Road Tripping the Canadian Badlands – The Perfect 5 Day Itinerary – Drumheller & Dinosaur Provincial Park

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The Canadian Badlands are a historical marvel of many eras, from the dawn of the dinosaurs to the Blackfoot Confederacy, to the coal mining boom. The landscape of the Canadian Badlands is home to some of the most unique geological formations on Earth, from deep fossil-filled canyons to magical mushroom-capped hoodoos. 

So many people only visit Alberta to visit the Canadian Rockies, namely the extremely busy Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, but there is so much more to this beautiful western province. If you’re looking for something quieter and to satisfy your inner history buff, the Canadian Badlands are for you! 

Our 5 day itinerary took us from Calgary to Drumheller to Dinosaur Provincial Park and it was the perfect first taste of southern Alberta. This trip is heavy on the dinosaurs, but it also offers so much more!

Table of Contents

Planning Your Road Trip Route

Itinerary Route and Map

This was my first time in Alberta, and originally we were planning a trip to Banff. That’s what everyone does on their first trip to Alberta, right? But when Justin’s work put a wrench in our plans at the last-minute, we had to pivot and change the dates of our trip and by that point the prices in Banff and Jasper were astronomical. We landed on visiting the Dinosaur Capital of the World, Drumheller, and squeezed in Dinosaur Provincial Park too!

Luckily, the Canadian Badlands is a much less intensive trip to plan. Our vacation was from late May to early June, and we flew from Toronto to Calgary. July and August are the peak time to visit the Badlands though much busier. As long as your visit is some time between mid-May to mid-October you’ll be all right for all the tourist attractions being open.

Once we arrived in Calgary we picked up our rental car through Turo, and did a loop to Drumheller, down to Dinosaur Provincial Park, and back to Calgary. Since our trip was planned last minute, we stayed in hotels, but you could rent a camper van instead and stay at campgrounds in Drumheller, and even stay at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Note: You could also do this trip flying in and out of Edmonton, just expect to add an extra 1-2 hours to your road trip time as you drive to Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Below is a map with our road trip route and all the places we visited in Calgary, Drumheller, and Dinosaur Provincial Park, plus a couple pitstops along the drive.

Day 1: Arrive in Calgary & Explore the City

Our flight to Calgary landed after midnight, and we stayed in Amenida Residences + Hotel because it was cheap and close to the C-Train station. This was a bit out of the way from downtown Calgary but luckily the public transportation didn’t make it a hassle. We actually spent 2 days in Calgary and also took a quick day trip to Kananaskis before heading out on our Canadian Badlands road trip as we were visiting some family members. 

You definitely don’t need to spend any time in Calgary itself though and can just jump right into the road trip. If you do want to spend a bit of time exploring the city, I’d recommend going to the top of the Calgary Tower for gorgeous views, and visiting the The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland to learn about the city’s history. 

Like I mentioned earlier, we rented a car for our Canadian Badlands road trip through Turo. This was our first time using Turo and it was much better than a traditional rental experience. I liked that everything was handled through in-app communication with the car host. 

We didn’t have to talk to anyone in person. We were just given an address where the car was parked, unlocked it with a lockbox code, and took pictures of the car, before heading out. After the trip we did the same thing in reverse before heading off to the airport. Many Turo hosts also provide the option of picking up the car at YYC Calgary Airport.

Day 2: Drumheller – Royal Tyrrell Museum, Coulee Canyons, & World’s Largest Dinosaur

Morning: Leave Calgary & Hike Horseshoe Canyon

After a quick Tim Horton’s run (the quintessential fuel of all Canadian road trips), we hopped in our rental car and began our drive to Drumheller. From downtown Calgary, it’s about a 1.5 hour drive into the Drumheller Valley. 

Before getting to Drumheller though we stopped at Horseshoe Canyon, which is about 15 minutes outside of Drumheller. Horseshoe Canyon is just off Highway 9 and you can actually hike down into the coulee.

