Upon arriving at the RV park in Radium Hot Springs, we had a special greeting committee!
 The RV park was down in a narrow valley. Along the steep-sloped side of the valley was a large herd of bighorn sheep waiting patiently to greet us. |
 This fella wanted to show us the way to our RV site. I wonder if he gets a commission? |
Kootenay
Kootenay N.P. is a large national park with a highway running through it. There are sights to see along the drive and short and long hikes available. We were early in the season (actually, pre-season) and some of the hiking paths were closed due to winter damage. The day we drove through the park was off-and-on light rain and overcast skies. But we still enjoyed the drive.
 The drive through the park follows the Kootenay River. It is a pretty sight from many vantage points. I wish I had my kayak. Although, I am sure I would have banged up on many of the rocks and been swimming more than kayaking. |
 "Tom, hurry up and catch up!" Becky was determined to find the Paint Pots. |
 The 4 km hike (round trip) was open to the Paint Pots. But due to the early season and rains, it was very muddy! |
 The mud was a wet clay-like substance that was very slippery (especially on inclines). I was not prepared as I was wearing tennis shoes instead of my hiking shoes. I was sure I was going to slip and roll around in the mud, but I managed not to. |
 Well, I don't know if we found the Paint Pots, but we found something. We are calling it the Paint Pots and it is now time to head back. |
Time to move on. From Radium Hot Springs, we headed southeast to Waterton Lakes National Park for four nights.
Waterton Lakes
Waterton Lakes National Park is the Canadian side of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park which borders the U.S. Glacier National Park. Together, they form the first International Peace Park, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and World Heritage Site.
September 11, 2017 (less-than two years ago) a huge (and very hot) fire raged through Waterton Lakes N.P. Firefighting efforts were able to protect most of the Waterton Lakes townsite but most of the sightseeing drives and hiking trails were destroyed. We were here at the beginning of the second season after the fire and the recovery work is still underway. The sightseeing drives and most of the hikes were still closed. We were somewhat disappointed in this stop. We were here in 2009 and remember even back then that the sightseeing was not great. I guess the park's main attractions are the mountain climbing hikes and lake activities. We did enjoy the lake cruise, saw the Cameron Falls, and visited the Prince of Wales Hotel.
 One of the several areas that was devastated by the fire of 2017. |
 Cameron Falls - they do have an interesting rock formation and waterfall pattern. But they don't rival Niagara Falls. |
 The Prince of Wales Hotel, built in 1927 - we visited the hotel, but we didn't tell the prince we were there. |
 Of course, the hotel has the best view in the area - Waterton Lake looking towards Glacier N.P. in the U.S. and Waterton Lake townsite on the right. |
 Oh Deer! What do we have here? |
 Two-hour cruise - we enjoyed our two-hour cruise of Waterton Lake on the M.V. International. It was the highlight of our stay. |
 On the cruise, we crossed the international border and briefly returned to the U.S. (don't tell anyone, we didn't have our passports!). You can see the border all the way up the mountain. Normally, the cruise stops at Goat Haunt in the U.S., but it was closed due to lack of resources from the U.S. National Park Service. |
 Is that post the beginning of "the wall"? |
 The view back into Canada from the U.S. |
 The view into the U.S. - that is Glacier National Park from Waterton Lake in Canada. |
 Our wildlife encounter on the cruise. |
Finale
Waterton Lakes N.P was our last stop in Canada and our last planned sightseeing stop on our trip. There are still two weeks before our planned arrival home on July 9th, but our plan is just for rest, relaxation, and travel.
Thank you for following our trip. I hope you have the opportunity to get out and enjoy some wonderful travels and we would love to hear about them also. They will probably give us ideas for future adventures!
Safe travels,
Tom and Becky