Flashback Friday: Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta
- Lyn (aka Jazz)
- Apr 8, 2022
- 2 min read
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Red Deer River valley, about 2 hours drive from Calgary. It is noted for its striking badland topography, and as a site of many dinosaur fossils. I had previously visited Drumheller, with it's amazing museum but on this trip I was more interested in the badlands than dinosaurs. The general consensus seems to be if you want a lot of dinosaur information, go to Drumheller.
Right at the highway intersection, I found this an abandoned service station and store with it's sad and decaying dino.
Further along the road, I started to see the first signs of the badlands. In prehistoric times, much of the prairies were an inland sea that dried up when the Rockies rose. The soils left are layered between clay, slate, and other soft stone.
My first sight of the badlands was pretty impressive. As a BC girl, I'm used to seeing land forms above ground level. It is always fascinating for me to see these deep canyons.
River and rain runoff has eroded into canyons. Many of these runoff areas are “coulees,” which refers to seasonal flood areas.
It was pretty awesome just walking along the top, but it was even more amazing to walk around within the park.
After checking the various hiking routes and paths, I decided to take the 1.5-hour hike. As usual, I took twice that long. It's amazing how much time I can spend taking photos and wandering around. The path went deep into the canyon and back up through hoodoos and canyons.
Pretty awesome, eh? However, be aware that if you visit during summer you will need plenty of water and a hat for protection against the harsh sun. There is very little shade.
Dinosaur Provincial Park contains some of the most important fossil discoveries ever made from the "Age of Reptiles", with discoveries of fossils from 35 different species of dinosaurs dating back 75 million years. If you keep your eyes peeled, you might make the next exciting discovery, but even if you don't spot one, you will be surrounded by spectacular landscapes. Camping is available, but I was just passing through on this trip. For a stopover visit, you will need at least a couple of hours.
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