Waterton Park had its own kind of charm on Monday, Victoria Day, 2024. One park visitor exclaimed "It was 10 times more than what I expected it to be."
On Monday afternoon, it was drizzly and rainy with a little bit of slush mixed in. My husband and I decided to make the drive to Waterton thinking that the bad weather should not dictate to us that we had to stay home. We enjoyed the beauty, serenity and, the sighting of wildlife.
Prior to the town site, we were met, right and left, with a carpet of gold, arrow leafed balsam root plant, that from a distance resembled the yellow of daffodils. 
Sometimes on the Victoria Week-end we see so many people we can't count them all. By late Monday many of the mobile home camping spots were vacant. The tent camping spots were totally empty. Some might have thought that the snow on Friday was a deterrent.
After soaking in the quietness of the town, we headed towards Cameron Lake. Tiny white blossoms and yellow blossoms dotted the sides of the road. They were still few and small, but visible, as were the willows and bushes just beginning to bud out. There, we saw the new conifer seedlings carpeting the ground amongst the burnt out stand of the lodge pole pines. I was once concerned that the park was not doing enough to replenish the tree population in that area after the Kenow Wildfire came through Waterton in September of 2017. Now I see their wisdom. After a fire, nature does renew itself. 
Rain met us at Cameron where there was still ice candled in the water. The pontoons for the docks were still on dry land. There, we visited with people from Texas staying at the Prince of Wales Hotel and a couple with German accents. Though they were wet, they were still thrilled with their week-end. 
We found sunshine and wildlife on our way down the mountain road. A grouse was just sitting in the middle of the road. A black bear cub nibbled at the grass with its back just 20 yards from a few mountain sheep. Another 50 yards down the road, more mountain sheep were seen on an embankment intently watching for something. It could have been the mother bear. 
Around the last bend, before the town site, 2 mule deer bucks in velvet sauntered in front of our vehicle with a larger one still in the bushes. 
Close to the park gates, two Canada geese were wading in the water on the bank of the Waterton River. Willow trees were just budding out on the water's edge and new quaking aspens are now 4-6 feet tall. Then, six or more white tailed deer jumped across the road heading for the hills. We figured that the 3 hours spent soaking up the beauty, serenity and the wildlife was time well spent and certainly rewarding for a cold and rainy day.
