July 29th ~ Cameron Lake
Cameron Lake in early light
The kind lady at the Visitors Center had given us her best recommendations for where we might possibly find a moose. She also stressed that early mornings and late evenings were the best time to go on a hunt.
It is especially beautiful shortly after dawn as well as the best lighting for any photography buffs. I’m always a slow starter each day, but when I can drag myself up and out, I absolutely love it and I kick myself for not doing it more often.
I had several places on my agenda to shoot with the early lighting.
Prince of Wales Hotel
Prince of Wales Hotel on the crown of the hill
Sitting high on a hill overlooking both Upper and Middle Waterton Lakes, the Prince of Wales Hotel is impossible to miss when approaching the village. The day before we had been inside and also snapped a few shots of their spectacular views. But, I wanted to show the setting of where it was in relation to the lake and village.
I had made a mental note a couple of days earlier when spotting the setting, and wanted to return when we had more time.
We had seen several does with twins while here. These little ones still had their spots and were running along the side of the road trying to keep up with momma. The shot is not very good, as they were running and we were traveling in the car.
Spotted twins trying to keep up with momma
Cameron Lake
Our main focus was to take the Akamina Parkway. It ends at Cameron Lake, and only a short hike from there is Akamina Lake where we had been told to check out for moose.
Strong bear warnings were posted all along the route. We were relieved that Tim had a canister of bear spray on his belt.
Bear Warning!
Of course there are bears in this area, but when they get introduced to human food, they sometimes want more. Although this bear had not become aggressive toward people, the park was taking precautions.
Our hike to Akamina Lake was uneventful, and NO moose were spotted, however there must have just been a HUGE hatching of mosquitos as we felt and saw swarms of them around us.
Akamina Lake
I am often as interested in the flora and as I am the fauna.
After another round of no Bullwinkle sightings, we returned to Cameron Lake, whose beauty helped ease the earlier disappointment. The sun was up further in the sky and more reflections were visible.
Cameron Lake boat dock
Cameron Canoes
Crystal clear water over the rocks made some fabulous patterns
Joanne on the dock at Cameron Lake
Just across from our campground is another fascinating waterfall, which just happens to be connected to the lake by way of Cameron Creek. And in case you can’t guess its name, it is Cameron Falls.
We had visited a day or two earlier and part of the falls was in shadows, so we swung back by and this time caught a couple of fishermen down in front of the falls. What was so interesting was the shape of the falls and the many paths the water can travel to reach the pool below.
Cameron Falls
We also caught up with two rangers who were on the hunt for a young bear that had been seen wandering the area near the falls. They commented that they were happy to see us carrying bear spray.
Ranger on the hunt for a bear
The weapon she is carrying is a paintball gun. It shoots out a chalk pellet which is intended to discourage the young bear and get it to leave the area.
I did not realize until a couple of days ago that Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A well-earned designation.
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for the morning and evening “magic hour” lighting that makes photography so much fun. Now I just need to get myself up and out earlier on a regular basis to take advantage of it 🙂
A Note From Abroad 
Cameron Lake looks to be worth a trip when I am up there. Looks like you 2 are really enjoying yourselves.
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Yes and yes!
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Exquisite pictures and I really enjoyed your writing. Thank you
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Thank you very much!
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Really lovely.
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Liked the post and glad you didn’t find a bear, wish you had found a moose. Two questions, have you ever had to use bear spray, ever, and what type of bear spray do you recommend. And, did your mosquito spray work and what kind was it? I guess that’s really four questions. Take care and happy travels.
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No, thankfully we have never needed to use our bear spray. Since we live in California, it is difficult to buy bear spray. We found it interesting that in Wyoming, you could purchase a two pack of bear spray at Costco for less than the one cost us via mail order. Sorry, I don’t have any info or opinion on what brand/type to get, but ours is called “Counter Assault Bear Deterrent” Grizzly tough pepper spray. I doubt that there is very much difference, but I could be wrong. When we remembered to apply the mosquito spray it worked good for me, but Tim is a true “Mosquito Magnet” and they want to swarm around him. The insect repellent is called Repel 100 and is pretty good.
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Thanks. Good to know. Guess we will stop at Costco next time we are in WY.
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Does anyone will be surprised if I say, that I like mountains?
Very nice places and pictures as well 🙂
Take care.
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Thank you very much.
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you’re welcome 🙂
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A beautiful place even without the moose!
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But honestly, wouldn’t a moose have made those pictures even better 🙂
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I think we need to add this place to our liust of places to see. Excellent post!
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Thanks Robin. I can certainly recommend this entire area, especially Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks.
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What a wonderful place to visit. Your photos of Cameron Lake were stunning. Thank you for sharing!
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Our pleasure!
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🙂
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Another great day, it appears. I, too, love the pattern of the rocks under the crystal clear water. Hope you have managed to see Bullwinkle by now.
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I’ll just have to keep THAT as a secret for the moment…
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Gorgeous photos, and isn’t Cameron Lake spectacular? Sorry about the missing moose. 😉
Since we didn’t see any on our recent RV trip, we are hoping to see one on our land/cruise Alaska trip coming up in September!
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Cameron Lake was gorgeous, especially first thing the morning. Hope you find your moose in Alaska!
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