I awoke early in Pincher Creek, inhaled my free breakfast, then drove 35 minutes south to the final Canadian National Park on my epic Parks Canada Discovery Pass tour, Waterton Lakes National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Welcome to Waterton Lakes National Park: “We’re Closed”
By the time I arrived into the park, the entire park was choked with the heaviest smoke I’d ever seen. As I pulled into the entrance gate of Waterton Lakes National Park, the park ranger warned me that due to the rapidly encroaching forest fire, the entire National Park – except the Visitor Center and the Prince of Wales Hotel Lodge – was closed until further notice.
The Visitor Centre:
I stepped out of my vehicle to begin the short walk to the Visitor Center and I was instantly hit with smoke so heavy my eyes burned and it was hard to even breathe.
I was genuinely concerned for my health as the air quality condition was probably the worst I’d ever encountered.
Intense smoke and fire threaten the park
The “Bears Hump” was barely visible from the Prince of Wales Hotel parking lot.
The “Bear’s Hump” – gone were my plans of hiking it today
The Prince of Wales Hotel Lodge:
The Prince of Wales lodge was still open – for now. It was literally the only attraction open in the park.
Completed in 1927, the Prince of Wales Hotel was built in hopes of having the real Prince of Wales stay there, although he never actually did. It is now a National Historic Site of Canada.
The Interior of the Hotel:
The Prince of Wales Hotel was a thing of beauty, inside and out. Unfortunately, the horrific forest fires raging in the park were threatening everything: the wildlife, the town, even this landmark Hotel.
The “Normal View”:
This is what the view from lobby of the hotel should have looked like on a normal day:
Waterton Lake, from inside the Prince of Wales Hotel (image courtesy of wikipedia.com)
The Smoky “Forest Fire View”:
This was the view from the lobby on the day of the forest fire:
The hotel lobby – with an amazing view that was 100% smoked out
Blame Canada: Waterton Lakes view “fail”
Photos of the Lodge Interior:
The interior of the hotel was rustic and classic in the same way as other great lodges from that time, reminding me of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn.
Rustic chandelier
Visitors admiring the hotel
The Gift Shop:
The Prince of Wales Hotel had a large gift shop inside which carried everything Waterton and Canada.
This shirt made me laugh
The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park:
Waterton Lakes National Park and its sister U.S. park, Glacier National Park, make up the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park ecosystem (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). This ecosystem is notable for having the highest density of Grizzly Bears outside of Alaska.
The International Peace Park marker
Final Thoughts On Waterton Lakes National Park and the Forest Fires:
I was devastated to witness first-hand the damage to the park the wildfires were causing. Ask any Ranger – or Canadian for that matter – and they’ll likely tell you this was one of the worst forest fire seasons they’ve ever seen. It was clear the scale and ferocity of these fires was directly due to the undeniable effects of climate change.
This experience was for me a yet another real and tangible reminder that we need to do all we can to protect our national parks and wildlife ecosystems for future generations. Protecting the parks and wildlife is simply not possible without combating climate change.
I plan on returning to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in the very near future. I sincerely hope the park will by then be on the path to a full recovery.
Cheers.
