I'll be visiting Glacier NP mid-June, and plan to visit Waterton Lakes NP. How much time would you allot for Waterton? Would you stay longer than a day? If you visit for the day, what would you do? We'll be in St. Mary, so the drive would be short.

I forgot to mention that our trip is one week.

A day should be plenty. We didn't find alot to see in Waterton, but the old hotel is beautiful (they also have a high tea) and there are some nice hikes. Town is kind of touristy.

Hope you enjoy your stay at Glacier as much as we did!

How much hiking are you planning to do?
If none, then a full day might be enough.
Do you plan on taking the boat ride on Waterton Lake? If so, you might have to omit something.

Other than the immediate town of Waterton, there are roads to Cameron Lake and Red Rock Canyon with a trail to a nice waterfall.

Obviously what you do dictates the time.

Bob, Yes, I 'm planning to take the boat ride. I meant to ask what is unique to Waterton Lakes comparing it to Glacier that might cause me to stay overnight for an extra day. Do the hikes qualify in your opinion? Also, since you seem to know a lot about the area, where will I be most likely to see wildlife on either side of the border?

Last July we arrived at Waterton Lakes NP about mid morning. We walked through the hotel, took the boat rides and had high tea. The tea was the highlight of a three week trip. We are not big on hiking, so that was enough time at the park for us.