Desert in Canada? The Great Sand Hills in Saskatchewan
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Earth is flat.
On my drive from Calgary to Saskatchewan, all I see is flat land. Combine harvesters are turning on the horizon. To the right and left of the road stand scattered abandoned houses and grain silos. A huge cloud of dust is trailing behind me. This really is the Wild West.
Click on the first image to start the photo gallery:
The air shimmers with heat and dust. I am on my way to the desert.
Key facts about the Great Sand Hills
♡ Factor: ♡♡♡ ♡♡
Difficulty: easy
Length: individually combinable
Highlight: Sand dunes in the middle of Canada, absolute solitude
My tip: Come early in the morning or in the evening, then the dunes shine especially golden.
Right through the Wild West of Saskatchewan
The Great Sand Hills are a dune area of approximately 1,900 km² in southwestern Saskatchewan. Willows and sagebrush grow among the sand dunes, prairie grasses, and scattered aspen trees. Mule deer, antelopes, and numerous birds also inhabit the area.
Even from the parking lot, you can see a large wooden sculpture with cowboy boots dangling against the sky. The boots are a reminder of rancher John Booth, who once said:
"Every day I get up and my boots touch the ground is a good day."
And thus comes across as likeable right away.
Ghost town somewhere in the middle of nowhere
Because someone warned me about snakes beforehand, I put on hiking boots as a precaution.
The small village, where you turn off the main road, seems completely deserted. All that's missing is a dry bush rolling across the road to make the scene look like something out of a Western film.
A few murals tell the story of this village's grand past. On one corner stands a dilapidated building housing a liquor store. Outside hangs a sign reading "Open," although everything appears deserted.
I'll push the door down anyway.
Open.
Inside, I ask the man behind the counter for directions to the dunes.
"Up ahead on the right. And then just keep going," he says. "If you think you're going the wrong way, you're right."
I believe him and drive off.
My tip: The best way to find it is to enter "Hanging Cowboy Boots" into Google Maps.
Click on the first image to start the photo gallery:
Alone in the Canadian desert
As soon as I climb the first dunes, I know that the long journey was worth it.
I am completely alone.
Just me and the desert.
Information about the Great Sand Hills in Saskatchewan
General information about Saskatchewan and the Great Sand Hills can be found on the Tourism Saskatchewan website .
Arrival
The easiest way to reach Saskatchewan is via Calgary. Flights with a layover from Frankfurt to Calgary are available, for example, with Condor or Air Canada . An electronic travel document (eTA) is required for entry into Canada .
From Calgary, you can continue your journey with a rental car. It's also possible to drop the car off at a different airport. I, for example, drove all the way to Toronto. While the rental fee is higher that way, you don't have to drive back.
The roads in Saskatchewan are a bit of an adventure. Many are just gravel roads.
The Great Sand Hills are located in southwestern Saskatchewan and are only accessible by car.
You should definitely plan your refueling stops carefully. In some places, you can only refuel with local membership cards. Credit cards aren't reliably accepted everywhere. I sometimes called the gas stations beforehand to be sure.
Safety instructions
The area is very remote. Therefore, you should definitely:
sufficient water
Offline maps
have with you.
I was also warned several times about snakes — so sturdy footwear definitely doesn't hurt.
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