4 Ways to Travel from Calgary to Drumheller: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Around the Canadian Badlands
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If you’re planning on visiting the Canadian Badlands this summer, you may be wondering how to get to Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park from Calgary.
Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park are the two most popular locations people choose to visit on a Canadian Badlands road trip, especially if they love dinosaurs! Both of these locations are must-sees on your Badlands itinerary.
In this post, I will cover the different options on how to get to Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park from Calgary- from cost, convenience, and timing perspectives.
Calgary Overview
Just to have an idea of the key locations of a Canadian Badlands road trip, let’s do a quick overview of Calgary, Drumheller, and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, and is right in the middle of the Canadian Rockies and the Canadian Badlands, making it a fantastic starting point for an Alberta road trip. We flew into YYC Calgary Airport and began our Badlands Road Trip from there.
If it’s your first time in Alberta, I’d also recommend spending a day or two exploring Calgary itself such as visiting The Confluence Historic Site to learn about the city’s history or climbing to the top of the Calgary Tower to see the city from the sky.
Calgary is only a 1 hour and 30 minute drive (138km) to Drumheller, and a 2 hour and 15 minute drive (218km) to Dinosaur Provincial Park. Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park are a 1 hour and 40 minute drive (167km) from each other.
Drumheller Overview
Drumheller, Alberta is known as the Dinosaur Capital of the World because the Canadian Badlands are known as having one of the richest dinosaur fossil deposits in the world, and Drumheller is at the centre of it.
Drumheller fully leans into its dinosaur fame, pretty much the whole town is dinosaur themed, and you can even visit Tyra – the World’s Largest dinosaur and climb right in her mouth!
The must-see attraction in Drumheller is definitely the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology as it houses Canada’s largest collection of dinosaur fossils. Don’t miss seeing Black Beauty, one of the most iconic tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever discovered.
Drumheller also has a history of coal mining you can explore at the Atlas Coal Mine and the Last Chance Saloon. These ended up being two of my favourite spots we visited on our road trip!
Dinosaur Provincial Park Overview
Dinosaur Provincial Park is the other hot spot for dinosaur lovers in Canada. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and many of the fossils discovered in Dinosaur are on display in Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Dinosaur offers beautiful badlands landscapes, and you can also hike many trails throughout the park. If you do add on a trip to this provincial park consider doing one of the guided tours or excavations.
Most of Dinosaur Provincial Park is a natural preserve that can only be accessed with a guided tour. These tours occur from May to October, with the most availability throughout July and August. We weren’t able to align a tour with our road trip schedule and we definitely regret it as it felt like we missed out on a huge area of the park.
Dinosaur’s main entrance
Dinosaur’s Welcome Walk Trail
Transportation Options from Calgary to Drumheller
Now that you have an idea of the main places to visit on a Canadian Badlands road trip, let’s get into the details on the different ways to get from Calgary to Drumheller.
There are 4 main ways to travel from Calgary to Drumheller:
- Take a guided day trip ~ $150 CAD | 10 hours
- Rent a Car ~ $120 CAD | 1.5 hours (with no stops)
- Rent an RV ~ $200 CAD | 1.5 hours (with no stops)
- Carpool ~ $25 CAD | 1.5 hours (with no stops)
How to Get From Calgary to Drumheller with a Guided Tour
Average Cost: $150 CAD
Average Time: 10 hours
If you want to avoid renting a vehicle or don’t want to drive on your own, try a guided tour! There are many options on full-day guided tours from Calgary that visit the popular tourist spots around Drumheller, including the Hoodoos and the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
This 1 Day Drumheller Tour from Calgary for example offers a 9 hour itinerary picking you up from downtown Calgary and visits the following locations before dropping you off back in Calgary.
- World’s Largest Dinosaur
- Horsethief Canyon
- Royal Tyrrell Museum
- Hoodoos Trail
- Star Mine Suspension Bridge
- Horseshoe Canyon
You can choose a day trip itinerary that fits your schedule and interests. This is a great option if you just want a little taste of the Dinosaur Capital of the World.
