Waterton Hiking Trips in the Canadian Rockies

Kilmorey Lodge in the dining room

117 Evergreen Ave, Waterton Park

Dates: Sundays from June to mid-October

Meeting Time: 8am

Available for Private Booking: May to October (weather and trail condition dependent)

Price: $109 (CAN) + gst

Optional: $20 (CAN) + gst (transportation to/from trailhead)

What to Pack

• Personal gear (dress for all conditions)
• Waterproof & warm layers, here is a blog to help you understand the concepts around dressing for mountain weather. This blog is for winter, but the concepts are the same.
• Gloves (early or late season)
• Toque (early or late season)
• Sun hat
• Sunglasses
• Hiking poles (we will have extras)
• Hiking boots
• A backpack
• Water (2L is recommended, our guides will have a water filter to purify water along the trail)
• Your camera
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Lunch (a bagged lunch can be purchased from the Kilmorey for $25-30, arrange in advance)
• Additional snacks

What to Expect

If you signed up in advance, we will send you an email within the week of your hike with any updates, including a weather update.

Your guide will be waiting for you at the Kilmorey Lodge in the pub no later than 8am. You are required to fill out a waiver and medical form prior to our hike departure. This is an industry standard and also helps our guides in the case of an emergency.

We will have to drive to the trailhead from the Kilmorey. The drive is about 15 minutes. You can either drive yourself and follow our guide, or you can pay a small additional cost for transportation. We will be out all day, so you will want to pack a high-energy lunch such as a sandwich, fruit, vegetables, cheese, or charcuterie. Snacks are recommended such as granola bars, chocolate, and nuts. If you want to buy a bagged lunch, we will arrange this and pick it up from the Kilmorey. A minimum of 2 litres of water is required, and if the weather is hot, our guides will have a water purifier with them to filter water along the trail.

Before we leave the Kilmorey, you will have a chance to use the restroom. Unfortunately, there are no outhouses at the trailhead or along the trail. We practice leave-no-trace techniques, so if you require a bathroom break along the trail, you can pack a ziplock bag with you to dispose of toilet paper after the hike. We do not want to leave toilet paper along the trail or in the trees. Our guides can pack toilet paper, a small shovel, ziplock bags, and hand sanitizer, but if you are more comfortable with your own, please pack it in your backpack.

Along the trail we will make several stops to enjoy the scenery, take pictures, listen to stories about Waterton, and just have fun in nature!

Once we finished the hike, you can return to your hotel or car. Or you can come back to the Kilmorey Lodge to enjoy beverage or gourmet meal. They have one of the best patios in town! Please do not plan another immediately after the hike as we can run behind schedule depending on the group’s interest or ability.

Why hire a Professional Guide with Uplift Adventures?

We want to help you fall in love with Waterton Lakes National Park and make your vacation a trip to remember.

Our professional guides are highly certified to cater to our guests from around the world. Learn more about each of our guides here. Our guides are professionally certified with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides or/and the Interpretive Guide Association, and are also Wilderness First Responders or Wilderness Advanced First Aiders for those just in case moments. Each guide is highly trained for emergency situations, wildlife encounters, and knowing the local history, geology, and fauna/flora. Several guides are also professional interpreters, scientists, geologists, avalanche forecasters, and more. Our guides have an immense passion for getting people outdoors and sharing our love for the Canadian Rockies. People generally hire us because of our knowledge, and continue to come back because they have so much fun.

We have some guides who speak other languages. If you are seeking a guide who can speak a language other than English, please inquire with us.

Is this hike for you?

These hikes are for people who want to see Waterton with a professional guide. You will want to have some physical fitness as we will be outside hiking for 5-8 hours. We hike in a group and leave no person behind. This also means that we stick together to reduce negative encounters with wildlife and so that we can share information about Waterton with you. There is some elevation on this hike. You will want to be prepared for all types of weather including rain, wind, and even snow. You will want a quality pair of closed-toed shoes such as hiking boots or trail runners. You will also want to wear a backpack and have at least 2 litres of water to drink throughout the day, and food to keep you fueled for adventure.

We do not have an age limit for this hike as we find people are the best judge of their ability. However, if you haven’t hiked this distance recently and you are not an active person, this hike might not be for you. We do not recommend this hike for people under the age of 10 years old, unless they have done something like this before. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, unless arrangements have been made in the future.

Included:

• Professional and knowledgeable guide
• Use of hiking poles
• Safety equipment (carried by guide: first aid kit, satellite communication device, emergency tarp, bear spray, water filter)

All guides are Wilderness First Aiders with 80hr or 40hr Wilderness First Aid.

Not Included:

• Personal gear (a gear list will be sent out upon booking)
• Meals (bring a lunch or purchase one in town)
• Gratuity

Please Note
Must have a minimum of 4 participants to run the experience.

Uplift Adventures’ waivers are required to be signed before starting the event.

Guests under 18 years of age, must have parental consent to attend the event. Guests under 15 years of age, must be accompanied by an adult.

Guests must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including cannabis, while out on the hiking portion of this event. Uplift Adventures has the right to refuse participation if a guest is suspected under the influence. A return or compensation will not be given to the customer.

Please advise Uplift Adventures of any medical conditions or allergies prior to the event.

Cancellation Policy

If the guest has to reschedule there is no cost if this is done more than 7 days in advance of the trip date. If the reschedule is done less than 7 days of the trip, then there will be a $25 administration fee added to the booking. A week from your trip, we have already arranged guide schedules and have done a lot of the pre-planning for your trip to succeed.

If a cancellation is done less than 48hrs for non-group bookings, no refund will be issued. If a cancellation is done less than 7 days for group bookings (4 people or more), no refund will be issued. For all other cancellations, a partial refund will be given. When the cancellation occurs within enough notice for a partial refund, then we refund minus a $25 administration fee per booking, plus a processing fee of 2.9% + 30 cents per booking. There are several behind-the-scenes fees that go into operating, including administration costs and service fees that we pay when a booking is cancelled. This administration and processing fee covers this cost.

Weather Cancellation Policy

Uplift Adventures will cancel and try to reschedule or give a refund if the weather is extreme. This does not include the Wilderness First Aid course as we can adjust to be indoors if the weather is extreme. Examples of extreme weather include 120km continuous winds, below -25°C with the wind chill or -20°C without the wind chill, heavy snowfall warnings for the duration of our trip, and severe thunderstorms for the duration of the trip. Examples of extreme weather does not include subzero temperatures or rain.