Akamina Parkway

This road starts in the townsite and switchbacks up into the Cameron Creek Valley, making an elevation gain of 400 meters (1,310 feet) before ending after 16 km (10 miles) at Cameron Lake. The viewpoint one km (.6 mile) from the junction of the park road is on a tight curve, so park off the road. From this lookout, views extend over the townsite and the Bear’s Hump, which was originally part of a high ridge that extended across the lake to Vimy Peak (glacial action ultimately wore down the rest of the ridge). This section of the road is also a good place to view bighorn sheep. Between here and Cameron Lake there are several picnic areas and stops of interest, including the site of Alberta’s first producing oil well and, a little farther along the road, the site of Oil City, the town that never was.

Cameron Lake, at the end of the road, is a 2.5-km-long (1.5-mile-long) subalpine lake that reaches depths of more than 40 meters (130 feet). It lies in a large cirque carved out about 11,000 years ago by a receding glacier. Mount Custer at the southern end of the lake is in Montana. Waterton has no glaciers, but Herbst Glacier on Mount Custer can be seen from here. To the west (right) of Custer is Forum Peak (2,225 meters/7,300 feet), whose summit cairn marks the boundaries of Alberta, Montana, and British Columbia.

Beside the lakeshore are enclosed information boards and a concession stand (June–Aug. daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m.) selling light snacks and renting canoes, rowboats, and paddleboats ($18 for the first hour, $14 for additional hours). A narrow trail leads along the lake’s west shoreline, ending after two km (1.2 miles); allow 40 minutes each way. Farther on, grizzlies frequent the avalanche slope at the southwestern end of the lake, so hike with someone you can outrun.