The high mountains that bisect the park from north to south capture rainfall on the western slopes. This warm, moist, Pacific-like environment produces dense forests of larch, spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine. In the Lake Mc Donald valley, forests of western red cedar and hemlock are common. The alpine areas provide the setting for some of the best wildflower displays in North America. It is a short lived spectacle made glorious bye heather gentian, beargrass, and glacier lily.
Wildlife is equally spectacular.
Waterton Lakes National Park maintains an exhibit herd of bison in a paddock. Locally prevalent birds include osprey, ptarmigan, golden eagle, Clark's nutcracker, and Harlequin duck. The endangered bald eagle also nests and fishes here. Park Rangers conduct naturalist activities at St. Mary, Apgar, Logan Pass, Many Glacier, Goat Haunt, and Two Medicine. A complete schedule of programs is listed in the publication Nature with a Naturalist .