This was one of the two drives recommended by the national park visitor center people. I was a little concerned about the road being appropriate for my large motorhome, but was assured it would be fine.
I checked out of my campsite around 10:00 am and headed up the road to Cameron Lake, and really it was just in time. I keep forgetting about long weekends, and this one was not only Labor Day in the U.S., but it was also Labour Day in Canada, which means this weekend has been packed with tourists. Whereas, even Friday, there were not a lot of people wandering around the town area, but yesterday, the numbers had to be at least quadruple the weekday numbers.
Going up the road was not bad, but by the time I returned at about 1:30 pm, I could barely turn left to exit the park. There are a lot of stop signs but no stop signs in Waterton, so there was a steady line getting into the park. Luckily, the line stopped and someone let me through to make my left turn. Whew! Then I tried to take the second recommended drive, to Red Rock Canyon, and it was closed and full, according to a big sign at the entrance. Maybe next year.
Anyway, the drive to Cameron Lake is about 24 k or 14 miles long, and it takes about half an hour without stops. It started just on the outskirts of town, as shown highlighted in orange on this map. The second scenic drive is just north of the highlighted one.
Here are some photos of the drive there. Speed limit was only 30 MPH, so it was an easy drive, as long as you kept your eyes on the road.
Close-up of some of the burned trees fro 2017. If you look closely, you can see new trees growing that are about 1' to 3' tall.
Finally made it to Cameron Lake! Decent parking lot and even found a big space for my motorhome.
You can rent kayaks, paddle boards, peddle boats, and canoes here, but you cannot use your own unless it has passed a 90-day quarantine. This is a new law this year to prevent a disease among fish that causes them to swim in a circle until they die.
My parking spot for RVs and buses.
A different view heading back down to Waterton. Waterton, by the way, is about at 4,200' and this lake is about 5,200' in elevation. Very nice drive. Even though I was driving the speed limit, there were still cars piling up behind me, so I periodically pulled over in a parking area and let them go past.
This is a small stream which is mostly dry now, but often becomes a waterfall or rapids, depending on how much rain there has been recently. You can see three people at the very bottom playing in the water.
Almost to the town center.
A view of the campground.
And a view of the town.
I really enjoyed these five days here, and I plan to come back next year or the year after.
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