Horseshoe Canyon, Drumheller September 28, 2026

After an hour and ten minute drive east, I arrived at "a land like no other" where I could be far from the thousands who went west looking for golden Larch Trees. I found another kind of "golden" where I could climb hoodoo formations deep down in a canyon and wander where ever the trails lead me while sharing them with no one.  Just shy of three hours of being one with The Badlands at Horseshoe Canyon in Drumheller is the story I have to share with you this time around.   

The gate was still open yet no one was manning the booth so today was a free day. I was the first to arrive shortly after sunrise. The golden glow of early morning in this area is a photographer's dream. Everything you need to know before heading down into the canyon can be found here.  

It's a unique little piece of paradise down there!

The route down is a steep one. Autumn shades line the top section of the descent trail.

You need to take heed of this warning sign, especially if you have never been in the Canyon before and do not have a sense of direction or a track on a device to follow.  I have been down here many times, yet still wander off to areas where it takes a bit to find my way back.  I pay attention to land marks and also the location of the sun.

A fleece, gloves and a toque were necessary starting out.  

the moon as it begins to set behind the schrubs

The forecast for today was posted as being full on sunshine 

so I was happy to see those fluffy puffy white clouds that I love so much.  

It's a playground down in the Canyon! There are many formations to climb and ridges to walk. 

With no recent rain and with hot temperatures, the ground and brush are dry.

How unique and unusual is this! 

It's my preference to be down in Horseshoe Canyon at this time of day and let the child within come out to play.  It was already beginning to feel very warm so I needed to delayer and start drinking water.  

Do you see what I see?

another kind of "golden"

Looking up at this fern sprouting out of a crack,

I wonder how can that even grow there!

There are no forests here, just a small section with a few trees.

more ridges to walk

I found my way back to the trail I descended along, close to three hours earlier. By now it was actually hot so I delayered even more, drank more water then began the climb back up. You can see a viewing platform top left, that's the lower view point so I needed to climb higher than that.  

While ascending back to the parking lot, I met many others beginning their descent. I enjoyed the best time of day down here, temperature was cool to start, pretty colours, no crowds! 

The white line is my track showing where I hiked.

the bursting four C's

As autumn settles in, the temperature cools down, the hours of daylight decrease, migration is almost over, an extra layer is added for warmth and rain can turn to snow.  It feels like it should be time to wind down, yet for me, I get a burst of energy! I want to get out there and catch every sunrise bursting through the trees or the clouds. I want to see, to feel, to touch, to smell, to taste everything autumn has to offer .

a burst of

cuteness

While "out & about" this week, it seemed like there was quite a bit of cuteness that caught my eye.  I did not realize that until I downloaded my photos then got a larger look. There was something about each of these four photos that melted my heart and left me with a smile. Autumn brings a change in wildlife activity plus their colours can change just like the leaves.  

This young Northern Flicker was watching the adults.

Such a sweet little ball of fluff!

Mom and her Fawn saw something!

Soon the Fawn's spots will be gone!

This is a Mountain Cottontail.

It's coat does not change colour in the winter.

This White-crowned Sparrow will soon be on its way to a warmer climate. 

It stopped feasting for a few seconds. 

a burst of 

colour

You do not have to go far to see the burst of beautiful autumn shades. They are along every street, around every corner, lining every path in every park. This will not last long, it can be gone in a flash. I have been "out & about" in all my favourite locations to witness the burst of colour which is even brighter when the sun shines.  

a burst of

creativity

These are small water-colour paintings that measure three inches by five inches. For references, I used photos I captured while hiking Pocaterra Cirque on Tuesday. The hike was all about seeing the Larch Trees. They show off their beautiful burst of autumn colours at this time of year for maybe two weeks.  The colours will turn and the needles will fall from the trees. While creating these paintings, I was taken back to the trails. 

a burst of 

cooking

Thank You to those of you who shared your photos of soup and your recipes! Your content influenced me to make Butternut Squash Soup for the first time ever! I opted to try a crockpot version. The process was easy and very little of my time was needed. Making the soup was another way for me to embrace everything Autumn! This delicious taste of Autumn packed a punch! I can guarantee you, I will be going for many more punches!   

Pocaterra Cirque September 22, 2026

"Was I asking for too much?" was the question I posed to myself! I wanted to frame a day filled with blue in the sky, some unique clouds, mountain views, warm weather and most of all lots of Larch Trees that were in the prime of their end of summer lifecycle. Summer would last until 6:00pm today then bring on amazing autumn!  This framed photo tells it all before I even get to tell you my story, I received everything I wished for!

The Pocaterra Cirque Trail only opened on Friday after being closed all summer for a total make over, revamp, re-route.  The trailhead is located at Highwood Pass in Kananaskis and is the highest paved pass road in Canada.  It sits at 2206 meters (7238 feet) above sea level. I arrived early, four other vehicles were ahead of me, yet only the hikers in one vehicle had already hit the trail. That was another wish, to hike a trail that was not busy.

The new trail was a joy to follow, the only thing was I noticed how much descending I did very early on, that meant ascending at the end of the hike, not my favourite thing. As I exited the forest, this was the view.  From this point forward, it was a very slow go, the views took my breath away!  

My attire was chosen to celebrate the seasonal shades! 

view to the north

The trail followed to the right of the tarn and you can see it wind around the back side of the tarn and ascend at the left of the trees.  That's Mount Tyrwhitt on the left and Pocaterra Ridge on the right.   

By now the Larch Trees lined the trail and they were in all their glory.  

The needles are surprisingly so soft! 

I tell you that with full knowledge! 

Oh my!  WOW!  Holy! Aaahhh!  

These were positive expletives I used lovingly on a regular basis.

The trail passes through a very large boulder field.  These blue squares mark the way.

This was my lunch spot amongst the boulders.  

 

From my lunch spot I could see up to the window on Mount Tyrwhitt.  

The window is that very tiny white spot underneath the star. 

a zoomed in shot of the window

This photograph was taken on September 29, 2012.  You can see four hikers up there.  I took the photo coming from the other direction and just flipped it to show it in comparison to the view I had today.  

With lunch complete, it was time to carry on along the new route.  Once I completed hiking the cirque, the trail joined up with where I veered off some time ago.  It was now that I started to meet many other hikers just working their way up.  I was thankfully to have started early. I took one last look back.

The trail leads back to the tarn which you can see in the middle of the photo.

a Chipmunk

I arrived back at the parking lot and began to delayer. While doing so, I already began thinking about everything I saw then came to the realization I was gifted it all and then some! I certainly did not ask for too much! I got to frame this day exactly the way I wanted to! 

As I began the drive north leaving Highwood Pass behind, I met a Rocky Mountain Sheep strolling south to the Pass area. I admired it for a few seconds then carried on with a wide smile on my face, sipping my water, snacking on carrots, apple slices and fig cookies, enjoying the scenery with no traffic heading in my direction.