | 47 | 41 | 59 | 72 | 95 | 112 | 49 | 51 | 43 | 45 | 60 | 42 |
| Avg Temp | 30 | 32 | 39 | 49 | 59 | 67 | 76 | 75 | 66 | 52 | 36 | 29 |
| Max Temp | 41 | 44 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 82 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 70 | 52 | 41 |
| Avg Temp | 18 | 20 | 26 | 33 | 41 | 48 | 54 | 54 | 46 | 35 | 25 | 18 |
| Min Temp | -7 | -1 | 5 | 19 | 27 | 35 | 40 | 41 | 32 | 17 | 4 | -6 |
Waterton Lakes National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Waterton Lakes National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Craters of the Moon | 1,188 | 11 |
| Glacier to Canadian Banff & Kootenay | 1,035 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Waterton Lakes National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area | 134 km |
| Jasper National Park | 188 km |
| North Cascades National Park | 195 km |
| Mount Revelstoke National Park | 196 km |
| Glacier National Park | 232 km |
| Kootenay National Park | 240 km |
| Yoho National Park | 274 km |
| Banff National Park | 292 km |
| Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | 332 km |
| San Juan Island National Historical Park | 343 km |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Waterton Lakes National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Mountain Ski Area | Grand Forks, BC | 4,652 ft | 38% | 24 km |
| RED Mountain | Rossland, BC | 6,807 ft | 72% | 52 km |
| Big White Ski | Kelowna, BC | 7,606 ft | 61% | 57 km |
| Baldy Mountain Resort | Oliver, BC | 6,965 ft | 37% | 58 km |
| Echo Valley | Colville, WA | 3,900 ft | 50% | 84 km |
| Salmo Ski Hill | Salmo, BC | 3,100 ft | 34% | 86 km |
| Whitewater | Nelson, BC | 6,709 ft | 69% | 94 km |
| Apex Mountain | Hedley, BC | 7,187 ft | 51% | 105 km |
| Summit Lake Ski Area | Nakusp, BC | 3,018 ft | 11% | 112 km |
| Silverstar Mountain | Spallumcheen, BC | 6,283 ft | 64% | 125 km |
| Sovereign Lake Nordic Center | Vernon, BC | 6,060 ft | 33% | 126 km |
| 49 Degrees North | Chewelah, WA | 5,774 ft | 51% | 130 km |
| Silver Mountain | Kellogg, ID | 6,300 ft | 60% | 131 km |
| Loup Loup Ski Bowl | Okanogan, WA | 5,280 ft | 55% | 145 km |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Waterton Lakes National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver International Airport | YVR | Vancouver, BC | 342 km |
| Seattle–Tacoma International Airport | SEA | Seattle, WA | 351 km |
| Calgary International Airport | YYC | Calgary, AB | 374 km |
| Portland International Airport | PDX | Portland, OR | 517 km |
| Edmonton International Airport | YEG | Edmonton, AB | 559 km |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Waterton Lakes National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castlegar/West Kootenay Regional Airport | YCG | Castlegar, BC | 60 km |
| Penticton Airport | YYF | Penticton, BC | 84 km |
| Kelowna International Airport | YLW | Kelowna, BC | 98 km |
| Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport | YXC | Cranbrook, BC | 197 km |
| Spokane International Airport | GEG | Spokane, WA | 199 km |
| Kamloops Airport | YKA | Kamloops, BC | 210 km |
| Abbotsford International Airport | YXX | Abbotsford, BC | 285 km |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.