Practicalities
Canadian access to Waterton by road is from Fort Macleod via either Hwy 3 west and Hwy 6 south (via Pincher Creek) or on Hwy 2 south to Cardston and then west on Hwy 5. Calgary is 264km and three-hours' drive away; Lethbridge (which has the nearest airport), 130km (75min); and St Mary, Montana, 60km (45min). More than other Rockies' parks this is somewhere you really need your own transport to reach. A small taxi-bus service, the Shuttleton Services (usually three times daily, but ring for services; tel 627-2157) runs between Waterton and the nearest Greyhound depot at Pincher Creek 50km away ($15 one-way, $25 return); a cab from Crystal Taxi (tel 627-4262) will cost around $60 for the same run; otherwise there's no public transport to the town or within the park. Everything you need to explore the park centres on Waterton Townsite. All accommodation is here, bar the campsites, while the national park visitor centre is on Entrance Road at the road junction just to the north (daily; May & early Sept 9am-5pm; June-Aug 8am-9pm; tel 859-2445 or 859-2224, www.watertoninfo.ab.ca ). Further information is available from the Chamber of Commerce (tel 859-2303) and at the park's administration office at 215 Mount View Rd outside the visitor centre's summer hours (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm; tel 859-2477, 859-2224 or 859-2275). The free weekly newspaper , the Waterton-Glacier Views (tel 627-2370), also contains visitor information. Be sure to buy the Canadian Parks Service 1:50,000 map Waterton Lakes National Park ($9.50), if you're going to do any serious walking. It's usually available from the visitor centre and the Waterton Heritage Centre in the old firehall at 117 Waterton Ave (May-Oct 1-5pm, longer hours July & Aug; admission to museum by donation; tel 859-2267 or 859-2624). The latter is a combined art gallery, small natural-history museum, bookshop and another useful source of information. For advance information on the park, write to the Superintendent, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park, AB T0K 2M0. Pat's Rentals & Convenience Store, a petrol station and camping store on the corner of Mount View Road and Waterton Avenue (tel 859-2266), rents out bikes and scooters by the hour or day and also sells bikes and spares. There's also an ATM here. For currency exchange , try the Royal Bank in Tamarack Mall on Waterton Avenue or the Alberta Treasury Branch Agency upstairs at Caribou Clothing on Waterton Avenue (tel 859-2604). The Itussististukiopi Coin-Op laundry is at 301 Windflower Ave (mid-June to mid-Sept daily 8am-10pm). Waterton Sports and Leisure in Tamarack Mall stocks maps, fishing licences and camping, walking, fishing and mountain-biking equipment and accessories. The post office is alongside the fire station on Fountain Avenue. The nearest hospitals are in Cardston (tel 653-4411) and Pincher Creek (tel 627-3333). For the police , call 859-2244. There's also a 24-hour park emergency number, but it really is for emergencies only (tel 859-2636).
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