Frozen Tranquillity Winter At Alberta’s Waterton Lakes Offers A Few Diversions, Lots Of Peace And Quiet

The small town at lake’s edge lies cloaked in ermine. The silence seems as thick as the ice on Waterton Lake itself.

On a small knoll just above town, the Prince of Wales Hotel rises as a solitary sentinel, gabled and ornate, reaching for the sky in concert with the towering stone monoliths of the Rockies that nearly surround it.

One would guess that Alberta’s Waterton Lake was neatly padlocked for winter, cold and somewhat lonely, waiting for the summer crowds to return. Not so. In one corner of town at least, things are warm and humming.

Eight years ago, the owners of historic Kilmorey Lodge decided to take a chance and remain open all year. Although their decision was greeted with some local skepticism, the gamble seems to be paying off. More and more people are finding their way to this unique spot to savor the unparalleled winter scenery, packaged in a kind of quiet peace that has a tranquilizing effect on many a beleaguered mind.

The lodge represents a getaway for snow lovers and just about anyone wishing for a snug haven in an awesome winter wilderness. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, and wildlife viewing are all set in a frosty landscape quite unlike any other.

Deep snow and colder temperatures in Waterton’s high country drive large elk herds to lower elevations; it’s not unnatural to see elk lounging alongside the road like elegant vagrants, as one approaches the Waterton Lakes townsite. There’s also a chance of sighting moose, cougar, coyote and bear within the park.

The most popular Nordic ski trail is on the Akamina Parkway to Cameron Lake, and is ideal for beginners. Skiers park at the Little Prairie Picnic Shelter and ski a wide pathway through a coniferous forest to a cirque basin carved by glacial ice and snow, holding Cameron Lake.

A moderately challenging single-width track called Dipper Ski Trail follows babbling Cameron Creek, meanders over wooded slopes, glides over knolls and dips and finally joins the wide trail to Cameron Lake.

Other routes access Crandall Lake, the Waterton Golf Course, Rowe Meadows and Summit Lake. Trails are rated from easy to expert.

Skating, when conditions permit, is popular on what may be the world’s most scenic skating rink: Upper Waterton Lake in the Emerald Bay area near Kilmorey Lodge, and also on Middle and Lower Waterton Lakes.

The Akamina Valley offers several options for snowshoeing. For winter strolling, the dazzling landscape includes Cameron Falls, a popular townsite feature created as Cameron Creek plunges into deep Waterton Valley over some of the oldest exposed bedrock in the Canadian Rockies. These falls, illuminated at night, are a study in nature’s struggle between moving ice and water.

Situated in the midst of all this white splendor, Kilmorey Lodge, an English country-style inn, has captured the Alberta Tourism Award of Distinction for its unique atmosphere and fine service. Built in 1911, the log lodge was originally a modest eight-room boarding house. Today it has grown to 26 rooms, each with private bath, each tastefully furnished with antiques. No two rooms are alike, but every bed is warmed by a down comforter.

The Lamp Post Dining Room also deserves its past awards. Appetizers like artichoke caps stuffed with crab and mushrooms, and entrees such as Thai chicken skewers and linguine pescatorie are welcome surprises in such a remote location, especially in the dead of winter when tourist traffic is at a minimum.

One of the lodge’s special winter offerings is its Murder Mystery Weekends, four of them offered between late October and mid-March. Launched by a wine-and-cheese party, the main event is prefaced by a bloodcurdling scream and the deadly thud of a fallen victim. Through the ensuing weekend, guests use their deductive skills to interpret clues and identify sinister characters. Participation is voluntary, but it’s tempting to play sleuth, make a stab at identifying the murderer, and ultimately find out whodunit when the weekend wraps up.

Winter visitors to Waterton Lakes shouldn’t expect to find much action beyond that described above. With the exception of Kilmorey Lodge, much of the town is padlocked until late spring, when warm weather descends over the lakes, and the small town starts to awaken from its slumber beneath winter snows.

But while it slumbers, memorable scenery and winter activities reward the traveler who is willing to venture off the beaten path.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO

Getting there The northern route from the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area involves Canadian Highway 3 past Pincher Creek, turning south on Highway 2 to Cardston, then traveling west on Highway 5 into Waterton Lakes. A shorter route uses Highway 6 direct from Pincher Creek to Waterton if it is open in winter. An alternate route wraps around the south end of Montana’s Glacier National Park, crossing the Canadian border south of Cardston and proceeding west on Highway 5 to Waterton Lakes. For more information Kilmorey Lodge. Phone (403) 859-2334. Chinook Country Tourist Association. Phone (403) 320-1222. Weather information, 24-hour: Phone (403) 859-2445.