Ever heard of Drumheller? Neither had I, until I went there. You may have heard of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, though. This world famous museum calls Drumheller home and is the main reason why anyone visits the area. However, there’s actually quite a bit to do that makes it worth the trip. In this post, I’ll be sharing five cool things to do on a day trip to Drumheller, Alberta.
Learn about dinosaurs and other prehistoric life at the Royal Tyrrell Museum
Might as well start with the obvious one, right? No day trip to Drumheller is complete without visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum! It is located 6km out of Drumheller town and is the only museum in Canada dedicated solely to ancient life. Whilst it’s primary focus is on the dinosaurs, it also covers life in other periods of history. The really cool thing about the Royal Tyrrell Museum is that the majority of dinosaur fossils housed there were found in Alberta!
Many well-preserved fossils have been found in the Drumheller area, due to it being located within the “Horseshoe Canyon Formation”. This layer of rock formed in the Late Cretaceous period (that’s between 100 and 66 million years ago, just to put it in perspective) and had the perfect conditions for preserving fossils. A huge range of fossilised life has been found in this formation, including 15 species of dinosaur, other reptiles, amphibians, fish, mammals and plants.
During the summer period, the Royal Tyrrell Museum is open daily from 9am to 9pm. If you are visiting between September and May, however, the museum is closed on Mondays except public holidays. It is also best to book your tickets online at their website, as walk-up availability is not guaranteed. As at May 2023, entry costs $21 CAD for adults and $10 CAD for youth, with children under 6 entering for free.
Admire the landscape of the Badlands at the Hoodoos
The other famous thing to do in the Drumheller area is visit the Hoodoos. These structures are so unique and the surrounding rock is beautifully layered in a range of colours. I’ve definitely never been anywhere like it before, or have seen anything similar since!
Drumheller is home to a group of about 10 ‘hoodoos’: naturally-formed stone columns complete with caprocks to make them look like mushrooms. These structures have formed here due to the unique composition of the rock layers. The base is soft and made of dark brown marine shale (Bearpaw formation). On top of that, the stone columns and caps are made from sand and clay from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation that I mentioned above. So not only is this formation home to amazingly well-preserved fossils, it also allows the formation of some pretty incredible structures!
Most people will just have a look at the hoodoos then move on. But I recommend you really take the time to wander around. If you climb up behind the hoodoos, you will find a great view over the valley (see the cover photo of this post!). It’s also impressive seeing all of the different colours layered within the rocks.
Climb into the mouth of the world’s largest dinosaur
No doubt the first thing you’ll notice when you drive into Drumheller is the 25m tall t-rex towering over the town. She is the world’s biggest dinosaur and is located at the town’s visitor centre. As an Australian, I’m always down to check out a “big” thing, so of course we went up. It’s a bit of fun, plus you get a pretty great view over the town. It costs $5 CAD (as at May 2023) to go up, with your ticket lasting the whole day. This would be a great activity to do if you’re travelling with kids!
Drive across the 11 bridges of Wayne
This is a bit of a random one, but definitely still worth doing if you have a car. The stretch of road between the communities of Rosedale and Wayne holds the Guinness Word Record for the most bridges over the shortest distance. There are 11 bridges in total over the 6km drive, all of which are single lane, made of metal and hand-numbered 1 to 11. I feel like I’ve said this 100 times in this post, but make sure you take the time to admire the scenery – it’s especially beautiful as you wind your way along (and across) the river. I don’t have any still pictures, but you can see some of the bridges in my YouTube video all about my Canada exchange. Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there!
Grab lunch at the Last Chance Saloon
Another reason to head to Wayne is to have lunch at the Last Chance Saloon. As soon as you arrive, it feels as if you’ve been transported back in time. It’s seriously like something out of a wild west movie; what with the surrounding landscape, hotel and saloon, and the fact that only 27 people call Wayne home. Need proof? See above.
The Last Chance Saloon is located between bridges 9 and 10 and is worth the visit for all the interesting artefacts inside! There’s stuff on the walls, on the bar, on the roof… The most interesting for me was the entire bearskin on the roof. Not so much that they’d have a bear, but rather that they’d put it on the roof? Anyway, it’s a cool place to visit, and the food is good too. I recommend their burgers. Don’t forget to sign their guestbook while you’re there! And if it goes back to 2016, see if you can spot my entry!
Getting to Drumheller
Just about the only way to get to Drumheller is by car, so you will either have to self-drive or hop on a tour. Driving is the best option, because you can visit any of the above options at your own pace. The town is only 1.5 hours drive from Calgary or 3 hours from Edmonton. If you’re based in Calgary, it would be an easy day trip. If you’re coming from Edmonton, I recommend spending the night in Calgary before heading back north the next day. My extended family took me on this road trip, and that’s what we did. If you have time in Calgary, the zoo is pretty cool.
Overall, I’d highly recommend going on a day trip to Drumheller! As you can see, there’s plenty of cool things to do. Planning a trip elsewhere in Canada? Check out my other posts on my destination page.