Bear's Hump

Waterton Lakes National Park (and Glacier National Park) are frequently described by their abrupt transition from towering, rugged peaks to vast, open prairies. Nowhere is this more apparent than from the elevated viewpoints on the eastern side of these mountain ranges.  

In Waterton Lakes National Park, one of these spectacular viewpoints is also one of the most accessible as the Bear's Hump Trailhead begins from a parking lot just outside of the townsite.  

To the north, the view extends across the Prince of Wales Hotel and Middle and Lower Waterton Lakes to Alberta's grasslands in the north. Gazing to the south, the townsite is nestled along the shores of Upper Waterton Lake (at 487 feet, it is the deepest in the Canadian Rockies), which is entirely encircled by the massive mountains of the Lewis Range.

The hike takes its name from the Piikani lore of Great Bear Mountain (Mount Crandell) on which the trail ascends. Parks Canada created a great resource on the hike, fauna, and history that can be found here.