By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Nearly 370,000 visitors to Waterton Lakes National Park so far in 2018

Aug 31, 2018 | 10:28 AM

WATERTON LAKES NP – Even after the Kenow wildfire tore through Waterton Lakes National Park nearly one year ago leaving a scarred landscape, hundreds of thousands of visitors have ventured out to the park so far this year.

According to Locke Marshall, Visitor Experience Manager, this year’s numbers are so far hovering around 370,000.

“It certainly has been another busy fire year here. We’ve been affected a little bit by the smoke, so that may have had some effect. But it isn’t as apparent as some of the areas that are closed due to the (Kenow) wildfire. That probably made it less attractive for as many people to come.”

This year’s numbers are down slightly from 2015, when there were 379,729 people who came to the park. In 2016 there were nearly 430,000.

Marshall says they’re not really comparing this year’s numbers to 2017, because of the Canada 150 celebrations, which saw free entry to all national parks across the country. More than 500,000 people took advantage of that Federal Government initiative at Waterton last year.

Week-in-review: Federal Budget, water agreements and success for tourism industry

Apr 20, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 19, 2024

Apr 19, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: April 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

So far, the Akamina Parkway along with some popular campgrounds and trails are still closed, however he expects that more areas within the park will be open to the public in 2019.

“We’re working very hard to get as many of the areas open as possible. Some of that work is taking place right now obviously, and some will take place through the fall, so we’re anticipating having quite a larger area available to the public in 2019.”

Construction of the new Waterton Lakes Visitor Centre is also scheduled to begin in 2019.

In the meantime, local vendors, hotel and restaurant owners are hoping the Labour Day Weekend will bring many more visitors to the townsite. All local amenities are also open to the public.