Horseshoe Canyon is located 17 km SW of Drumheller. The Canyon is a horseshoe shape, that gives you an unbelievable view of the badlands.
What is extremely cool about the Horseshoe Canyon, compared to other canyons I have visited in Ontario, or other parts of the world, is that you can actually pick a trail and crawl down into this one.
Since I have been training for a marathon in Hawaii in September, I was looking for a change of scenery and some hills to climb on Sunday morning, so I took a quick one hour drive out to the Badlands, and chose Horseshoe Canyon as my destination.
What an absolute blast!
This is not a strenuous hike by any stretch, but you definately want to make sure that you have hiking boots with you, because the the gravol can be a little unstable, and the trails are a little thicker than my hiking boot.
I hiked around for about an hour, and it does truly feel like you are on the desert, so bring lots of sunscreen and water.
There are so many little trails that you can cruise around on, and I also discovered a little area on the floor of the canyon where some people behind me created a number of Inukshuks. I didnt have a camera with me in the canyon, but I found a public photo on Flicker, that I hope isn't an issue for me to link to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10025427@N08/3046323391/
Also, from May until September, there is a little fossil shop near the top of the canyon. This is a local Alberta business that has operated there for 30 years. They sell all kinds of gemstomes, petrified wood, dinausaur fossils and other tidbits. For those that are into crystals, they also have pendulums and some jewellery as well! The owner is well informed about her product, and was an absolute pleasure to talk to.
Horseshoe Canyon is an excellent place to take a quick stop to admire the beauty of the canyon. However, if you do like to hike and explore, don't forget your boots and your sunscreen, and take a little jaunt around the floor of the canyon. read more