Drumheller: The Dinosaur Capital of the World

Drumheller is located in the Canadian Badlands in Southern Alberta. It's about 1 1/2 hours north of Calgary and about 2 1/2 hours south of Edmonton, the capital (where we live). This map shows it in more detail.

What are the "Badlands"? In general, the Badlands are areas of severe erosion, usually in a semi-arid climate. They're characterized by formations like ridges, coulees and hoodoos and usually have sparse vegetation due to the climate. The pictures here show these characteristics.

Wikipedia explains how the term originated.

For an awesome video, visit Canadian Badlands.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is the major attraction in Drumheller and it's incredibly interesting as well as fun (in spite of the looks on my daughters' faces in the picture below!).

For general information:

1) Travel Drumheller

2) Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology on Wikipedia

3) The Tyrrell Museum Site

For Exhibits:

1) Royal Tyrrell Exhibits

For Programs:

1) Royal Tyrrell Programs

And For Videos:

1) The Museum's YouTube Channel

"A hoodoo . . . is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos are compsed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements" (Wikipedia).

Check out more at:

1) Travel Drumheller - Learn where the name "hoodoos" comes from.

2) Milk River Hoodoos - Great, easy to understand information.

3) Canadian Encyclopedia - More general information.

4) Wikipedia - In depth information about hoodoos.

This is an awesome experience! Check out the Reptile World website and meet the reptiles!

This is a model Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) that is 82 feet high and 151 feet long! You can walk up the stairs to the mouth and view the scenery from there! Learn more about the World's Largest Dinosaur here.

This isn't a place where there are lots of things to do, but it's a Drumheller attraction and a great place to check out. Learn a bit about the Little Church here.

We stayed at Dinosaur Trail RV Resort, but there are lots of choices for camping in Drumheller. Find a list of campgrounds here. As you can tell from the picture, my daughter Stephanie thinks camping is fun in Drumheller!

The kids had a blast speeding around in their go-karts. I even loved it - - although I wanted to be a race car driver when I was little. Actually, my sons remember how much I loved it and suggested that we go go-karting as a family activity again soon!

We didn't see the passion play when we were in Drumheller, but it's one of the most famous attractions there. Check out the passion play site to learn more.

1) History Through the Years

2) History of the Name

3) History of Coal