lovett

I'm traveling to Calgary (from the US) in early
July but wanted to arrive several
days early and visit Waterton & Glacier.
Is there public transportation between
these 2 destinations or will I have to
rent a car at the airport? If the rental
car is the best choice is there any restrictions about driving a Canadian car
into the U.S.?

Judy_in_Calgary

I did a search at www.greyhound.com and found that, while there was a Greyhound bus from Calgary to Pincher Creek, a town in south western Alberta, there did not seem to be a Greyhound bus from Calgary to Waterton. I don't know about public transportation between Waterton and Glacier, but I rather doubt there is any.

Australian friends of ours rented a Canadian car, took it across to the U.S., and then returned it to Canada without any problems. On another occasion the same friends rented a car in the U.S., drove it to Canada, and dropped it off in Canada.

I think it's okay to take a rental car across the border AS LONG AS YOU LET THE RENTAL CAR COMPANY KNOW. I think -- but don't know for sure -- that there may be an extra charge for picking up in one country and dropping off in another.

Mariposa

Lovett, you are going to find that Pincher Creek, Waterton Lakes and, even Glacier are small and relatively isolated - that's a big part of their charm and a major reason they stay that way is that they are off the beaten path. There is usually a shuttle service between Pincher Creek and Waterton in the summer, primarily for staff - accommodation also being in short supply in high season - but it will probably be difficult to track down any information about it. Waterton does have a weekly paper and the shuttle info is usually in it if you can locate it on the net but for the distances you're trying to cover a vehicle would be very advantageous. There are a lot of in-between places worth a stop (like the Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo Jump and Fort Macleod). There are also shuttles between Waterton and Glacier but you'd still be very limited in the places you could visit within that large park. The "Going to the Sun" highway should not be missed.

JimTCalgary

FROM Calgary: For year-round "public" transportation between Calgary and Waterton Lake National Park see the following link: http://airportshuttleexpress.com/waterton.htm#greyhound
From Calgary: For year-round "charter van" service directly to Waterton Lake National Park Canada OR Glacier National Park USA please see:http://airportshuttleexpress.com/waterton.htm

Morningglory47

JimT - FYI: the original post was in 2004.