Horseshoe Canyon is shaped like its namesake, and the geological layers here are over 70 million years old. People have even found dinosaur fossils on their visits to Horseshoe Canyon! Though make sure you practice “leave no trace” principles and stay on the trails. If you do happen to find a fossil during your Badlands road trip, follow this procedure from the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

It costs $2 to park at the trailhead of Horseshoe Canyon and if you follow the hiking loop on AllTrails you’re in for a 3km hike. We stuck to the lookout points on the rim, and did a quick descent into the coulees, but we opted out of the hike. I’d say if you’re just there for the view, you only need 15 minutes here, while if you do the hike plan to be at Horseshoe Canyon for 1.5 hours. 

After Horseshoe Canyon we continued into Drumheller and had a late breakfast at Smitty’s Restaurant & Lounge, which we did not realize was a chain but apparently they have restaurants all over Canada, though most appear to be in the western provinces. I had the Sante Fe skillet and I still think about it.

Afternoon: Visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum & World’s Largest Dinosaur

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is by far the crown jewel of the Canadian Badlands, and is the main reason why dinosaur lovers visit Drumheller. The Tyrrell is home to the largest fossil collection in Canada, and the specimens on display are like no other. 

I’m the type of person that likes to read everything in a museum, so we spent over 3 hours at the Royal Tyrrell Museum including a short hike next to the museum. Parking is free here and there are even spaces for buses and camper vans. 

Entry to the museum costs $25 dollars for adults, and I highly recommend booking your tickets ahead of time as you can also choose your entry time to the Royal Tyrrell. We visited on a Sunday at noon in early June and did not find the museum overly busy. From mid May until the end of August the museum is open 7 days a week until 9pm, so an evening visit may also be great to avoid crowds. 

The Royal Tyrrell has 14 different exhibitions that make up the museum. The building layout is very straightforward and you won’t miss anything as you wind your way through the exhibits. As you enter the museum, the first 4 areas are dedicated to specific prehistoric discoveries in Alberta. 

Here, make sure you don’t miss “Black Beauty”, one of the most complete T-Rex fossils ever found. “Black Beauty” is an iconic piece of dinosaur history, and is known for its black colouration and iconic death pose. She was found near Crowsnest Pass in southern Alberta. I was awestruck seeing this specimen, there’s just a surreal feeling that comes with seeing dinosaur fossils displayed in the death pose. 

“Borealopelta markmitchelli” is another must-see specimen in this section of the museum. It is the best preserved armoured dinosaur in the world and it was found in a mine north of Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. 

The Preparation Lab is also found in this section of the museum and you can watch technicians preparing fossil specimens for research and display. Only 1% of a museum’s collection is usually on display at a time and the Tyrell is no different! This is a fun way to get a glimpse of the behind the scenes research that’s constantly happening at the museum.

The next 10 sections of the museum are called “Take a Journey Through Time” and feature exhibits in chronological order from the first signs of life 505 million years ago, through the iconic Cretaceous period 72 million years ago, all the way up to the Cenozoic 34 million years ago. 

Along the way you’ll learn how different the world was throughout these eras, and you’ll see hundreds of fossil specimens. My favourite area was the Dinosaur Hall where I found my favourite type of dinosaur – the Hadrosaurs. 

After exiting the museum you don’t have to be done with the Royal Tyrrell just yet! The museum is located within Midland Provincial Park, so we did the Badlands Interpretive Trail in front of the museum. This is a 1.4km loop that takes you through an easy section of the Badlands and you’ll even see a couple small hoodoos along the way.

With that short hike in the books, we made our way back into Drumheller proper and visited Tyra – the World’s Largest Dinosaur! Tyra is a giant t-rex that you actually can go inside of and climb 106 steps into her jaw and get a beautiful view of the Drumheller Valley. 

The City of Drumheller is planning on closing this attraction at the end of 2029, so climb this T-Rex while you still have the chance. It costs $5 to head to the top of Tyra, and there’s also a gift shop at her base.

