Bear’s Hump Trail

Bear’s Hump Trail is a short, steep out-and-back from Entrance Road to a rocky bluff on Mount Crandell, climbed for a broad view over Waterton town and the lakes. The listed route is 2.8 km (1.8 mi) round trip with 225 m (738 ft) of climbing; the usual estimate is about an hour. Published figures and recorded GPS traces differ on the uphill distance, so treat the mileage as approximate. Follow the signed path to the bluff and return the same way; this is the viewpoint walk, not an extension to Mount Crandell’s summit. It’s a compact outing, but the climb is the point: pick it if a sustained uphill effort feels worth a big view over town, water and mountains.

The first section is a rocky path with a less abrupt grade. It soon steepens into switchbacks and rock or stone steps, so a short mileage total shouldn’t be mistaken for an easy stroll. The main work is continuous uphill; several benches and natural places to pause make it easier to break into manageable pieces. Take those rests before you’re spent, and leave time for the descent: loose or uneven footing and taller steps can slow the way down. A pole can be useful if you like extra balance on steep steps, but the trail doesn’t require technical scrambling.

The trail ends at an exposed perch on Mount Crandell. Waterton’s townsite and lakes lie below, with mountain walls filling the valley; Glacier National Park is to the south and prairie ranchland opens to the northeast. The view changes as you turn around rather than giving you one single postcard angle. For a photo, keep the pale rock edge in the foreground with some town or lake below it; that shows how high the lookout sits above the valley. The top can be windy, so don’t expect a sheltered picnic spot.

Before the trail was built, people knew this bare bump as “the Pimple.” The old nickname belongs to the viewpoint; the route ends at its bluff rather than continuing over Mount Crandell’s summit.

The 2017 Kenow Fire left visible scars on this slope. Hikers continue to describe burned trunks among patches of returning greenery, a reminder that the forest is recovering around a popular, frequently walked route. The climb is mostly about the exposed rock and the valley view, but look down the hill to notice how open and regrowing areas sit beside one another.

Bighorn sheep and mountain goats are reported occasionally near the trail, and small ground squirrels or chipmunks are sometimes seen at the top. They’re a bonus, not a dependable part of the walk. The surrounding rock and trees make the route feel more like a mountain climb than a paved viewpoint path, even though it starts right by town.

The trailhead is across the road from the Prince of Wales Hotel access road; coming from the townsite, it’s at the crest of the hill on the left. The adjacent lot is small and can fill at busy times, so leave some flexibility in your arrival. Dogs may use the trail if kept leashed and under control. Walk up to the bluff, then follow the same switchbacks back down.