Alberta: The Rocky Mountains and Turquoise Lakes

Hiking up Bertha Falls, the most spectacular views

Within minutes of crossing the border from Saskatchewan into Alberta the landscapes changed. One minute we're driving among the prairies, the next minute we look up to the most amazing views of the Rocky Mountains. I hadn't seen the mountains before this, and let me tell you there is no mistaking them. They will just blow you away, its the most breathtaking thing I have ever witnessed. You know

the famous saying, "the mountains are calling, and I must go.." well, after witnessing this view, we finally understood what it really meant. The mountains are like nothing we've ever seen, and the invitation was one we could not refuse! Our very first stop in Alberta, was along the border of Montana and Alberta, to Waterton Lakes National Park. A very under rated park.

Waterton Lakes National Park

The days excitement started before we even entered the park! While waiting in line to get a park map, a mother white tailed deer and her baby Bambi were frolicking in the fields just beside the truck.

It was the sweetest thing to watch. It looked as though the fawn was still learning to walk. Cutest

thing ever! Or so we thought. The excitement didn't stop there, the wildlife in the park was so active while we were visiting. Literally just after passing a slow down for wildlife sign, we approached a traffic jam, or what they call a "bear jam". Right in front of us, was a huge mama black bear coming up from the side of the road to ensure it was safe for her three cubs to cross the road. The three cubs playfully followed behind their mom, it was such an incredible thing to watch. Let me just remind you, all this happened, honestly within 10 minutes of being in the park. My favorite way to view the wildlife, from the car ;). The park has both grizzly and

black bears, the ones we saw were black bears.

After all this excitement, we were eager to see the rest of what the park had to offer. So, up first was to find Alberta's natural wonder, the pink waterfall- also known as Cameron Falls. We found the waterfall, just off the side of the road. There was a little hike that lead us to the top of the waterfall however, most of the trail was closed due to a wildfire from last year so the area was in restoration. Unfortunately, the waterfall was not pink. The water turns pink at certain times of the year. Typically after heavy rainfalls, so spring time is the best time to view the pink flowing through the water. The waterfall itself, is still stunning, and I was still just happy to have been able to find it! After we found

the waterfall, we walked along the water front trail which took us along the waters of Emerald Lake. The mountain views from the trail were stunning, and made for a perfect backdrop. In fact just last year, the exact spot we were standing along the trail was engulfed in flames. The 2017 wildfire had overtaken much of the park. There were still blackened tree branches all over the beach. We spent the remainder of our afternoon hiking up to Bertha Falls. At this point of our trip, this was the most beautiful hike we have ever done! The trees surrounding us were

blackened from last years wildfire, with bright purple wildflowers and the most beautiful mountain views peaking through. Halfway up the mountain we reached the lower end of Bertha Falls. We stopped here for a break and filled our water bottles with the crystal clear, icy glacier waters. This 10km hike, had everything you could want in a hike. This was also our first hike among the forest after our encounter with the bear in Manitoba, and I am so incredibly glad we choose to hike this trail! When we finished our hike, we set up the BBQ in one of the picnic areas and made ourselves some dinner. We were greeted by a mule deer, who was just casually strolling past the truck. After dinner, we snuck into the campground to grab a quick shower. Perks to

living on the road ;)

Overall, if you ever visit Alberta, be sure to make a stop in Waterton Lakes National Park. There's an abundance of wildlife, and some incredibly special views of Mountains, Turquoise Lakes, and Waterfalls. Absolutely worth seeing!

Frank Slide Interpretive Center

The Frank Slide is Canada's deadliest mudslide. On April 29, 1903, at approx. four in the morning, turtle mountain crashed down on the town of Frank, burying the mining town, and part of the Crowsnest Valley, claiming 90 lives in the process. The site was devastating, and could be seen from miles down the highway. If you look at the photo just below, you can actually see the side of the

mountain that has caved in. At one point in time, there was an additional peak. Where the town once was, is now large boulders, and rocks in its place. Most of the community was never recovered and still remains underneath the rock after all these years.

Elk Island National Park

Elk Island National Park, is probably one of the smallest parks in Alberta. However, still worth checking out, especially if your interested in seeing some Wild Bison. Similar to our experiences in Waterton Lakes National Park, we were greeted by a Wild Bison grazing along the main administration road within minutes of arriving in the park. This was the closest we have been to a Bison yet, it was only about 100 ft away from the truck. Such an incredible thing to see so close! There are approx. only 2, 000 wild bison left in North America living in the wild. Between our trip in Saskatchewan, and Alberta we were lucky enough to experience 3 wild bison, how cool?! While in Elk Island National Park, we took a hike along the shoreline trail, which was a short 6 km loop

through the forests, to a boardwalk along a beautiful wetland. It may have been short but it was very scenic, and slightly intimidating as we passed by several mounds of bison poop ;) I was definitely hopping we didn't sneak up on any bison along our hike. Thankfully, we didn't!

These were just a few of our wild adventures in Alberta, there's just way to much to share in one blog post! So, be sure to stayed tuned for part two of our Alberta Trip, its not far behind, and your not gonna wanna miss it! Thanks again for reading, the endless support of our readers is so important, and the reason we share our stories!

Stay Wild,

Jesse & Jessica!