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Waterton Lakes National Park
Our first stop in the Canadian Rockies was Waterton Lakes National Park, which is located at the southernmost part of the Canadian Rockies, and is in fact contiguous with Glacier National Park in Montana. The often forgotten-about "younger brother" of more famous Canadian parks such as Banff and Jasper, Waterton Lakes is a beautiful destination fully worth a visit; I only regret we didn't have more time to explore it. Most of the photos in this sceneset focus on the series of Waterton Lakes that give the park its name.

Hazy Waterton Park I wish I actually knew what you were looking at here, but I don't. I guess that's what happens when I wait for seven years before writing descriptions for my photos. :) I do recall that it was a long view of part of Waterton Lakes National Park from Alberta's Highway 6, the road we traveled to get to Waterton after our earlier visit to Glacier National Park. Hazy Waterton Park
Tiger Swallowtail One of the first notable examples of Tiger Swallowtail
Storm Over Waterton Valley This long view of much of the heart of Waterton Lakes National Park was taken as we approached the park from the east. The famous Waterton Lakes are set in a valley that has many mountains to its west but none to the northeast, affording us this panoramic scene. It was a hot, hazy and stormy day. Storm Over Waterton Valley
Ripples on Upper Waterton Lake Upper Waterton Lake is a dominant feature of the park, running south from the Waterton townsite many miles to the border; the southernmost third of the lake is in Glacier National Park in Montana. This image was taken on our night of arrival; it was rather stormy and dark but the water was calm except for the ripples from boats, which made these interesting interference patterns. Ripples on Upper Waterton Lake
Clearing Storm, Red Rock Parkway Red Rock Parkway leads to the canyon of the same name. This was the only blue sky we saw the evening that we set out to check out the canyon. On the plus side, the notorious crowds at this famous locale were conspicuously absent. Clearing Storm, Red Rock Parkway
Red Rock Canyon It doesn't take a whole lot of analysis to figure out how this canyon got its name! One of the most famous destinations in Waterton Lakes National Park, the color of the stones has to be seen to be believed, and contrasts dramatically against the green foliage in the summertime. Red Rock Canyon
Vivid Red A closer view of part of Red Rock Canyon. A light rain really caused the deep red color of the rock to come through, especially once I used my polarizer to cut down on reflections. The inclement weather also provided another advantage: no people to get in my photos! Vivid Red
Upper Red Rock Canyon This is a shot of the upper part of Red Rock Canyon, where the canyon walls are higher and steeper. Taken at around the same time as the preceding couple of images, this shot shows how different the red rocks can look from various angles even in comparable conditions. Upper Red Rock Canyon
Canyon Layers One more scene of Red Rock Canyon, this time showing better the sedimentary layers of rocks. In addition to the dominant red colors, it is common to find white layers and even some that are tinged yellow or green. Canyon Layers
Violet Sunrise If you want to take pictures of the sunrise in the Canadian Rockies in late June, you have to get up pretty darned early! This image was taken at 5:33 am from a road near the famous Prince of Wales Hotel near the Waterton Townsite. Given how many clouds were around at the time I counted myself fortunate to have gotten such nice coloration in the sky. Violet Sunrise
Waterton Wisp The main Waterton Wisp
Middle Waterton Sunrays I love sun rays, caused by the sun shining through gaps in the clouds. They are seen most often after sunrise and before sunset, and for this reason are technically called crepuscular rays (that word being derived from the Latin word for twilight). Middle Waterton Sunrays
Cameron Creek Valley Cameron Creek winds through the western part of Waterton Lakes National Park, linking Cameron Lake to the main Waterton Lakes complex. This image was taken in the early morning about a half hour after sunrise. Wish I knew the names of those mountains! Cameron Creek Valley
Lifting Fog Fog lifting from a small meadow somewhere a few miles north of the Waterton Townsite. Lifting Fog
Guarding the Shoreline One of the best views of Upper Waterton Lake, and the Waterton Townsite itself, is from the grounds of the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. I went there on a nice morning to take some shots and was amused by the number of Columbia ground squirrels I found popping out of burrows all over the place! I'm a sucker for cute rodents so I took this shot which shows two of them coming out to bask in the early, soft sunshine. Guarding the Shoreline
Rainbow at Cameron Falls Cameron Falls is a small, pleasant waterfall formed when Cameron Creek runs over some hard rock folds. It is not near Cameron Lake as many expect, but rather is found right in the Waterton Townsite itself. I was lucky enough to get there at the right time for the mid-morning sun to make a little rainbow in the fall's spray. Rainbow at Cameron Falls
Blue Cascade Another shot of Cameron Falls, this time taken from higher up, and showing some of the cool blue and purple wildflowers growing on the rocks. Blue Cascade
Deer Tourist... Deer are not the most exciting wildlife in the Canadian Rockies by any means, but it was still kind of cool to see this very docile specimen just hanging around grazing right in town. Deer Tourist...
