Jenny's Mountain Adventures: Return to Waterton Part 1: Crypt Lake Hike

Distance: 20.5km

(with ferry to and from Trailhead)

Elevation: 935m

The classic cave section of Crypt Lake Hike

The main tourist season in Waterton ends after Labour Day. If the weather holds, you can access the stunning park without the crowds for a narrow time window before the seasonal employees return home for the winter. The camping reservation system also ends the week after Labour Day so we showed up Thursday night and found a perfect campsite next to the river and a cook-shelter. Waterton is notoriously windy and a sheltered site is a must. Even early in September it gets cold at night so having access to the cook shelter's wood stove (bring your own wood) was a bonus and a great place to meet other campers who joined us around the stove to cook and swap stories.

Looking down the valley towards the trailhead from the high point on the Crypt Lake Hike

Kyle and I enjoyed cathartic, laid-back weekend of hiking in Waterton National Park following one hell of a week (virtual exam issues and major stress). Despite both of us having major exams the following week, it was a much needed escape to reconnect after a summer of studying. We managed to tick off 2 of the classic Waterton Hikes (Crypt Lake and Alderson-Carthew), both of which I had done a few years ago but was excited to repeat with Kyle. They are just as stunning the second time around.

We got an early start on Friday morning to catch the ferry over to the Crypt Lake trailhead. It's first-come, first-serve for tickets so we made sure to give ourselves plenty of time, but our boat was only about 1/2 full. (See Waterton Cruise Website for up to date ferry info).

A $30 ferry ride (includes return ride) takes you to the Crypt Lake Trailhead

Calm morning on Waterton Lake

We enjoyed our sunrise cruise across the calm lake. Although there it was still smoky from the summer's forest fires we were pleased to have views of the peaks at the south end of the lake which are part of Glacier National Park in Montana. The damage from the Waterton fire in 2017 was very apparent on the west side of the lake.

Breaking out of the treeline on the Crypt Lake Trail

The trail starts at the lake's edge and climbs quickly up switchbacks through the forest. Early on, you have the option to take a right turn up to Hell Roaring Falls. It was just a trickle at this time of year but the deep canyon was still impressive. By taking this option at the beginning of the day, you can get away from the mass-start crowd of other hikers who were on the boat. It is pretty steep and loose out of the canyon to get back to the trail and I would recommend hiking it in the up direction rather than down at the end of the day when you are tired and rushing to make the return ferry.

The start of fall colours in Waterton

Gaining elevation

We took our time, climbing steadily out of the forest and into the treeline, passing waterfalls and new views around every corner. There was no rush because the fall ferry schedule only has one return trip at 5:30, which gave us 8hrs to complete the 20km hike. The last time I did the hike, we paddled our own kayak across the lake which gave us more flexibility but turned the day into more of an adventure as we had a wicked headwind to battle and we started the hike soaking wet.

Stunning peaks in the alpine

Looking down the valley towards Waterton Lake

The trail has some unique features including a ladder up to a tunnel through a rock wall.

Approaching the cave

It's bigger than it looks

Once you pass through the cave, there is a short section of exposed trail that has chains/cable for a handrail if needed.

Brief section of exposed scrambling

After the scramble, you top out above a large cliff. Just beyond and over a rise is Crypt Lake, hidden from view until the last second. The atmosphere at the lake was calm and moody with the huge peaks looming overhead. All the hikers wandered off to find their own space for private reflection. Kyle and I fired up the stove and cooked hot noodle soup and enjoyed coffee at the lakeside. After the sweaty ascent, we cooled off quickly once we stopped moving. We had hours to kill before the ferry so we slowly made our way around the lake, snacked, stretched and watched a guy with a tiny fishing rod pull small fish out of the lake over and over. Maybe he kept catching the same one?

The last flowers of summer

Calm and peaceful afternoon at Crypt Lake

We took a short detour to admire the view from the top of a waterfall on the way down. We had 900m to descend back to the lake but plenty of time to do it.

Looking down

Heading back to the trailhead

We were the second last group to arrive back at the trailhead with about 15 mins to spare. We ate the last of our snacks and watched a group of curious deer investigate the group of hikers waiting for the ferry. Needless to say, we slept well that night after a full day out in the mountains.

We woke to rain and wind Saturday morning. Feeling sore from our first real hike of the year, we spent the day playing tourist in the Waterton Townsite, including a trip to the Prince of Wales Hotel for high tea, a decadent experience. We sat by the window and watched kite borders take advantage of the windy conditions. Fortunately the forecast was looking better for hiking on Sunday.