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Looking for dinosaurs in Alberta

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Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. image courtesy of Visit Alberta.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. image courtesy of Visit Alberta.

The film Jurassic World  took £330 million in the first few days of its cinema release, making it the most lucrative new release worldwide ever. If you don’t know about the film, it’s about a (fictional!) modern day theme park with live dinosaurs. Along with millions of other people, my 12 year-old son and I both enjoyed seeing Jurassic World very much. I think that there’s something about dinosaurs which is fascinating to both of us, and indeed to many people. We know that these creatures roamed Earth millions of years before we humans came on the scene. Dinosaurs have left us clues to their existence but we don’t have the full picture – we’re still searching for that.

Fossil hunting

I really enjoyed the morning we spent fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight, where many dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Our best find was some fossilised dinosaur poo – it’s the fossil with the black centre at the front of this photo:

Fossils from Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Fossils from Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

This was thrilling to discover and every so often I spot it where it sits on a window sill at home. It reminds me that I’d very much like to go fossil hunting again and find a dinosaur.

Apparently Alberta in Canada is one of the very best places in the world to look for dinosaurs. I know this because BritMums and Travel Alberta have asked me to write about the region. I’ve not been to Alberta so I went to our local library to do some research.

Alberta

Alberta is in Western Canada and is home to part of the Rocky Mountain range, swathes of open prairies and vast quantities of oil. It’s also where you’ll find the Badlands, so called because the soil there is bad for agriculture. Despite the poor soil the area is rich with coal and also with dinosaur remains: the soft rocks of the Badlands have preserved one of the world’s biggest deposits of dinosaur bones, as well as some eggs. Some previously unknown dinosaurs have been discovered there such as regaliceratops, also known as Hellboy, a horned dinosaur which was announced this year.

Meet ‘Hellboy’ - the first of a new dinosaur species discovered in the province of Alberta, Canada. Credit: Art by Julius T. Csotonyi. Courtesy of Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta.

Meet ‘Hellboy’ – the first of a new dinosaur species discovered in the province of Alberta, Canada. Credit: Art by Julius T. Csotonyi. Courtesy of Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta.

If you go to Alberta in search of dinosaurs these are some of the things which you can do there:

Dinosaur Provincial Park

The most spectacular part of the Badlands are in Dinosaur Provincial Park, 68 miles from the town of Drumheller. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and around 300 dinosaur skeletons have been excavated there so far. There are guided hikes and bus tours on offer at the park as well as bookable activities such as sessions in the palaeontology lab and fossil hunts. You can also stay at the park in ‘comfort camping’ accommodation which looks very well-appointed.

Royal Tyrrell Museum

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is near Drumheller. This world-renowned museum is named after Joseph Burr Tyrell who made the first dinosaur discoveries here in 1884. A highlight of the museum’s vast collection is a dinosaur hall with around 40 dinosaur skeletons – including Hellboy. The museum runs some fascinating activities such as guided walks where you can search for fossils and see real dinosaur remains, excavating for fossils using professional tools and techniques, making casts of fossils, and dinosaur story time for the under-5s.

Dinosaur Trail

The Dinosaur Trail is a 30-mile circular drive which starts from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and takes you up to the rim of the mile-wide Red Deer Valley for some spectacular views and scenery.

Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller, Alberta. Image courtesy of Visit Alberta.

Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller, Alberta. Image courtesy of Visit Alberta.

Drumheller

The small town of Drumheller calls itself ‘the dinosaur capital of the world’. There are dinosaur creations to be spotted all over the place in Drumheller, including a 26-metre high fibreglass T-Rex which features in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest dinosaur. You can climb up inside the T-Rex to enjoy the view from inside its mouth. Drumheller sounds like it offers some cheesy attractions which kids would love.

Have you been to Alberta? Do you think that you’d like to visit these places with your kids and look for dinosaurs?

Disclosure: I’m working with BritMums and Travel Alberta highlighting the Alberta region as the place to go to make your dinosaur dreams come true. I have been compensated for my time. All editorial and opinions are my own. Visit Travel Alberta  for more information.

More Alberta Dinosaurs posts:

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  11. Cathy (MummyTravels) says

    I love discovering new sides to destinations – I had no idea this part of Canada was so perfect for dinosaur fans, but I think my daughter would love it here. We haven’t ventured much further than the Isle of Wight when it comes to finding dinosaurs or fossils, but this has shot high up the list.
    Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…Is the I Amsterdam card worth it?My Profile

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  13. Jamie says

    I always find it so cool to read about destinations that are actually in my back yard. Thanks for sharing.

    Having lived in Calgary Alberta for the last 4 years, I can certainly say I haven’t taken advantage of Drumheller being so close! That being said, I have one word of caution for readers…. Don’t visit the Dinasaur Museum during a Canada Public Holiday. When we went for the first time, we felt like a bunch of sardines “fossilizing” into the crowd…. Packed parking lot, long line ups, and a tough place to chase a toddler.

    On a brighter note – cool place! I also recently found out about the comfort camping/Glamping that’s you mentioned… But I think I’ll opt for the traditional camping when we get out there next.
    Jamie recently posted…7 Places to Enjoy Glamping in CanadaMy Profile

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  17. Michelle says

    This sounds like a dinosaur lovers dream destination! We found a fossil on the beach at Charmouth in Dorset. My son was so excited, as we’d been telling him on the lead up to the holiday about the Jurassic Coast, so was pleased it lived up to its name!
    Michelle recently posted…How To Brew Coffee With A ChemexMy Profile

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  18. Dominique says

    This is definitely going on our family travel bucket list! I had no idea Alberta was so good for dinosaurs. We have a dinosaur mad 4 year old and lots of friends from Alberta so this looks win win for us!
    Dominique recently posted…Silent Sunday 12.07.15My Profile

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.