There are many interesting things to do and see if you ever find yourself spending time in Alberta, Canada. On a recent May long week-end I was able to check off one of my Alberta bucket list items, The Canadian Badlands. The Badlands are scattered across much of the western Canadian prairies of British Colombia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Formed by ice age melts and erosion, causing weird rock formations called HooDoos and multi colored river gorges called Coulee’s. This is also the area where the dinosaurs roamed. during the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era. Think Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex) and Stegosaurus and images from your childhood are sure to form.
Late spring is a wonderful time to head to the Badlands, where the weather is already heating up but is still pleasant. I started my road trip from Edmonton with my partner Barry, heading south on highway 2. For a leisurely drive and to experience more of the countryside, we cut over on highway 12 just past Red Deer and headed east through seemingly endless vistas of farmland fields divided by scrubby deciduous trees and numerous ponds. Then an amazing thing happens. You start down a hill into The Red Deer Valley “coulee” where the Red Deer River meanders where the farm and grasslands disappear to be replaced by steep cliffs in various bands of colors representing the eons of time since the glacier melt formed them…the Red Deer Valley is over 72 million years old and artifacts abound.
In less then 3 hours we had entered a new world where the dinosaurs had roamed freely until catastrophic events wiped them out. Here along the river bed as in other parts of the Badlands are dinosaur “bone beds” where they were trapped suddenly and died, leaving behind clues as to where they traveled through the footprints left imbeded in the sandstone as well as where and what they ate. Our goal today was to meet up with the kids and grandkids for a little hiking to explore along the riverbed, looking for dinosaur sign like the local Paleontologists who are lucky enough to work here. There are campgrounds scattered throughout the Badlands and we met up with the kids at the Toleman Bridge campground just past another landmark, the Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, where the Cree Indians used to hunt buffalo. From their campsite we were able to walk out into the badlands and feel time go backwards. It’s hot and eerie walking along the cliffs and the hoodoos. We felt the thrill of finding a dinosaur “bone bed” where clearly visible bone fragments lay about in the fine white sand and turkey vultures circles overhead. But it’s unlawful to take any bones. Any discoveries you make of something you think is a major find can be called into Drumheller and the Tyerrell Dinosaur Museum Paleontologists….you may just find your name attached to a new dinosaur display if it proves significant.
After a day of hiking we overnighted in Drumheller, a short distance away. There we found a great place to experience dinosaurs at the Tyerrell Dinosaur Museum. This museum’s display includes Black Beauty, a magnificent Tyrannosaurus Rex found along the Crowsnest River by two young boys out fishing. Drumheller also offers a pleasant walking path from town all the way to the museum for those with lots of energy. Or do like we did and stop for a picnic on your way to or from.
You can take the grandkids to the Fossil World Dinosaur Discovery Center where they can “dig” up a real fossil to take home or you can go on a 3 hour tour by trolley with the Dinosaur Valley Express. Be sure to walk around town and do a selfie or two with the cute dinosaurs they have gracing many corners….you can ride a sidecar being driven by a Longneck or stop and eat your ice-cream with a Stegosaurus on a park bench while you watch the people stroll by.
We finished our week-end by driving up to Calgary for a night, a mere hour away. Calgary is a progressive city with numerous art galleries, a wonderful bike lane system with trails and parks to get you out for a long stroll after your drive. Of course it is also home to the world famous Calgary Stampede held every July. Before heading home we decided to visit Chinatown for some delicious food. We weren’t disappointed. Though there were many choices we decided on the Regency Palace Restaurant where dim sum is served all day and they have lunch and dinner buffets for an amazing selection of tempting dishes. After a quick stroll through the downtown we headed out for our 3 hour journey back to Edmonton.
All I can say is the Badlands are back on my bucket list! I can’t wait to go explore more, like dinosaur eggs at the Devils Coulee Museum in Warner, Alberta; Scotty the T-Rex at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina; or explore the untouched Badlands area around Brooks in Southern Alberta and their UNESCO world heritage site, The Dinosaur Provincial Park or Hudson’s Hope, where the richest site of fossils and footprints in the world was discovered with a display at the Hudson’s Hope Museum.
I’m so glad we love to go on adventures….I learned something new about something ancient and discovered a little bit more about Canada at the same time.
Gypsey Jeanne's Travel Blog for Boomers 