15 Awesome Activities You Can’t Miss in Drumheller, Alberta – The Dinosaur Capital of the World
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Being the Dinosaur Capital of the World, Drumheller, Alberta has no shortage of activities to do in and around town. You could easily spend days in the Drumheller Valley and still have attractions left over.
Whether you’re visiting for the beautiful badlands scenery, or for the dinosaurs, or for the coal mining history, Drumheller has something from everyone. So many people only visit Alberta to check out the Canadian Rockies, but the Badlands, Drumheller, and Dinosaur Provincial Park are definitely underrated.
We spent 2 full days in Drumheller, Alberta on our Canadian Badlands road trip and we cannot wait to go back and explore the area some more!
Table of Contents
#1 – Learn about Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum
The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleaontology is the main reason why people make a visit to Drumheller, Alberta. It is home to the largest collection of fossils in Canada!
The museum is divided into 2 main sections. The first explores the Cretaceous period in Alberta, as this is the era where most of the fossil finds in Alberta have come from. It also explains the Royal Tyrrell’s role in protecting and displaying fossils, and the many key discoveries found throughout the province.
The next section is called “Take a Journey Through Time” which takes you through 3.9 billion years of prehistoric eras in chronological order. Along the way you can learn about the first microscopic signs of life, and how these evolved into marine life, dinosaurs, and Ice Age mammals.
#2 – Hike the Badlands Interpretive Trail
There’s more to the Royal Tyrrell Museum than the fossil specimens inside. You can also do a short 1.4km hike called the Badlands Interpretive Trail to see the type of landscape where these fossils are most often discovered.
Along this loop in Midland Provincial Park you can read interpretive panels that explain the geology, palaeontology, and the flora and fauna of the Canadian Badlands. As always please ensure you remain on the trail as the hoodoos and couless of the Badlands are quite fragile to erosion.
#3 – Admire the Beauty of the Willow Creek Hoodoos
The Willow Creek Hoodoos are the most iconic and unique geological formations in Drumheller. Hoodoos are these mushroom-like rock formations that are actually formed by erosion. Typically, hoodoos consist of a softer rock, topped with a harder rock. As the softer rock erodes, the top rock forms into what looks like mushroom caps.
These hoodoos in Drumheller are composed of clay and sand, originally deposited during the Cretaceous Period between 70 and 75 million years ago!
Like all hoodoos, the Willow Creek Hoodoos are very fragile, and are eroding at a rate of 1 centimeter per year. This may not sound like much, but there are images around the hoodoos showing how much larger they were a mere 100 years ago.
You can see in the photograph I took that some of the hoodoos capstones have already fallen. Here it is especially important to stay on the trail in order to protect the hoodoos from faster erosion.
#4 – Climb Inside the Jaws of the World’s Largest Dinosaur
Another iconic activity in Drumheller is to climb to mouth of Tyra – the World’s Largest Dinosaur for a beautiful view overlooking the town. At the base of Tyra you’ll find a Visitor Information Centre and a gift shop.
You can climb 106 steps to get to Tyra’s jaws, and you’ll feel her moving as you ascend. 12 people can fit in her mouth at a time but I noticed most people were content to wait as each family took their time and photos in Tyra’s maw.
Note: The World’s Largest Dinosaur is set to be closed at the end of its current lease term at the end of December, 2029. The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, which owns Tyra, and leases the land, does say Tyra is still safe to climb.
#5 – Enjoy Sunset at Horsethief Canyon
Horsethief Canyon is one of the most beautiful spots to witness the Canadian Badlands scenery in Drumheller! We came in the evening and stood on the canyon rim, while we watched the sun set over the coulees.
Note: While other sources online suggest hiking down into the canyon, Travel Alberta advises that Horsethief Canyon sits on private property so you cannot actually hike here. Admiring the view from the top is enough!
You can also view Horsethief Canyon from the opposite side of the Red Deer River at the Orkney Viewpoint. With no direct bridge, it requires at least 30 minutes of driving between both viewpoints, so we did this on 2 separate days. If you only have time for one, stick with the main Horsethief Canyon viewpoint.