Evening: Bridgeviews Check-In, Little Church, & Sunset at Horsethief Canyon

It was now time for us to check-in at our glamping site at Bridgeviews Drumheller. We originally booked a tent, but when we arrived the owner Tara upgraded us to the Rainforest Getaway Geodome. We loved the nights we spent at Bridgeviews, you can check out my full review of our stay here. 

We ventured back into Drumheller and had dinner at Happy Belly Grill & Bar, and I had the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. By the time we finished our meal, it was still sunny out and we weren’t tired so we drove back towards the Royal Tyrrell Museum to some spots we missed initially. 

Our first stop was at Drumheller’s Little Church, which can accommodate 6 people. I thought it was cute that a sign outside the church said “Seating 10,000 people, 6 at a time.” The Little Church is open to the public, you can open the door and walk right in. Given that this is a place of worship, please remain respectful. 

After we drove out to Horsethief Canyon (not to be confused with Horseshoe Canyon we visited earlier) and watched the sun set over the coulees. This canyon got its name as it was a place to hide stolen horses back in the day. Unfortunately it is not permitted to hike in the canyon because it is on private property. But it’s still beautiful to view from the top!

Day 3: Drumheller -Atlas Coal Mine, Willow Creek Hoodoos, 11 Bridges to Wayne, & Last Chance Saloon

Morning: Find Dinosaurs Around Drumheller & Visit the Atlas Coal Mine

After waking up at Bridgeviews Drumheller, we headed back into town and had a yummy breakfast at WHIFS Flapjack House. I had the MexiCanada omlette with spicy chicken.

As you venture around Drumheller, you’ll likely notice the abundance of dinosaur statues around town. These are maintained by the Drumheller DinoArts Association, so we spent part of our morning walking around and finding them. DinoArts has a map of all the dinosaur statues so you can easily visit them all if you feel so inclined (they even all have names!). We also made a visit to the Drumheller Welcome Sign which features a big golden tyrannosaurus rex.

Our next stop was to the Atlas Coal Mine which turned out to be my favourite location to visit on our Canadian Badlands road trip. The Atlas Coal Mine is one of the most complete coal mine’s remaining in Canada, and it also preserves the last wooden tipple in the country. 

We spent time exploring the property grounds of the Atlas Coal Mine, and we also did two of their guided tours. It costs $16.95 for adults to visit the Atlas, while tours are extra. Check out our full guide on the Atlas Coal Mine for more details.

Afternoon: Willow Creek Hoodoos & Star Mine Suspension Bridge

After the Atlas, we visited the Willow Creek Hoodoos, which are by far Drumheller’s most popular geographical formation! The hoodoos are actually a lot smaller than you’d expect. There are about 10 hoodoos grouped together surrounded by a short trail and they are fenced-in. The hoodoos are sandstone columns with a capstone, and they look like giant mushrooms. 

The Willow Creek Hoodoos (like all hoodoos) are very delicate. Please stay on the trailhead and don’t touch anything to help prevent further erosion. At one point on the trail there is an old photograph of the Willow Creek Hoodoos and you can see how much they’ve eroded in just the last 100 years, this actually made me pretty upset to see.  While there is no entry fee to visit the hoodoos, it does require paid parking. You’ll see signs in the parking lot and you can pay with your phone.

If you get hungry by this point you can stop in at The Sunny Spot, an outdoor eatery and mini golf spot. It was closed on the day we were there though, during May and June it’s only open from Thursday to Sunday but when we were in the area it was a Monday. Luckily we had snacks to tide us over until dinner time. 

Our next stop took us to the Star Mine Suspension Bridge. This was just a quick stop for us, as we just walked to the end of the bridge and back. Back in the day it was used by coal workers of the Star Mine, but now it just commemorates the mining history of the area.

Evening: Drive Over the 11 Bridges to Wayne & Dinner at the Last Chance Saloon

Dinner time was approaching and we knew the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne was a must visit while in the Drumheller Valley. From the Star Mine Suspension Bridge we headed to the ghost town of Wayne and along the way we drove over the 11 Bridges to Wayne. 