Note: There are no guided tours that take you to Dinosaur Provincial Park from Calgary or Drumheller, so if you go with this option you’d be missing out on this popular location in the Canadian Badlands.
How to Get From Calgary to Drumheller by Driving
Average Cost: $120 CAD
Average Time: 1.5 hours
Driving offers the ultimate flexibility on a Canadian Badlands road trip. By having your own vehicle you are in complete control of your itinerary and can take as much time at tourist attractions as you’d like.
There are 3 different options for renting a vehicle:
Rent a Car
This is what we chose to do for our Canadian Badlands road trip. While there are many car rental companies operating in Calgary, we chose to rent through Turo. Turo is kind of like Airbnb but for vehicles, and there are many pickup options near the Calgary Airport and around Calgary.
We ubered to our pickup location, and were able to use a lock box on the car to access it. I liked that we didn’t have to talk to anyone in person ,and it felt much more efficient than the traditional way of renting a car.
Rent an RV
If you’re more of a camping person, try renting an RV! There are many options for camper vans to rent around Calgary on Outdoorsy.
This is one of the most cost efficient options as you’d be able to cook in the van, and much of the tourist attractions around Drumheller have large enough parking spaces for RVs. Just keep in mind you’ll still have to pay for a camp site at night.
Carpool and Taxi
If you want to spend more time in Drumheller than just a day, try carpooling with Poparide. Poparide allows drivers to post trips they’re already planning on taking and bring guests along with them to off-set their transportation costs.
The schedules are limited since they are up to the driver, and there may not be return trips back to Calgary that fit your schedule. You’ll also have the issue of getting around Drumheller itself. Taxi service is very limited but you can try Reliable Taxi. Call them at (403) 321-0128 to discuss times and pricing.
Can I Take a Bus?
Surprisingly there are no bus options between Calgary and Drumheller. However if you’re visiting Drumheller in 2026, Travel Drumheller (the city’s official tourism board) is piloting a shuttle bus program this summer so this may be an option.
This appears to only be a shuttle bus within the Drumheller Valley, so you’d still need to find a way to get to Drumheller from Calgary by using the above options.
Where to Stay in Drumheller
There are a lot of accommodation options around the Drumheller Valley, from hotels to bed & breakfasts, to camping.
We decided on the glamping option and spent a few nights at Bridgeviews Drumheller! This is a locally-owned campground located just a 7-minute drive away from downtown Drumheller.
We initially booked the Sage and Wildflower Yurt, but when we arrived to check in Tara, Bridgeviews’ owner, was so kind and upgraded us to the Rainforest Getaway Geodome. We really enjoyed staying here as it was so cozy and welcoming.
If you aren’t a glamping person, Bridgeviews also offers an RV and tent campsite on Hipcamp.
For more camping options check out Travel Drumheller’s suggestions on campgrounds and RV Parks in the valley.
Transportation Options from Calgary to Dinosaur Provincial Park
Other than renting a car or RV, there are no direct transportation options between Calgary and Dinosaur Provincial Park. Nor are there any between Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
Guided tours also don’t go to Dinosaur Provincial Park from either Calgary or Drumheller. So if you do want to visit this provincial park on your Canadian Badlands road trip, you must have your own vehicle.
Where to Stay in Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is run by Alberta Parks and you can book campsites via their website. The campgrounds here can book up quickly during the summer so plan ahead and don’t forget to align your stay with a guided tour in Dinosaur Provincial Park to make the most of your visit.
Final Thoughts
While there are a few different ways to get to Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park from Calgary, having a vehicle definitely makes a Canadian Badlands road trip significantly more flexible.
In my opinion, the best mode of transportation is to rent a car and stay in Drumheller, but choose the option that works the best for you and do your own research!