Daytrip from Waterton Park?
 

I'm planning a family trip for fifteen days (2 boys, 9 and 14) for August. We are flying into Bozeman, Montana, visiting the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier. I'm wanting to spend a night at Waterton Park (probably tent camping) and don't know anything about what else is within driving distance. What I'm wondering is if there is another destination a few hours away from Waterton Park where we might want to visit for an extra night in Canada. Or we could spend more time there (instead of several nights in Glacier) if that would make sense. Suggestions?

Hello:

Drive north from Waterton through the Turner Valley up to the Transcanada Highway and stay at either Canmore or Banff. There are nice campgrounds in Canmore and Banff.

I would splurge and stay at the Banff Springs Hotel.

The Turner Valley is spectacular.
Here is a photo approaching High River
Alberta.

http://www.jamescollier.ca/PlanStrategy.aspx

Bonne Voyage

If you have the time, I would absolutely recommend the Tyrell Dinosaur Museum. My boys loved it when they were younger. It is about a 4 hour drive from Waterton, but well worth it. They have life size models of the dinosaurs. Here is their website. http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

While in Waterton make sure to drive up to Cameron Lake. It is breathtaking. You can rent rowboats and fish on the lake if you want to. Red Rock Canyon is also very cool, and an easy walk around it. There are lots of wildlife viewing opportunities all around Waterton, bring your camera, and keep your eyes peeled. As a matter of fact, the deer are sometimes a nuisance in town.

CindyW, an excellent web site to find out about camping is the Open Roads Forum at

www.rv.net

The forum is mainly for RVing, but it has a good tenting section as well.

If you should manage to get as far north as Jasper National Park, that park has implemented a reservation service for four of its campgrounds:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/..._e.asp#Camping

Of the Jasper campgrounds that accept reservations, two (Whistlers and Wapiti) are close to Jasper townsite (and they both have showers). Pocahontas and Wabasso are some distance from the town (3/4 hour and 1/2 hour respectively, I hink). I would think that the ones that were closer to town would be closer to grocery stores and also more centrally located with respect to sight seeing in the Jasper area.

At this point Banff and Yoho National Parks have not yet implemented reservations services, and their campgrounds still are first come first served.

Boulton Creek Campground in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country has a reservation service.

http://www.kananaskiscamping.com/camp_boulton.jsp

Hope that helps.

I agree that the Royal Tyrrell Museuem of Paleontology is a tremendous achievement.
It is the home base of several of the world's foremost paleontologists.

But, Drumheller is a long ways from Waterton. If you are thinking of purely a day trip then I think it is too far.

The distance from Waterton to Drumheller is 250 miles. Even if you drove hard and took the back route to avoid Calgary, my time estimate is 4.5 hours.
You might do it in less, but you would not stop much and you would be putting the big foot on the gas pedal.

I suggest driving up to Peter Lougheed Park and camp for a night. It is a pretty place. Vastly underrated outside of Canada.

It's been a number of years since I visited, but I would say that Waterton Lakes is spectacular enough with enough to do to fill up at least a couple of days. There are great hikes - short and long, a town in which the wildlife used to wander around (bighorn sheep and mule deer on people's lawns!), boat tours of the lakes, a bison reserve nearby and spots to relax, picnic, enjoy and photograph the spectacular scenery. While we were there, up at the top of the "Bear's Hump" trail (awesome views), we talked to some people who had just come from several days in Glacier, and they said to us that Waterton was in their opinion more spectacular.

Banff is also wonderful, busier than Waterton but definitely on the list of the worlds most spectacular National Parks. But, it's a 4 hour drive from Waterton.