Dinosaurs are a source of fascination for all ages, and so the promise of visiting Drumheller, the ‘dinosaur capital’ of Canada, was a must for our Alberta Badlands and Canadian Prairies road trip itinerary. Start your preparation work with a rewatch of Jurassic Park, and then be prepared to embrace all things Jurassic, and enter a world gone by.
(Cover photo credit: Instagram @evacndphotos)
Table of Contents
Where is Drumheller, Alberta?
Drumheller is about 100 km northeast of Calgary, positioned on the Red Deer River in the Badlands area of east Alberta. The Alberta Badlands, and badlands elsewhere, are apparently so called because when the European settlers came, they found the bumpy terrain too difficult (or ‘bad’) to cross.
Getting to Drumheller from Saskatoon
At 5 hours, it was our longest drive of our road trip to get from Saskatoon to Drumheller. It was also the drive with the least to see, partly because for the first couple of hours the air was cloudy with smoke from distant forest fires, which felt eerie.
So, we settled in for some more grain silos and straight roads, and amused ourselves as best we could – let’s just say that it made stopping at a random supermarket en route, to stock up on snacks, coffee and fuel, very exciting!
Why are the Alberta Badlands special?
The Alberta Badlands are known to be the dinosaur capital of Canada due to the wealth of dinosaur fossils discovered here over the years. Indeed, Alberta, Canada, has the largest deposits of dinosaur fossils on earth and Drumheller is at the centre of this area.
However, the terrain of the Badlands looked very different 75 million years ago when it was a semi-topical area with ideal conditions for life to flourish, particularly dinosaurs. In addition, the conditions were perfect for preserving the dinosaurs after death as their bodies were buried under sediment and preserved – covered in ice during the ice age, when the climate warmed and the ice melted then the dinosaur fossils began to be revealed.
What to see in Drumheller, Alberta
Like it or not, it’s all about the dinosaurs in Drumheller – even the roads in downtown Drumheller are named after dinosaurs!
Climb Tyra, the World’s Largest Dinosaur
Outside the Visitor Centre in downtown Drumheller you will spot Tyra, the World’s Largest Dinosaur standing proud at around 26 meters high. You can buy a ticket inside the Drumheller Visitor Centre to climb the 105 stairs inside Tyra before emerging through her mouth to view Drumheller below you.
The cost was steep at 5 CAD per person, but it had to be done and you were rewarded with a great view through her teeth.
Follow the Dinosaur Trail in downtown Drumheller
There are painted dinosaurs all over the town of Drumheller, most dotted around the downtown area. You can pick up a map from the Visitor Centre which identifies their locations on the Dinosaur Trail but to be honest, you don’t have to look very far as they are everywhere, on top of buildings and popping out of windows.
We had a pre-dinner stroll to see how many we could find on the Dinosaur Trail and spotted the Greetings from Drumheller mural en route.
Don’t miss the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology
The Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology is seriously impressive in terms of the scope of its exhibits, and how it has displayed its world-renowned collection of dinosaur fossils. The collection blew us away, and apparently only 1% of the museums three million specimens are actually on display, so there is so much more hidden away. The museum was a real highlight of our trip.
There are educational displays, hands on exhibits and incredible Dinosaur Hall. You can even see the palaeontologists at work in the museum and ask them questions. Amongst many other exhibits, we viewed an almost complete Triceratops skull, dinosaur footprint, beautiful ammonites, stegosaurus, woolly mammoth, T. rex. The list goes on….
Outside the museum you can take a trail into the Badlands around the museum buildings with a guide. There is so much on offer at the museum, and lots of activities for younger kids so best to check the Museum’s website to see what’s on when you are visiting.
Hike through Horseshoe Canyon
About 15 minutes’ drive southwest of Drumheller is the trail head for the strikingly beautiful Horseshoe Canyon, formed 13,000 years ago by glacial melts. You can descend into Horseshoe Canyon from the car park to enjoy a 2-mile trail around the Canyon. The official route down is via a wooden staircase to the right-hand side of the car park. It was only a couple of dollars for parking.