This is a 6km stretch and you’ll cross 11 one-lane metal bridges. The last 2 bridges are actually past the Last Chance Saloon so keep going if you want to say you drove across all 11 of them. Wayne used to be a booming coal mining town but now its population is just 28 people, technically making it a “ghost town.” 

The Last Chance Saloon is a famous spot to eat at. It is exactly where you’d expect a cowboy to spend his evenings after a long day of cattle driving. This saloon and the Rosedeer Hotel attached to it were built in 1913. Inside the walls are covered with all sorts of artifacts, and you can even spot bullet holes in the wall! 

When our server sat us down, she also gave us a laminated paper further explaining the history of Wayne and the Last Chance Saloon. I had a root beer float and I also had the “Gouda 2 Meat You” and that sandwich was absolutely to die for! It was brisket on a ciabatta bun with gouda cheese and the best sauce ever. Seriously if you’re a foodie you definitely need to drive over to Wayne! 

Next door we noticed there was a little gift shop called Jojo’s Haberdashery that also served Foothills Creamery ice cream. We bought a few special trinkets here and I got a scoop of Saskatoon Berry. No other fruit ice cream has come close to this! Believe me, I’ve been looking.

At this point you can call it a day and enjoy the rest of your night back at Bridgeviews Drumheller. But we did drive over to the Orkney Viewpoint. It’s a bit out of the way compared to a lot of the other attractions around Drumheller, but it does offer a beautiful view of the Red Deer River Valley.

Day 4: Drive to Dinosaur Provincial Park & Explore

Morning: Carolside Mosasaur & Arrival at Dinosaur Provincial Park

Waking up it was time to say goodbye to our home away from home at Bridgeviews Drumheller and leave the Valley for Dinosaur Provincial Park. Dinosaur Provincial Park is about a 1.5 hour drive from Drumheller. 

If you do add Dinosaur to your Canadian Badlands itinerary, you should try and camp here! Since our trip was last minute, Dinosaur was just a day trip for us and afterwards we slept at a Days Inn in Brooks, which was the closest bigger town to the provincial park.

We took Highway 570 to Highway 876 over to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I definitely recommend taking this route because along the way we stumbled upon the Carolside Mosasaur after seeing a giant see dinosaur mounted on the roadside. You may also be lucky to spot some pronghorns in the fields along your drive.

We pulled into the parking lot and took some time to learn about the Carolside Mosasaur. This statue commemorates the finding of the fossilized remains of the mosasaur, an extinct marine reptile (and not technically a dinosaur). 

Mosasaurs lived 70-66 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, but the Carolside Mosasaur was a recent discovery. It was found by Frank A. Hadfield and his grandson Kynan Perry on a fishing trip in the Carolside Reservoir in 2015. 

The Carolside Mosasaur was a fun and unexpected thing to come across. You should definitely have a quick pit stop here to learn more about the discovery. I personally love an excuse to break up the drive on the road trip.

We continued on to Dinosaur Provincial Park and stopped right at the park entrance. Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it protects the world’s best representation of late Cretaceous fossils. Right at the park entrance is the UNESCO overlook, offering a beautiful viewpoint into the preserve.  

Afternoon: Visitor Centre, John Ware’s Cabin, & Fossil Displays

Note: The part of Dinosaur Provincial Park open to the public is much smaller than you’d think. Much of the park is designated as a preserve that protects the badlands, wildlife, and fossils. It is illegal to enter the preserve without a member of staff or a permit. If you choose to do a guided excursion, I would add in a second day at Dinosaur Provincial Park. 

Unless you’re a paleontologist, the only way to enter the preserve is through a guided hike, bus tour, or even a guided excavation! Since our Canadian Badlands road trip was planned last minute, we were unable to visit the preserve. When we were there on a weekday in early June there weren’t any tours running. So if this is something you’d like to do visit Dinosaur over the weekend or later in the summer. See all the events and tours at Dinosaur Provincial Park to better plan your road trip. 

