Red Canyon + Blakiston Falls… and Our Quiet Bonus Miles on the Twin Lakes Trail (Waterton)

Red Canyon Trail

After walking the Waterton Golf Course the day before, we were in the mood for an easy, shorter hike. Waterton had other plans.

We started with the Red Canyon Trail, a little loop that’s perfect when you want big scenery without a big commitment. The path is paved for about 1/2 mile and winds through red rock in a fairly deep canyon gorge, with great views down to the river and falls. It’s one of those trails where you’re constantly stopping to look over the railings because the canyon walls and water are just that pretty.

Blakiston Falls Trail

From there, it’s easy to keep going. We crossed the pedestrian bridge and added the Blakiston Falls Trail—about 1.5 miles through a burned-out but recovering forest. The payoff is a set of impressive viewing platforms built by Parks Canada, with multiple angles over the falls and river. Some of the platforms cantilever out over the water, and you can actually feel the spray of the falls on your face.

We weren’t the only ones who thought this was a great hike for the day. The Red Canyon section and the walk out to the platforms were busy, with lots of groups chatting and enjoying the views. It was lively… maybe a little too lively for us.

Twin Lakes Trail

So we did what we tend to do when a trail keeps going: we took the turn onto the Twin Lakes Trail.

The sign makes it clear that Twin Lakes is a much bigger commitment—over 12 miles round trip if you go all the way to the lakes. I think that alone filters out a lot of people. If they can’t do the full lakes hike, they don’t even consider it.

We didn’t plan to go anywhere near that far. We just decided to hike about 2 miles past the platforms and see what the trail was like.

And honestly? That was the best part of the day.

The trail follows the river and delivers one gorgeous scene after another—minor waterfalls, gorges, and huge mountain views that made us feel very small in the best way. Some peaks still had impressive snow on them, and we even took our shoes off for a minute to test the river water. (Freezing. Absolutely freezing.)

Peace and Beauty

We also spotted big waterfalls pouring down the mountainsides from snowmelt, and used our binoculars to appreciate just how high up the mountain they started. The hiking itself felt surprisingly manageable: the elevation came in reasonable chunks, then leveled out, then climbed again. The river stayed close and kept changing shape, so the views never got old.

The wildest part? Once we got onto Twin Lakes, we didn’t see another person. After all the crowds near the falls, it felt like we’d stepped into a quieter version of Waterton.

We turned around before it turned into an all-day adventure, and our timing couldn’t have been better. When we got back to the Blakiston Falls viewing platforms, they were completely empty.