Parking
Start at Red Rock Canyon upper parking lot on Red Rock Parkway. Cross the bridge over Red Rock Creek and continue straight onto Snowshoe Trail.
Overview
About Twin Lakes Trail
Why go
- Two high-country lakes, creekside meadows and steep mountain views.
- A varied approach that shifts from broad Snowshoe Trail to forested singletrack.
Heads up
- A nine-hour, 14.1-mile return makes this a full-day commitment.
- The long, road-style Snowshoe approach comes before the lakeside trail.
Twin Lakes Trail is a 14.1-mile (22.8 km) out-and-back from Red Rock Canyon’s upper parking lot, following Snowshoe Trail to the Twin Lakes path and back the same way. Parks Canada allows about nine hours. This is a hard, full-day mountain walk: the lakes sit roughly 1,500 feet above the trailhead, with small rises and dips along the way. Choose it when you want a long backcountry day; the payoff is two high-country lakes beneath steep ridges, with creekside meadows along the approach.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Waterton Lakes map
Full mapElevation1,507–1,967 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
7 active Waterton Lakes alerts
- ClosureBelly River Campground closedBelly River Campground is closed to all traffic and travel because a carcass is in the area. - Violators may be charged under the Canada National Parks Act, with a maximum penalty of $25,000.Official details
- ClosureBlakiston Fan closed to protect rutting elkThe Blakiston Fan area is closed to traffic and travel to prevent disturbance of elk rutting there.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Waterton Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Twin Lakes Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Waterton Lakes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Waterton Lakes audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Red Rock Canyon0:00 / 0:32
“You’re coming up on Red Rock Canyon, where a creek cuts through red and green rock. This is a good stop for a close look at the landscape without a long hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Waterton Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lost Horse Creek Day Use Area
- Older Rock on Top
- Coppermine Day Use Area
- A Squirrel's Cone Store
- 51 audio storiesacross Waterton Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Black Bear, Elk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 47 trails, 70 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Twin Lakes Trail
Follow Snowshoe to the right branchStart at the upper lot, cross the bridge over Red Rock Creek and continue straight onto…
Start at the upper lot, cross the bridge over Red Rock Creek and continue straight onto Snowshoe Trail. The first stretch follows a broad, old road-style corridor for about 5.4 miles before the Twin Lakes singletrack branches near Snowshoe Camp. The approach also serves hikes to Lost Lake and Castle Divide, so check the signs at the junction and keep to Twin Lakes. Save some energy: this long approach comes before the narrower trail and the lakes.
Along Bauerman CreekThe singletrack enters fir forest and crosses a small creek near its start, then follows…
The singletrack enters fir forest and crosses a small creek near its start, then follows Bauerman Creek uphill. The grade eases in places, while switchbacks soften the steeper pitches. Small grassy meadows break up the trees, with the creek in the open and a steep forested mountain across the valley. Farther on, switchbacks climb to the Sage Pass junction; take the Twin Lakes branch rather than continuing toward Sage Pass and the Great Divide ridges.
At the lakesThe trail reaches the backcountry campground by the outlet of Upper Twin Lake.
The trail reaches the backcountry campground by the outlet of Upper Twin Lake. Lower Twin Lake lies just beyond the upper basin, and the surrounding meadows can show wildflowers and beargrass in season. The camp has an outhouse, tent pads, food-storage bins and picnic tables; these are destination facilities, not services along the approach. If you stay overnight, a backcountry permit is required. For a photo, frame the blue water with the larch and dark forested slopes to set the ridgeline in context.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Waterton Lakes
83 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
563 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
146 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
113 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
55 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
53 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Waterton Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