#6 – Walk Across the Star Mine Suspension Bridge
The Star Mine Suspension Bridge is a pedestrian bridge built over the Red Deer River that allowed coal miners to access the Star Mine. It is 117 metres long and was originally built in 1931. Nowadays the bridge commemorates Drumheller’s coal mining history.
Note: You can walk across the bridge but be aware that the opposite side has “No Trespassing” signs and you cannot access the Star Mine.
#7 – Have Local Eats at Drumheller’s Many Restaurants
Drumheller has a number of locally-owned restaurants to eat at during your visit. We ate at WHIFS Flapjack House for breakfast and also had a great dinner at Happy Belly Grill & Bar.
There are many more restaurants and coffee shops we’d like to visit next time!
#8 – Glamp at Bridgeviews Drumheller
Drumheller has no shortage of locally owned hotels, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds in and around town. We ended up spending a few nights at Bridgeviews Drumheller.
We stayed in the Rainforest Getaway Geodome and greatly enjoyed our stay here. It was relaxing, offered beautiful badlands landscapes, and had lots of activities to do around the property. Check out our full review of Bridgeviews Drumheller here.
#9 – See all the Dinosaur Art around Town
As you walk around Drumheller, you’ll notice a huge amount of dinosaur art and statues around. Most of these are under the care of the Drumheller DinoArts Association and they have a map and guide of all the dinosaurs (they even all have their own names). See if you can find them all!
#10 – Drive Over All 11 Bridges to Wayne
Just outside of Drumheller, there is a ghost town called Wayne. If you’d like to visit, driving over the 11 Bridges to Wayne is the only way to get there!
It’s about a 6km drive crossing the Rosebud River. As you drive across each bridge you’ll notice each own marked with their respective number.
#11 – Eat at the Last Chance Saloon
If you’re skeptical about driving over the 11 Bridges to Wayne, just know that the Last Chance Saloon awaits you between the 9th and 10th bridges.
The Last Chance Saloon was established to serve the coal mining population and was known as the “Bucket of Blood” because of all the fights the miners would get into. You can even see bullet holes on the saloon walls!
For fans of cowboys and good food, the Last Chance Saloon is unmissable. Have the “Gouda 2 Meat You” and thank me later.
#12 – Become a Coal Miner at the Atlas Coal Mine
Visiting the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site ended up being my favourite activity we did on our Drumheller trip! The Atlas Coal Mine is home to one of the most complete coal mine’s left in the country and it preserves the last wooden tipple in Canada.
You can explore the grounds, ride a 1930s mine car train, enter the wooden tipple, and even tour the coal mine. For details, check out our full guide to the Atlas Coal Mine.
#13 – Go for a Hike in the Horseshoe Canyon
Not to be confused with the aforementioned Horsethief Canyon, Horseshoe Canyon offers stunning badlands views and you can actually hike down into it!
We stuck to viewing Horseshoe Canyon from the rim, but if you plan on doing the 3km hiking loop here, anticipate spending about 1.5 hours here.
#14 – Visit Drumheller’s Little Church
You’ll likely see this tiny roadside church on your drive to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and it makes for a charming little stop. The tagline for Drumheller’s Little Church is “Seating 10,000 people, 6 at a time.” and you can enter the church and be one of those 6 people!
The church is always open and free to the public, and given that it is a place of worship, please remain respectful. There’s also a small pathway behind the church you can hike up for a different view point of the little church.
#15 – Take a Day Trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is another huge reason why people plan Canadian Badlands road trips. You can absolutely visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site on a day trip from Drumheller.
If you’d like to know exactly how to spend 1 day in Dinosaur Provincial Park, you can find our full guide here. It’s less than a 2 hour drive from Drumheller!
Final Thoughts
As you can see there is a huge variety of activities in Drumheller. This is what we managed to tackle on our 2 day visit but believe me there is even more to see in the Dinosaur Capital of the World!
Have you been to Drumheller before? Let us know if we missed anything in the comments that we’ll have to see on our next visit!
