Where are we?

Descending into Drumheller

So where even is Drumheller and the Valley? Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located 110 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

Drumheller is the intriguing hub for all things DINOSAURS! A part of the Canadian Badlands, it is deep in history that dates back millions of years. This small city is home to the world-famous Royal Tyrrell Museum, part of the Hoodoo Trail and the Dinosaur Trail. 

The Drumheller Badlands area is not always the first choice for visitors to Alberta (in the opposite direction of the famed Rocky Mountains) but it’s Museum and dramatic landscapes are a huge WIN! 

It’s truly an incredible sight as you approach Drumheller…you start to descend into the Valley and if you can imagine what it would be like to be driving on a beautiful, grassy open plains of the prairie lands to be face to face with a descend seemingly out of nowhere into the Grand Canyon. You drive down into the valley and are surrounded by intense landscapes. It’s truly a sight to see. 

Fascinating Geological Marvels

A Sand Mushroom?

Drumheller hoodoos draw visitors from all over North America. If you’re planning a Canadian road trip you need to try walking the Hoodoos trail to feast your eyes on these fascinating geological marvels.

A hoodoo is a tall, thin sandstone spire that is soft and sandy along the sides but hard and solid on top. Often this rocky top will look like a cap or hat, protecting the eroded pillar below. They are often referred to as Fairy Chimneys or Sand Mushrooms.

Most hoodoos date back roughly 70 to 75 million years ago. So, it’s far to say they are pretty stinking old. But they still look fairly good for their age.

The Hoodoos are are really at the tail end of their life span. Some people estimate that they erode about 1 centimetre per year, or a full metre every 100 years…which means they won’t be here forever.

Other world famous Hoodoos you may know are located in Cappadocia, Turkey.

The Best Part of Drumheller

The Royal Tyrrell Museum

My whole life I have been in love with the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. It has always been at the top of my most favourites of all the places I have travelled. From the moment I stepped foot in this museum, the 1st place award in my books now goes to The Royal Tyrrell Museum.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is Canada’s only Museum dedicated exclusively to the science of paleontology it houses one of the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs.

As you explore this museum you can truly walk among giants and meet the world’s best preserved armoured dinosaur. They recommend giving yourself 2 hours to take the 3.9 billion year long journey through time, but I was in there a lot longer. PLUS after your adventure completes inside the museum, you can continue on outside and enjoy a scenic hike through the badlands along a special interpretive trail through Midland Provincial Park.

FUN FACT:
On August 12, 1884, Joseph Burr Tyrrell (TEER-uhl), a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada, found the 70-million-year-old skull of a carnivorous dinosaur near present-day Drumheller. Tyrrell’s find was named Albertosaurus sarcophagus (“flesh-eating lizard from Alberta”) in 1905 by American Museum of Natural History palaeontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn.

It Was Worth It