to the park gate. Highway 5 continues another 5 miles (8 kilometers) to the “townsite” of Waterton Park, as Parks Canada describes the in-park community, summer population about 2,500.

Spanning a relatively small 122,788 acres, Waterton Lakes is the smallest national park in the Canadian Rockies, but it's also one of the best for quietly—and safely—observing the bears.

Kelsey J. Lawrence In 1932, Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, and Glacier National Park partnered to create the world's first International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.