Horseshoe Canyon

This is where we spent the day botanizing on Saturday, 21st August - Horshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, in the Badlands of Alberta. To the north east of our city, there are endless miles of flat prairie. Then, suddenly, one comes across the amazing Badlands - our own mini Grand Canyon! This is one of the best-known sites in the Canadian Badlands, located 17 kilometres west of Drumheller on Highway 9. Horseshoe Canyon is about 145 km (88 miles) from Calgary. It takes between 1½ hours and 2 hours to drive there from Calgary. This shot was taken just before I reached the top rim after a day of plant search. Unfortunately, the invasive Creeping/Canada Thistle was growing here in abundance.

"Horseshoe Canyon is an isolated pocket of badlands amidst the Alberta prairie. Apart from its aesthetic value, Horseshoe Canyon also represents three unique habitats or ecosystems: the prairie, the wooded coulee slopes and the badlands."

www.natureconservancy.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=ab_ncc_...

www.tyrrellmuseum.com/