Image by Ken Gillespie / Design Pics / Getty Images

Drumheller

As you approach Drumheller, the road dips down dramatically into the Red Deer Valley, looking like a big layered cake. This community was founded on coal but now thrives on another subterranean resource – dinosaur bones. A small town set amid Alberta's enigmatic badlands, it acts as the nexus of the so-called Dinosaur Trail. Paleontology is a serious business here (the nearby fantastic Royal Tyrrell Museum is as much research center as tourist site), and downtown the cartoon dino statues on most street corners add some color and character to an otherwise average town. Add in the museums in nearby East Coulee on the Hoodoo Drive and the ghosts of Wayne, and you're set.

The summers are hot, and the deep-cut river valley in which Drumheller sits provides a much-needed break to the monotony of the prairies. Hoodoos dominate this badlands landscape, which has featured in many a movie (mainly Westerns).

Explore Drumheller

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Drumheller.

  • Sights

  • Museum

    Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

    This fantastic museum is one of the pre-eminent dinosaur museums on the planet, made even better by a $5.9 million expansion project completed in 2019…

  • Mine

    Atlas Coal Mine

    Home to the last wooden tipple (a coal-loading structure) in Canada, Atlas Coal Mine closed its production in 1959. Today it's an engaging historic sight…

  • Canyon

    Horseshoe Canyon

    The baddest of the badlands can be seen at Horseshoe Canyon, a spectacular chasm cut into the otherwise flat prairie located 17km west of Drumheller on…

  • Museum

    East Coulee School Museum

    This original village school in art deco style doubled in size to eight rooms during the coal mining boom of the 1930s. Exhibits inside detail the history…

  • Bridge

    Rosedale Suspension Bridge

    This suspension bridge isn't very long or particularly high, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Made of see-through wire mesh, it sways like…

  • Landmark

    World's Largest Dinosaur

    In a town filled with dinosaurs, this T rex is the king of them all. Standing 26m high above a parking lot, it dominates the Drumheller skyline (and is…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Drumheller.

  • Activities