Calgary-Waterton Lake Motorcycling

Waterton Lake beach at the south end of our campground.

A couple of weeks ago during the August long weekend, my friend and I rode to Waterton Lakes National Park from Calgary. It's 270 km one-way via Highway 2 south and then heading west on Highway 3, before finally heading south again to Waterton Lakes NP by passing through Pincher Creek. We brought our families with us so there was a chase car carrying our sons. My wife and I were two-up on my bike, and my friend rode his Harley.

Ours hail from two continents and we get along.

The ride along Highway 2 was going at a 120 km/h speed. Occasionally we had to go at 140 km/h when overtaking some cars and trucks, but the traffic wasn't busy. Several times I saw traffic signs alerting severe crosswinds, and sure enough the wind picked up significantly between Claresholm and Fort MacLeod. In high crosswind area, physics teaches me to increase motorcycle speed to reduce the crosswind's momentum, so I picked up my speed a bit.

The ride on Highway 3 was more exhilarating. It's not a divided highway and the rolling hill landscape helped my eyes relax. There are hundreds of wind turbines around this area, but their blades weren't turning despite the strong wind. We stopped for gas in Pincher Creek and about 50 km along Route 6 later we arrived at Waterton. It took us 2.5 hours to arrive at the Waterton Lakes NP gates. My friend used his Park Pass and I entered the park for free.

There was one campsite left when we got to the townsite campground. We were lucky since I couldn't make online reservation 2 days before. The day was sunny and hot (30 C). The campground was luxurious by my standard: shower, flat ground, cookhouse, and tap water by our site. It is also by the lake and is quite windy. We stayed in the campgrounds for 2 nights, which gave us time to explore Waterton village.

Who's your daddy now?

Waterton village or townsite is situated inside the NP. It has coffeeshops, fancy restaurants, grocery stores, and even laundromat. It's similar to Banff in Banff National Park but smaller. Waterton though has a charming lakeshore to stroll for hours without feeling bored or tired. I even took a nap to soak up the sun. I saw several kayakers and one windsurfer on the lake. Unlike the places in Canadian Rockies I usually go to, Waterton is decidedly more tropical by Canadian standard. We thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Cameron Lake.

We also visited Cameron Lake located 16 km off the main road through a winding road. A highly recommended side trip when you visit Waterton. Cameron Lake is tranquil and great to visit in the morning, especially if you like canoeing or kayaking. We met mountain goats ambling merrily on the road when we rode back to Waterton.

Mountain goats sharing our road. A group of Kansas riders  accompanied us.

We took Highway 22 to return to Calgary. It's the western parallel of Highway 2 and takes us to the foothills of Canadian Rockies. We stopped at Chain Lakes Provincial Park to rest before riding our final stretch to Calgary.

Tips: When riding to Waterton from Calgary, gas stop is recommended in Pincher Creek which is 200 km south of Calgary. It has fast food restaurants: Tim Hortons, A&W, and others for your little passengers to keep them happy. From Waterton, I recommend to refuel in Pincher Creek especially if you take Highway 22 north which has no service until Longview.