Leaving behind the cozy safari canvas tents of Under Canvas – Glacier near Coram, I pointed my car north and began the scenic drive toward the Canadian border. The road slowly climbed and curved around the familiar grandeur of Glacier National Park’s rugged peaks. There were some moments where I was astounded at the beauty of the vast landscape. Driving through St. Mary’s and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the jaw dropping landscape of Glacier made me want to stop in the middle of the road to take more photos. But, I had a personal schedule to keep.
Crossing the international border into Canada and entering Alberta, I felt a sense of profound sense of peaceful happiness. As the road descended, the sharp dramatic edges of the Rockies transformed into the unique landscape of Waterton Lakes National Park.
Established in 1895, it is one of Canada’s oldest national parks and serves as a gateway into an entirely new perspective of the same Rocky Mountain range. Its character is distinct from Glacier’s: a blend of alpine wildness and prairie openness, where wind-swept grasslands border dramatic mountain slopes.
In 1932, Waterton and Glacier were joined to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world’s first cross-border park. It was intended as a symbol of cooperation, conservation, and shared reverence for nature.
Driving through, it was impossible not to feel the weight of that history and the immensity of the natural beauty surrounding me.
With every mile, I felt both small and uplifted, reminded of how rare it is to witness such vast, protected beauty stretching freely across two nations. Surrounded by the towering mountains and lakes, I felt immensely visually blessed to be in the presence of such magnificent on Earth.
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Park, Alberta T0K 2M0
