13 June 2019
Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta
Today we will be taking a cruise on the oldest operating wooden ship in Canada.
The motor vessel International leaves several times a day from the Waterton Inter-Nation Cruise Company docks. The Prince of Wales hotel sits on the hill overlooking Waterton Lake.
While waiting to board, we watched a US Border Patrol crew arrive and meet with their Canadian counterparts.
Casting off the lines on time at 1000, we were soon heading south towards the mountains.
Cruising by Townsite Campground we could wave to our little silver camper van.
Charred trees are evidence of recent major forest fires. A significant area of this National Park was closed during our visit. Both the Akamina and Red Rock Parkways were being restored.
Waterfalls cascade thousands of feet down steep valleys to feed the lake.
Rock cliffshave folds in multiple directions caused by extreme pressure.
We passed the US/Canadian border where there are obelisks and a swath of cleared trees to delineate the line.
The treaty between the two countries calls for a clearly marked border, so trees are felled all the way from the Pacific to the eastern edge of Maine.
As we reach the end of the lake, the northern entrance to Glacier National park came into view. Only reachable by boat or on foot, not many folks enter the US via this route.
Normally, the boat would let passengers off for 30 minutes at the ranger station and visitor center, but it isn’t open this year due to US budget cuts.
The mv International was built at the request of the Great Northern Railway at the US end of the lake so it could be registered as a US vessel. It originally delivered guests from the US to the hotel, also built in 1927, in Waterton.
The mv International still goes into winter storage in this A-frame with a marine railway at the south end of the lake.
Clear streams flow into the lake here from the Rocky Mountains.
We didn’t see any wildlife, other than ducks, though the captain brought us close to shore.
Polished brass and varnished brightwork reflect the care that must go into maintaining this vintage vessel.
Fire fighting and life saving equipment was stored ready to use.
This is one of the windiest places in Canada. You can see it in the trees that are skewed to the northeast. The crew said locals are so used to leaning into the wind that they have been known to fall over on calm days.
Two and a quarter hours after leaving, the 92 year old mv International returned us safely to Waterton Townsite.
We definitely recommend the trip. Weather makes a huge difference here, so I would wait to buy tickets until you know what the day will be like. We were fortunate to experience good weather in an uncrowded boat on a weekday morning. Here’s a photo of the fully laden vessel heading out on a weekend afternoon.