Sundance Trail and Canyon
Kaylee
Sundance Trail is probably the best maintained trail we hiked for our project and for myself the best maintained hike I’ve ever done. The trail is completely paved and provides an easy, somewhat long path all the way up to Sundance Canyon, and is suitable for walking, biking, roller blading, skateboarding, etc., and even provides bike racks, picnic tables, and washrooms once you reach the canyon. The trail for Sundance Canyon on the other hand is pretty rough in some areas, with rocky paths and steep inclines, and can be treacherous when there is ice and snow still covering the ground. Not only was finding the path into the canyon slightly difficult after reaching the bridge at the top of the waterfalls, but the snow and ice covered the canyon paths during the spring and forced our group of four that day to exercise extreme caution when working our way up through the canyon. There was a point when walking along the trail that I stepped onto a large patch of ice and carefully started shuffling across it, it wasn’t until about halfway across that I lost any kind of traction and started sliding down the curve of the ice that covered the steep bank of the river. Luckily I ended up sliding towards a small patch of grass before the water and was able to gain some traction while grabbing a nearby pine tree in order to stop myself from falling any further. In the summer we had no problems with the trails and it is much easier to make out the trail.
Kim
The first time we did this hike, it was the four of us adventure seekers and a few strays that decided to tag along for the day (don't worry, they were our friends and we enjoyed their company) . When we did this, there was still quite a lot of snow on the trail, and it was still pretty chilly outside. When the trail isn't covered in snow, it's mostly paved so it makes the walk easier with less obstacles in the way. For the preliminary hike, there was so much snow and ice on the path that we had to be careful not to fall and it made walking more tiring for us, and that’s probably why it took us longer than we thought. The views along the path were still great, where you got to walk along the river for a while, and the path was wider so we could all walk together. This also made it easier to casually stroll and talk together which is something I really enjoyed. When we got to the canyon there was so much ice covering the bridge and the whole area that we decided not to do the rest of the hike for safety reasons. When we did the hike at the end of the summer, it was getting chilly and because Alberta weather is insane, there was already snow up in the canyon part of the trail which made for some challenges along the way. There were times where we'd have snow falling on our heads from the trees, or it would hit something close by and startle us which always made for a good laugh. One distinctive thing about the canyon, was that it smelled like cotton candy, and I swear I wasn't the only one who thought this. I really enjoyed this hike, and I wouldn't say it's a difficult hike, it's just longer if you're up for a good adventure. There's also some side trails around that you can venture off on as well, just before the canyon.
Sunali
I’ve hiked Sundance three times for prelim hike, spring and summer. This hike is different because the trail to Sundance Canyon is a paved road and super simple to hike (unless it’s been snowing!). During our prelim hike, the trail was covered in snow and ice which added more elevation and made the hike more strenuous than it should have been. About half way through I thought I was going to die… my hip flexor was sore and it hurt so bad that I took a break on a damp log that made my butt wet. I complained lots and I was sure Kim and Kaylee were going to leave me for the bears. This was our first time doing this trail so there was an instance where we thought the backtrail for Sulphur mountain was the entrance to the Canyon; I was so relieved that this wasn’t the case because I was sure I wouldn’t have made it out alive. Sundance in the spring and summer wasn’t nearly as difficult; the trail is paved all the way to the entrance to the Canyon and the Canyon trail doesn’t take that long to navigate. In the spring, it was still snowy and icy so taking caution was important, especially in the canyon when Kaylee almost slid off the edge – it’s okay though! Keegan was there to do absolutely nothing except point and laugh. (She’s okay).
Sophie
Sundance trail and canyon was the last of the trails for the project. During this hike, I learned that I cannot tell the difference between the sound of a helicopter, bird, or a frog. There was a moment when Kim asked, “what was that noise?” to which I answer a frog at the same time Sunali answered a bird. Winter had just begun and it was rather cold and windy, not fabulous weather to say the least. However, it was rather nice to have a paved trail for once. The walk through the trail portion is fairly easy-going. There is some wildlife on the sides, primarily birds, but nothing too crazy. There’s this cute little picnic area with a number of picnic tables. Now while the trail is a walk in the park, the canyon is a whole ‘nother story. It wasn’t even terribly covered in snow but continued to be ridiculously slippery. Everything is just a little bit moist and that combination with wooden bridges is absolutely terrible. There is one way up and it’s a single file trail. Not for children, the elderly, or the faint of heart. Not only is it precarious but it looks like the kind of place that a bear might come running out of the nearby woods and eat you. The only issue is that there are squirrels there too. Squirrels sometimes sound like bears. And when they drop snow on your head from a branch all you can do is scream.Of course when wandering through the quiet and precarious canyon the only thought that came to mind was, "Wow! If there are bears around us it would probably eat us since we have nowhere to go!". It was a dumb thought. So that in mind, we were stumbling down the switchbacks when there was a rustling followed by snow that fell onto my head. The movement and sound were enough to scare the bejesus out of me. Turns out it was just a mischievous squirrel with an evil plan to scare all the hikers on the trail.