The nice thing about the Bertha Lake trail is it starts right in Waterton townsite. If you are staying in town, just walk right from your hotel. Might as well swing by Cameron Falls lookout on the way to the trailhead. If you are driving, there is a designated trailhead parking lot on the SW side of town. The trail follows the lake shore and slowly climbs at the same time. Be sure to turn around to enjoy the views of the town of Waterton with the Prince of Wales hotel standing behind it. As a result of the 2017 fire that burnt most of this area, the views are mostly unobstructed. We came across many deer on this trail. They didn’t seem at all bothered by us passing through. The trail continues to gain elevation but never gets too steep. Eventually, you will hang a right turning away from Waterton Lake and start heading up the valley toward Bertha Falls. Heading up the valley toward Bertha Falls and then the lake. That is Bertha peak in the background. I’ll be heading up there after visiting the lake. Bertha Falls makes a great place to take a break and enjoy the views. The falls by themselves would be a good destination if you are looking for a shorter hike or limited for time. But I’ve got all the time in world, onward!Tourists.After the falls the switchbacks begin. It is a bit of a grind, but your average hiker will be just fine. You do catch the occasional glimpse of another waterfall on the way up to distract you. If you make it up the switchbacks, you are rewarded with a view of Bertha Lake. So, who was this Bertha character the lake was named after? The lake was named after Bertha Ekelund who lived in Waterton. She was described as a “wayward” woman. I’ll save you a Google search Wayward: difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior.You can walk down to the lake and there is a trail that circumvents the entire lake. The legend goes that after the lake was named after the infamous Bertha, that she passed off a significant amount of counterfeit currency in the town. But for some reason she still got to keep the lake and mountain named after her.The group I was with decided to walk around the lake and then return the same way. I left the group and headed on solo up Bertha peak. Which you can read about here: https://www.tripbagger.com/2022/09/15/shawn-bags-bertha-peak-loop-waterton-lakes-national-park/Note: This map includes an ascent of Bertha Peak and descent down Alderson Lake TrailNote: This elevation profile includes an ascent of Bertha Peak and descent down Alderson Lake Trail
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