Horseshoe Canyon

This is where seven of us spent the day yesterday, botanizing the slopes and floor of the spectacular Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, 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. The buildings and trees on the far distant rim give an idea of the size of this portion of the canyon. Horseshoe Canyon is about 145 km (88 miles) from Calgary. It takes between 1½ hours and 2 hours to drive there from Calgary.

"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/