Sundance Canyon

Elevation: 1560 m
Elevation Gain: 155 m
Sundance Creek is a tributary of the Bow River which flows from Sundance Pass and descends to the Bow Valley via a series of cascades and canyons. The Canyon, Creek, Pass and Mountain Range above them are officially named for the Sundance: a sacred cultural ceremony performed in honor of the sun by First Nations peoples. It is believed that this ceremony was performed by Indigenous Peoples in the region along Sundance Creek near the Pass.
My Ascents:
July 3 2021
Trailhead: Cave and Basin National Historic Site
GPS Track: Sundance Canyon

For the past couple of summers, family camping trips have allowed us to explore our Alberta “backyard,” giving rise to adventures of all types and cherished memories. The COVID-19 pandemic may have dashed our grander travel plans but, with the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn’t trade our near-weekly “staycation” trips for anything. Better still, exploring the magnificent Rockies has proven to be a perfect distraction from ongoing pandemic news and stress. One aspect of our adventures had, however, been limited by general concern and public health restrictions: camping with those outside our “bubble”, “cohort” (or whatever you want to call it).

Then, on July 1, the Alberta Government, essentially, declared “pandemic over.” Weary of their ideology-driven decision, decreasing case numbers and increasing vaccination rates, nevertheless, provided valid reasons for optimism. Sensing that a weekend with friends might finally be safe, we invited another young family to join us: our good friends Lise, Alex and their little ones Andrew and Victoria (pronounced: “TORIA!!!”). Our little ones have enjoyed all their camping trips to-date, but they’ve missed and craved interactions with other children, with friends. Come to think of it, we’ve missed our friends too!

After setting up camp at the Bow River Campground on the noisy shoulder of Highway 1, we enjoyed an evening of ales and adult conversation (!) while our kids entertained each other (!). As the sun set, we discussed reconvening in the morning for our first planned adventure: a family bike-and-hike to Sundance Canyon in nearby Banff National Park.

After wrangling children into car-seats and helmets (no small feat), we caravanned west towards the Sundance Canyon trailhead at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. Do these little cyclists look ready to “roll” or what?! 🚴 Photo courtesy Lise.

LEFT: As we hopped onto our bikes to tackle the Canyon’s 3.5-km paved approach, it quickly became apparent that my back tire wasn’t connected! After a bewildered inspection, the culprit was revealed: apparently, my tire’s quick-release nut had wiggled itself off somewhere on the highway (smh 🤦‍♂️). As the rest of our group kept the eager kids occupied, I hightailed it back into Banff hoping that a local outdoor store would be able to replace the bolt that literally “bolted.”
RIGHT: Queen Penny sits in her “Chariot” looking as unimpressed with the delay as Lise looked with the “Marsh Loop” (that everyone else hiked while I conducted impromptu bike repairs). Thankfully, the kind technician at the Banff Tune Shop found a spare bolt which he generously donated and we were back on track about an hour after our false-start.

Setting off, we soon passed the Cave and Basin Historic Site, enjoying open views towards Mount Norquay as we did.

Beyond the historic site, we cruised downhill and soon reached the scenic banks of the Bow River which we followed for a couple of pleasant kilometers.

Bow Valley peaks spectacularly reflect in the Bow’s calm waters. From left to right: Mount Cory, Mount Edith, Mount Norquay and Cascade Mountain. Click to see larger.

After the path turned away from the river, a 1.5-km forested climb ensued. The grade was not ultra-gentle but Brianne was still smiling at the end of it so it couldn’t have been that bad!

Upon reaching the canyon’s buggy confines, we locked up our (still intact!) bikes and continued on foot.

LEFT: The rushing Creek’s cool air and the shade provided by the Canyon’s overhanging west aspect proved most welcome on a muggy summer afternoon.
RIGHT: An early opportunity to contribute to erosion by tossing rocks.

LEFT: Continuing on, we soon reached a series of impressive cascades.
RIGHT: Ascending alongside the waterfalls thanks to an equally impressive stone staircase.

LEFT: Alex enjoys the view from a bridge which spanned the falls while attempting to keep up with the kids “Captains.”
RIGHT: Beautiful Banff views downstream of the bridge.

LEFT: Victoria, Mera and Lise inspect one of the large boulders freed by Sundance Creek’s undercutting action.
RIGHT: Little Miss Penny does her best to keep up on the steep stairs.

LEFT: The canyon’s, initially, steep terrain provided no shortage of scenic waterfalls!
RIGHT: Atop the last of the large falls, a second rock-tossing break was decreed.

LEFT and RIGHT: Kids enjoying an uncharacteristically kid-friendly hike! I must not have picked this one…

Above the falls, we continued upstream to see what else there was to see.

Miss Penny explores as Sundance Creek winds its way through the woods.

As the trail grew more and more forested, with less and less to see, we elected to turn around and retrace our steps through the scenic canyon instead of completing the loop. Of course, we couldn’t turn around before conning another hiker into taking a quick photo of our, now-legal, “outdoor gathering!” We even managed to snap a shot with 7/8ths of the group cooperating (darn it Mera - literal facepalm)! Photo courtesy Lise.

A tired Penny Bear makes her way back beneath an impressive geological feature with a hand from her Mom.

LEFT: Mount Cory makes another cameo appearance from the top of the falls.
RIGHT: Andrew, Alex, Lise and TORIA (!!!) span the canyon for a family photo.

The Hobbs’ take a turn doing likewise.

Our “Captains” fearlessly lead the way down the steep stone stairs.

LEFT: A mossy ending to the most dramatic sections of the canyon.
RIGHT: Monkeys climbing (as they do). 🙉

LEFT: With the canyon behind us, Brianne unlocked our bikes while Queen Penny prepared for an epic downhill cruise in her “Chariot.”
RIGHT: Our makeshift biker-gang winds their way back towards the trailhead while Cascade Mountain looms above.

After a faster-than-expected bike ride back from the canyon, we loaded our (still-intact!) bikes back up and caravanned back to the campground.

Celebrating an epic day of family mountain adventures in the most suitable of ways: “crotchcorn” around the campfire.

The sun sets on another Rocky Mountain day filled with family fun. Better still, thanks to the ebbing pandemic, we were finally able to share the day’s adventures with good friends. 😊