July 5, 2019
Drumheller, Alberta
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Camping out at Horsethief Canyon. Dark clouds threaten being rained out.
Camping out at Horsethief Canyon. Dark clouds threaten being rained out.
We drove out early Friday morning to explore the town and try to get some hiking in before we watched the Passion Play. However, rain botched our plans as the badlands turned from compact earth to a slippery mushy mess. Within ten metres of where we had parked, I had slipped and fallen into the mud. And this repeated itself numerous times throughout the day. Tested out the new tent bought off Amazon and it was a good purchase, lightweight and easy to set up. There is a lot of building excitement for my upcoming backcountry trips. Only one other RV and van car camping at this site, so it was quite peaceful. And free!
One of our stops was the Star Mine Suspension bridge. Just beyond the end of the bridge lay a pretty cool canyon that we tried to enter into, but again, the mud stopped us. Consider this as a stop next time when you're in Drumheller. I certainly would if it were dry conditions or it were winter and I had my microspikes.
The most "hiking" I did was slightly into Horsethief Canyon the next morning in order to go to the bathroom. There was a nice trail descending to the canyon from the grassy area where we camped.
Other places visited: Little Church, Longbranch Saloon, Badlands Amphitheatre (for the Passion Play, which I highly recommend!) and Hoodoos Trail.
The morning view. It looks deceivingly dry.