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When I was a kid, I loved all things Earth science – rocks and minerals (ask me about my rock collection), space (I wanted to go to space camp!), dinosaurs (SO cool) – you name it and I definitely went through a phase of loving it. While I’ve had the fortune to explore Cape Canaveral in Florida and checked out the cool rocks and minerals of Yellowstone National Park as a kid, my parents never took me to see dinosaurs in Drumheller despite it being only a province away.
This T-Rex is known as “Black Beauty” due to the colour of its bones which were darkened by the presence of manganese in the water during fossilization.
Drumheller is located in the middle of the Canadian Badlands. During the drive from Calgary to Drumheller, I had expected to see a lot of flat prairies. My assumptions were not wrong, but when I got closer to Drumheller, the landscape started changing. Driving into Drumheller and into the Badlands is such a surreal experience filled with formations that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world. Don’t want to do the drive yourself? There are great day trip tour options available as well.
Hey! The scenery is changing!
Named the Dinosaur Capital of the World by its tourism board, Drumheller, Alberta has fully embraced all things from the Mesozoic Era. Today Alberta has becoming a hotbed for paleontology (you can even take a free Dinosaur 101 class from the University of Alberta!). Further south, there is also Dinosaur Provincial Park which shouldn’t be confused with Drumheller.
Clearly I just don’t measure up.
Here is how to make the most of your dinosaur experience in Drumheller, but first, a little history lesson.
Why are there dinosaurs in Drumheller?
Millions of years ago, the area that is Alberta today was a warmer and wetter climate which allowed dinosaurs to thrive. North America was actually split in two with the Western Interior Seaway running north-south through what is now the Northwest Territories and Alberta, connecting to the Gulf of Mexico through Texas. Runoff from what would become the Rocky Mountains covered the remains of animals and plants, pushing them into the lakes and rivers of the valleys below allowing them to be well preserved.
Royal Tyrrell Museum
The highlight of any visit to Drumheller is a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to paleontology. Within its walls are over 160,000 fossils with specimens from the Alberta badlands, nearby Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Devil’s Coulee Dinosaur Egg site.
With 13 galleries throughout the museum, you can see full displays of fossils and bones through the ages. My favourite room is the Dinosaur Hall which is full of full sized reconstructed dinosaurs. From Triceratops to Stegosaurus to the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, there are so many cool bones to look at.
Another one of my favourite galleries is their “Grounds for Discovery” which detail the background story of how some of the museum’s most significant fossils came to be discovered in Alberta through industrial. Imagine going to work one day and then accidentally unearthing a giant bone and possibly discovering a new species of dinosaur!
Remains of the best preserved armoured dinosaur in the world and the oldest known dinosaur ever found in Alberta. This one was found at the Suncor Energy Millennium Mine north of Fort McMurray.
Throughout the museum you can also find areas where you can watch museum technicians preparing fossils for research and display. It was a weekend when I was visiting so I missed out on watching them work, but seeing all the machinery and tools they used was still fascinating.
During the summer months they offer programs to the public which allow you to experience what it would be like to dig for dinosaur bones. I was visiting during the off season and missed out on this but it sounds like it would be a cool experience to learn the tools and techniques of paleontology in the field.
I had no problems walking in and getting a ticket, but in the summer months, you may want to purchase your ticket ahead of time online to avoid lines.
World’s Largest Dinosaur
This one is hard to miss given its height and proximity to the visitor center. This Tyrannosaurus Rex, made of fiberglass and steel, looms 25 metres above your head and 46 meters long. But don’t fret, it is 4.5 larger than the a real T-Rex.
For a small fee, you can climb to the top of the dinosaur and look out of its mouth for a good view of Drumheller and surrounding land.
Drive the Dinosaur Trail
Views from Horsethief Canyon
The Dinosaur Trail is a scenic 48 km loop through the Alberta badlands that runs along the Red Deer River. The drive takes you around where the dinosaurs in Drumheller would have roamed all those years ago. You pass through Midland Provincial Park where you can go hiking, past Horsethief Canyon before you cross the Red Deer River using the Bleriot Ferry. Once on the south side of the river, head up to the Orkney Viewpoint which offers great views of the valley before heading back to Drumheller.
Do you love dinosaurs? Have you been to Drumheller or elsewhere that is full of fossils? Tell me about it!
What a fabulous date! haha Never been to Alberta but will keep this place in mind if we ever get to go. Love that pic of you standing against the bones…it really shows how truly ginormous dinosaurs were! Would love to watch the techs prepare the fossils too. So cool!
Drumheller looks amazing! I can imagine any kid (and most adults) being totally in awe of Black Beauty – and that photo of you with the megabone does put everything in context. What a great place
We have been to Alberta several times but have always missed the dinosaurs in Drumheller. I think that taking a Dinosaur 101 class would be a fun way to learn more. I actually did not know why this part of Alberta had so many dinosaur remains. The museum looks like a great way to walk in another time. But I am sure glad the T-Rex no longer rooms the earth! Definitely something to see on my next trip to Alberta!
I was in Drumheller sooo long ago and grew up in Alberta, so nice to see this post. It is so worth a visit, pretty spectacular when you think of it – dinosaurs – here? I forgot about that giant outdoor Dinosaur – I didn’t realize you could climb up it and look out!
Wow, Drumheller is the capital of dinosaurs? What a fascinating read. I’ve never been to Alberta and the rich history of dinosaurs took me by surprise. I love the touch of the free Dinosaur 101 class. Great pictures especially of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
I just LOL’ed at ‘Black Beauty’ the T-Rex – it kinda makes it sound sweet and innocent! I’ve just been in Alberta, so I wish I would’ve known about the dinosaurs in Drumheller beforehand, as the Dinosaur Trail would’ve been a great addition!
This sounds very cool – for kids and adults alike! I went to the Natural History Museum in London a couple of months ago and the dinosaur section was my favourite – Jurassic Park has really helped make palaeontology popular again! That well preserved armoured dinosaur is amazing!
Loved reading about Drumheller and the Royal Tyrell Museum! It brings back such happy travel memories. We took our kids there in 2004, and it was one of our best road trips ever. That Museum has something for everyone – kids and adults. We loved it so much that we went through it twice in one day.
I’ve always loved science and all this stuff too! What a cool place to explore—I’ve never really heard much about Drumheller, but would love to check it out sometime now. Dinosaur Hall looks super interesting. It’s always so amazing to see the bones put back together, and I’d love to see the technicians at work too! The Dinosaur Trail would be fun to drive as well. Looks so pretty!
I’ve always loved science and all this stuff too! What a cool place to explore—I’ve never really heard much about Drumheller, but would love to check it out sometime now. Dinosaur Hall looks super interesting. It’s always so amazing to see the bones put back together, and I’d love to see the technicians at work too! The Dinosaur Trail would be fun to drive as well. Looks so pretty!
That is one great museum! I love your photo in Royal Tyrrell Museum with the dino close-up 🙂 Looks really alive!