Cameron Creek One of many spectacular, yet undistinguishing, views of Cameron Creek and surrounding mountains in the middle of Waterton Lakes National Park. Cameron Creek
International View A pretty, calm morning on Cameron Lake, which is located in the far southwest corner of Waterton Lakes National Park. It lies nearly entirely within the park boundaries, but its extreme southern tip straddles the US/Canada border, which also means most of the mountains you see in this south-facing view are in International View
Peaceful Brook Like most photographers, I have a love-hate relationship with clouds -- too many or too few make photos boring. But I'm a real sucker for clouds shrouding mountaintops or blowing over them as I saw in this peaceful shot of a quiet brook in the middle of the park. Peaceful Brook
Still Spring, Cameron Lake Spring arrives very late in the higher elevations of the Rockies. Despite this shot being taken in late June, these bushes along the shore of Cameron Lake appeared as if they were still leafing out. Still Spring, Cameron Lake
Black Bear Baby Wildlife is abundant in the Canadian Rockies, and while driving back from Cameron Lake to the Waterton Townsite, we were fortunate enough to spot a baby black bear and its mom right near the side of the road. The cub was extremely cute, especially the way it was clinging to this tree and peering out from behind it. Black Bear Baby
Black Bear Mama ...and here's mama bear. She didn't appear particularly unhappy when we saw the pair, but we certainly didn't take any chances: this image was taken from only about 15 or 20 feet away -- from the safety of our rental car! Black Bear Mama
Bear's Hump Panorama Like other mountains and hills with names such as Bear's Hump Panorama
A Splash of Color These small yellow flowers growing right in the rocks on top of the Bear's Hump provided a nice counterpoint to the expanse of lake and mountains beyond. A Splash of Color
Hidden Beauty I'm always amazed at how plants can find ways to grow in the most unexpected of places. I have no idea what these are but they were really pretty and I sure didn't think I'd find them on top of a windswept hill. Hidden Beauty
Prince of Wales Hotel and Middle Waterton Lake Another view from the Bear's Hump, showing the impact of the wind on trees, as well as the Prince of Wales Hotel, a famous historical landmark in Waterton Lakes National Park. The hotel is located on a spit of land near where Upper and Middle Waterton Lakes meet. It was built in the 1920s and named in a shameless attempt to get the then-prince, who was touring Canada at the time, to stay at the hotel (and it didn't even work!) Prince of Wales Hotel and Middle Waterton Lake
Tour Guide Just as I was about to snap this shot of the Waterton Townsite and Upper Waterton Lake, this funny golden mantled ground squirrel popped up his head as if to say Tour Guide
Bosporus Strait This small canal of water connects the Upper and Middle Waterton Lakes. It is probably named after the Bosphorus Strait, which is a waterway flowing through the Turkish city of Istanbul, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and then the Mediterranean. Bosporus Strait
Hazy Meadow This very hazy day produced pale blue skies and warm temperatures. I captured these wildflowers near the edge of the park. Hazy Meadow
Yellow Columbine A pretty, solitary yellow columbine, found on the steep switchback-laden trail that goes to the top of the Bear's Hump. Yellow Columbine
Bison Paddock Near the northeast corner of Waterton Lakes National Park is a reservation called the Bison Paddock, where a small herd of plains bison are kept. The paddock serves both to help protect and conserve the once-ubiquitous animals and as a wild viewing gallery for tourists. Bison Paddock
Sentry A strong yet serene male bison keeps watch at the bison paddock. Sentry

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