Descending to the floor of Horseshoe Canyon feels like descending into another world, in fact the world where the dinosaurs lived. Whilst it no longer looks like the subtropical wonderland it would have done 65 million years ago, it is absolutely stunning – a bowl of stripey multi-hued hills in an otherwise flat valley bottom. We were just in awe of the landscape as it felt so different from anywhere, we’d been before.
Tip – Exploring Horseshoe Canyon before visiting the Royal Tyrell Museum is recommended because then, when you view dinosaur bones which have been found in Horseshoe Canyon, you can picture exactly where the dinosaurs lived (albeit in a different landscape).
Check out the Tiny Little Church
Not a destination stop, but if you are heading to the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology, then the Tiny Little Church is just a couple of minutes further along the road. Originally built in 1968, it was rebuilt in 1991 by some local prisoners, and surprisingly does hold services from time to time. The locals say that is seats 10,000 people, just six at a time!
Visit the Drumheller Hoodoos
The Drumheller Hoodoos are a 15-minute drive east of Drumheller on Highway 56. There is a large car park for the Drumheller Hoodoos by the side of the road and the hoodoos themselves are right next to the car park. For some reason we had expected them to have to walk along a trail to find them but not so.
The Drumheller Hoodoos are tall (some up to 7 meters tall), thin rock spires made of sandstone, formed over millions of years from wind and water erosion. They have the nickname of fairy chimneys. Blackfoot and Cree traditions hold that the rocks are petrified giants who come alive at night to protect the land around them by hurling stones at intruders! With this in mind there are signposts asking you to be careful where you walk and not to stand on the hoodoos.
Despite the requests not to walk on the hoodoos, they were swarming with people when we arrived in mid-afternoon; in fact, it was probably the busiest place we’d visited all holiday! Despite this, they were great to see, and I would recommend including the hoodoos on your visit to Drumheller.
Stop at Wayne and the Star Mine Suspension Bridge
On the same outing to see the Drumheller Hoodoos, you can include a couple of extra stops as you are passing, such as Wayne and the Star Mine Suspension Bridge.
Enjoy a beer at the Last Chance Saloon, Wayne
First take a 6km detour off Highway 56 on the road to the small hamlet of Wayne. This road has 11 single lane bridges along the road criss-crossing the Rosebud River.
There was a coal boom in Drumheller in the early 20th century which attracted 1000s of workers. Wayne provided facilities to many of these coal workers, but violence often bubbled over and legend has it that the bartender of the Last Chance Saloon fired warning shots at a customer who refused to pay for their drinks – the bullet holes are now framed on the wall.
Sadly, the Last Chance Saloon was closed on the day we visited, so we couldn’t pop in for a drink, but bought a Saskatoon Berry flavoured ice cream from the shop next door instead.
Cross the Star Mine Suspension Bridge
You can also stop briefly at the Star Mine Suspension Bridge which was built in 1931 to help transport coal from mines across the Red Deer River. The bridge is wobbly at the best of times but apparently can hold up to 20 people.
Our kids were slightly underwhelmed by this but as we have an engineer in the family then at least one of us found it interesting!
Where to stay in Drumheller, Alberta
Drumheller is a fairly small town and accommodation options are limited. We booked rooms at the Canalta Jurassic Hotel via Booking.com.
It was structured like a motel where you can park your car outside the door of your ground floor room (but not with the car boot facing the room to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning!) – functional and with the weird adaptation that the wash basin was outside the bathroom and inside the bedroom…
Where to eat in Drumheller, Alberta
We ate at Vintage Kitchen and Bar in downtown Drumheller. This was a very popular restaurant and so we needed to queue for a table (you couldn’t reserve) for about 15 minutes. It had a good atmosphere, decent family food and sports screens showing the Saskatoon Roughriders game.
Reflections on our visit to Drumheller, Alberta
We had fun in Drumheller. You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the majesty of the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology or to find it fascinating to visit one of the Canyons where they lived.
Note – If we had been able to fit it into the itinerary, we would have included a stop at the Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site 170km south east of Drumheller and source of some of the greatest specimens of the museum. Next time!
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