million year–old rock faces, we were still the next morning, we saw the Badlands is centred around the Field Station,
able to enjoy our creature comforts – soft as they had looked 75 million years ago which is closed until September 1st for a
beds, a solid roof, and instant access – an oozing, subtropical swampland, on major expansion. In the meantime, visitor
to ice cream and running water. For the edge of a shallow sea that geologists programming is being conducted from
an urban family trying out camping for have dubbed the Bearpaw. Posed in a temporary trailer housing displays.
the first time, RVing struck the perfect front of this panorama were 40 or more Visitors can sign up for park tours here,
balance between rough and deluxe. towering dinosaur skeletons, duking it out but during the busy summer months
Our prehistoric road trip began in
in grand Prehistoric style. it’s advisable to reserve tickets well in
Calgary, southern Alberta’s biggest city, Walking through this awesome place,
advance, through the park website
located just 140 km (88 mi) from the heart it was easy to see why the Tyrrell is
Try Guided Hikes
of the Badlands. Our vacation planning regularly ranked among the finest
was simple – fly in to town, see a bit of museums in the world. Chronological
In our three days at the park, we almost
the Calgary Stampede and then grab our galleries take visitors back to the 4-billion-
did it all – some scenic roadtrips, five
RV from the rental company and head year-old primordial soup whose remains
self–guided hikes, a lab talk, and a
out on the road. turned up in Yoho National Park’s
Badlands Bus Tour. Our kids joined
other campers in mock game shows
See Horseshoe
Burgess Shale, and then forward to the
present mammal-dominated world we’re
like Dinosaur Family Feud and hysterical
Canyon
familiar with today. We marvelled at
“paleomusicals” staged by park staff
Rumbling out of Calgary in our rig, we
Black Beauty – a pitch–black T.Rex skull
in the outdoor amphitheatre. But our
got our first glimpse of the Badlands at
that was pulled out of a mountainside
absolute favourite tour of the trip was
Horseshoe Canyon, where the prairie
near the Crowsnest Pass a few years
the Fossil Bed Safari. This is where kids
abruptly ends and cracks wide open,
back – and wondered how many more
and grown–ups alike are let loose on an
ancient bone bed, searching for signs of
exposing steep sandstone canyons.
Royal Tyrell Museum, Drumheller, Travel Alberta Photo fossils underfoot. “You’re in luck,” said
Streaked with the deep red ochre of
safari guide Kamala Hutchison. “It rained
ironstone, this scenic drive is framed with
last night, so it should be even easier to
fast–eroding walls lousy with dinosaur
find them.”
bones, making the Badlands home to
some of the richest prehistoric bone beds
And was she ever right. The ground was
on the planet.
awash in bones, and within minutes every
one of us amateur paleontologists had
Perched at the canyon’s edge, a fossil
made a discovery. During our morning of
shop brimmed with trilobites, ammonites
0
1
0
prospecting, we lost count of the number
and crocodile teeth. We oohed and
of dinosaur bones, turtle shell fragments
a
y 2
ahhed over them, anxious to start
and crocodile teeth that were found and
exploring and spotting some of our own.
duly identified by Hutchison. “Way funner
We took our scenic drive a few more
p
r
i
l / M
than the bus tour,” said 12 year old Jake
kilometres into Drumheller, home of the
Hudson from Edmonton.
World’s Largest Dinosaur, (which we
climbed) and the Royal Tyrrell Museum,
Thanks to the constant erosion that gives
one of the finest paleontology museums
the Badlands its ever-changing face,
in the world.
fossils are exposed or literally washed d
s
.
c
o
m | A
down the hillsides with every rainfall. As
b
i
r
As we settled into our campsite on
park supervisor Fred Hammer put it,
the banks of the Red Deer River, we discoveries were yet to be made, right
n
o
w
“We get a totally new park here every
imagined herds of bloodthirsty dinosaurs outside the doors of the museum.
10 to 15 years.” Or, as I overheard one
.
r
vs
thundering through this weather-beaten
w
After hiking along trails that surround visitor say to his wife, “If you don’t like the
w
and mud-caked landscape. But when
w
the museum grounds, we took another landscape, just wait a minute.” For kids
dinosaurs ruled in southern Alberta,
scenic drive to Dinosaur Provincial Park, (of all ages) who dream of discovering
things looked entirely different – a fact we
a UNESCO World Heritage Site about dinosaur bones, this corner of Alberta is
were to discover the next day, when we
two hours south of Drumheller. At the pure paradise.◊
toured the incredible Tyrrell Museum.
end of this roadtrip is where most of the TH
SOUOMTHEPSRONN
Experience the
specimens at the Tyrrell were found, and
OAKLANBEARGTAAN
Badlands
where visitors can pick up a dinosaur
species checklist along with the usual
Standing in the museum’s Dinosaur Hall bird and animal lists. Activity in the park
RVTravelersMag_Apr10.indd 49 3/5/10 4:13:02 PM
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