If you don’t do a guided tour like us, know that there is still a lot to see around the public area of Dinosaur Provincial Park! Our first stop was to the Visitor Centre, where we got to see a lot of fossil specimens, as well as modern wildlife specimens found in Dinosaur. 

After the Visitor Centre we decided to do the Welcome Walk hike, as its trailhead was right next to the Visitor Centre. Formerly called the Coulee View, this was a 1.2km loop trail that offered a lot of awesome rock formations and another great lookout point into the preserve. There are 14 trails in total in Dinosaur Provincial Park so there is a lot to explore if you decide to camp here for a few days!

Our next stop within Dinosaur Provincial Park was John Ware’s Cabin, which is the one attraction here that has nothing to do with dinosaurs. You can walk right into the cabin and learn about John Ware and cattle ranching in Canada.

John Ware was a Black man born into slavery in South Carolina around 1845. He got into cattle ranching and eventually made his way to Alberta and built this cabin to live in with his family. Inside you can see some of his belongings and learn about the legends surrounding John’s life.  

Our last adventure in Dinosaur Provincial Park was driving the Public Scenic Loop Road. This is a 3.7km one-way gravel loop that takes you around the public area of the park. There are a lot of trailheads along this loop, but it’s a must-do to see Fossil Display 1 and Fossil Display 2.

At these fossil displays you can see actual fossils. One houses the remains of a Headless Hadrosaur discovered in 1959, while the other houses a Centrosaurus Bonebed. A dinosaur bonebed is a mass grave of dinosaurs, likely all killed in a sudden catastrophic event like a flash food. There are interpretive panels around each fossil display explaining how these fossils were discovered and information on the dinosaur species. 

I did not get good photos of the Fossil Displays as there was so much glare on the glass, but check out these two YouTube videos below from Earth Explained to see the Headless Hadrosaur in Fossil Display 1 and the Centrosaurus Bonebed in Fossil Display 2. 

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Evening: Hotel in Brooks

Like I mentioned earlier, we stayed at a hotel in Brooks which is about a 30 minute drive from Dinosaur Provincial Park. However, if you’re able to squeeze an extra day in Dinosaur Provincial Park, I’d recommend camping in the provincial park for at least one night. Especially since you’d likely easier squeeze in one of the guided tours in Dinosaur!

Day 5: Blackfoot Crossing, Back to Calgary, & Fly Home

Today was our day to fly back to Ontario, but fortunately I booked a late flight so we didn’t have to rush back to the Calgary airport. Brooks is about 2 hours back to Calgary, and about halfway you’ll find the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park.

Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park is located on the Siksika 146 Indian reserve and this is where Treaty No. 7 was signed. On the grounds you’ll also find the grave of Chief Crowfoot. Inside you can learn about the different Blackfoot Nations, the signing of Treaty No. 7 and even see some belongings of Chief Crowfoot.

It costs $22 for adults to visit and I highly recommend doing so before leaving the Calgary area. It was very interesting to learn about Blackfoot history and culture, and I feel it is important to visit Indigenous-run attractions while travelling.

Note: Taking photos and videos is prohibited inside the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. Please respect the Indigenous people that manage this site. 

With that our Canadian Badlands trip has come to end. As we made our way back into Calgary we dropped off our Turo rental car and ubered over to Calgary International Airport to head back to Ontario.

Final Thoughts

While 5 days felt like plenty of time for a Canadian Badlands road trip, if I were to do this trip again I would definitely add an extra day in Dinosaur Provincial Park and ensure I did one of the guided tours there so I could actually visit the preserve. 

2 days was also enough to explore Drumheller, but an extra day couldn’t hurt if you wanted to take these slower and explore a few more attractions. I also liked that we had 2 days on each end to see a bit of Calgary. 

Next time I would also drive even further south and visit Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, as these also fit the theme of Canadian Badlands. 

Overall I was really happy with this trip and it definitely exceeded my expectations. While the mountains of Banff and Jasper are always beautiful to see, it is nice to see something the complete opposite in Alberta. And hey, you could even extend your trip and see the Badlands and the Rockies all in one go!