Waterton Lakes National Park
| Waterton Lakes National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Upper Waterton Lake |
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| Location | Alberta, Canada |
| Nearest city | Pincher Creek |
| Coordinates | 49°02′45″N 113°54′55″W / 49.04583°N 113.91528°WCoordinates: 49°02′45″N 113°54′55″W / 49.04583°N 113.91528°W |
| Area | 505 km2 (195 sq mi) |
| Established | 1895 (national park) 1979 (biosphere reserve) 1995 (world heritage site) |
| Visitors | 367,500 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | I.D. Council, Parks Canada |
| World Heritage Site | 354 |
| Improvement District No. 4 | |
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| — Improvement district — | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | No. 3 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Governing body | I.D. 4 Council |
| • Chair | Brian Reeves |
| • CAO | J. Scott Barton |
| Area[2] | |
| • Total | 481 km2 (186 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| • Total | 160 |
| • Density | 0.3/km2 (0.8/sq mi) |
| • Dwellings | 167 |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| Website | Parks Canada |
Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist Charles Waterton. The park contains 505 km2 (195 sq mi) of rugged mountains and wilderness.
Operated by Parks Canada, Waterton is open all year, but the main tourist season is during July and August. The only commercial facilities available within the park are located at the Waterton Park townsite. The park ranges in elevation from 1,290 metres (4,232 ft) at the townsite to 2,910 m (9,547 ft) at Mount Blakiston. It offers many scenic trails, including Crypt Lake trail. In 2004, Waterton Lakes National Park had 367,500 visitors.[3]
The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project, directed by Peter Lynch and scored by Cadence Weapon, Laura Barrett and Mark Hamilton.
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History [edit]
In 1932, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was formed from Waterton and Glacier. It was dedicated to world peace by Sir Charles Arthur Mander on behalf of Rotary International. Although the park has a lot of diversity for its size, the main highlight is the Waterton lakes—the deepest in the Canadian Rockies—overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel National Historic Site.
Biosphere Reserve [edit]
In 1979, Waterton and bordering Glacier National park in the US were designated as World Biosphere reserves, preserving mountains, prairie, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the parks' range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests.[4]
World Heritage Site [edit]
The park is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for their distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide. They are areas of significant scenic values with abundant and diverse flora and fauna.[5]
Photo gallery [edit]
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View from top of Summit Trail
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Panorama taken from Prince of Wales hotel looking south
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49th parallel at Waterton Lake
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The Prince of Wales Hotel at Waterton Lakes National Park
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Cameron Falls
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Red Rock Canyon
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Doe & Fawn at Waterton Park townsite campground
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South Beach of Waterton Park townsite
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Blakiston Falls (upper)
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Cinnamon-coloured Black Bear eating dandelions, in Akamina Parkway.
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View of the mountains surrounding the Waterton Lake.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waterton Lakes National Park |
References [edit]
- ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. April 26, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Improvement District No. 4 - Community Profile". Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ^ Alberta Tourism - Tourist statistics and revenue
- ^ UNESCO - Park description at UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
- ^ UNESCO - Park description at UNESCO World Heritage
External links [edit]
- Parks Canada website
- Travel Guide for Waterton Lakes Park in Alberta, Canada
- Waterton Activities & Accommodation Guide in Alberta, Canada
- Waterton Lakes National Park Accommodation Alberta, Canada
- Waterton Lakes National Park from Canadianrockies.net
- Prince of Wales Hotel website
- A brief history of the Park
- Hiking Trails in Waterton National Park
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