The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology

Home to the most extensive and spectacular displays of dinosaur skeletons in the World. This is an astounding place. The displays are made even more fascinating by the interpretive programs available. Stroll the Prehistoric garden, watch a video, listen to an audio guide, watch actual museum techs preparing newly discovered fossils or join in one of the explorer programs. See the Burgess Shale Exhibit, a 3 dimensional peek into the marine world of dinosaurs. You will be amazed at the gigantic fossil of a fish, which clearly shows the fossil of another fish that it had just swallowed! The museum is north of Drumheller in southern Alberta and a 3.5 hour drive south of Edmonton.

Serious dinosaur fans should visit the Field Station of the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Dinosaur Provincial Park Open May through October, is where you can walk in the footstep of the mightiest creatures that walked our planet. Imagine Albertosaurus (Like T-Rex), crashing through ancient forests in hot pursuit of its prey. The Red Deer River and rain and winds have laid bare a treasure trove of fossils in one of the most productive fossil beds. This is now a Unesco World Heritage Sight (1979) and is an open-book window into life 75 million years ago. This is Canada's most extensive badlands, where you can see the strange formations and perhaps some of the endangered life in this mini-habitat. Located Northeast of Brooks on the Red Deer River. 403-378-4344

The Dinosaur Trail

This is a 48 kilometer circular driving route. Start and end in the town of Drumheller. The trail includes the Tyrrell Museum, and amazing badlands scenery. Stop at the Horshoe Canyon Lookout and see a mini "Grand Canyon". Keep on the lookout for the Bleriot Ferry, the "Biggest Little Church on Earth" and Midland Provincial Park.

Drumheller at a Glance

Located 130 km (81 mi) northeast of Calgary in Alberta's Badlands, the Drumheller Valley is best known for its diverse and unique topography. Made up of mostly barren terrain that includes grasslands, hoodoos, canyons and coulees, the area provides a vast landscape that is worthy of discovery, perhaps from the gaping jaw of the world's largest dinosaur statue in downtown Drumheller, which visitors are encouraged to climb into. Drumheller is best known as the home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, a world-class facility dedicated to the study of Drumheller's early residents, the dinosaurs. Visitors to the museum can explore hundreds of preserved fossils and take part in interactive displays and exhibits. Golfers can enjoy a challenging day on the links with the rugged terrain and wind conditions acting as natural hazards. Other outdoor activities include hiking, skiing and taking a ride on the historic Bleriot Ferry, which crosses the powerful Red Deer River.

If Calgary is your gateway, head north toward the Canadian Badlands Trail on Highway 2 to Crossfield and then veer east on Highway 72 (which becomes Highway 9). Be sure to stop at Horseshoe Canyon, Canada’s mini-Grand Canyon — a picturesque pocket of badlands amidst the prairies. Continue along Highway 9 to Drumheller where the Dinosaur Trail begins. But before you venture out on this scenic loop through Alberta’s lunar-like badlands, spend some time in the town of Drumheller where murals of dinosaurs decorate scores of historic buildings. At one end of Main Street, right on the banks of the Red Deer River, is the world’s largest fibreglass Tyrannosaurus.rex, where 106 stairs lead you straight into the beast’s actual mouth.

Heading out on North Dinosaur Trail, just six kilometres west of Drumheller, is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, arguably the finest dinosaur museum in the world. The Tyrrell is devoted to dinosaurs and was named after Joseph Tyrrell, who in 1884 discovered an Albertosaurus, the first of hundreds of complete dinosaur skeletons, since removed from Alberta’s badlands. Today the museum has more than 120,000 specimens and 35 dinosaur skeletons, more than any other museum in the world. All are strikingly and imaginatively presented with the crowd-pleasers being the original Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.rex, as well as more unusual creatures such as the Xiphactinus. The museum alone is worth several hours, but you can spend a full day here by tacking on a short hike or guided tour to some nearby bone-beds. Throughout the summer the museum offers Dino Camps and plus guided hikes.