Drumheller, Alberta Road Trip!
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| Drumheller road sign |
This post was originally featured on the blog for my sons' youtube channel. I have re-released it because I feel it is very well done and deserves to be seen again! All of the information should still be up to date and accurate.
Drumheller Road Trip!
Make sure you remember to visit our YouTube channel for a vlog of our trip!
First Stop!
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology
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| Picture is from www.tripadvisor.com |
Time Spent: around 2 hours
Accessibility: Handicapped and stroller accessible for the most part - aside from the gift shop.
Experience:
This is not the first time we have been here. I have personally been around 5 times because I used to live near Drumheller, but this is the second time I have taken the boys. Bentley's favourite part is the whale-shark-dinosaur thing, Ethan likes the T-Rex and Dylan loves the triceratops. My favourite part is the Devonian gardens inside the Museum, especially because we were visiting in February. However, I could not fit through the door with the double jogging stroller and there was nowhere to park the stroller to walk through. I should have realized this prior (I mean, I've been there before..) but I wasn't planning on using the stroller until we got there and I realized hello... I'm by myself with three crazy boys! Anyways, the only complaint I have aside from the fact that I couldn't visit the Devonian gardens was that you have to exit through the gift shop. I realize this is a time-tested old-world marketing ploy that every Tourist stop employs, however; being by myself with three kids, a giant stroller and not exactly being a small person, I was TERRIFIED that we would knock something over or break something. We didn't, but my kids did have a fit when they realized I was not going to be purchasing anything from the museum. I would say unless you are someone who would likely never be going back to Drumheller again, skip the gift shop and the overpriced stuff, go to one of the local stores (Walmart, Dollar stores, etc) and grab your tchotchkes there. Bonus points if you find a local store to shop from!
We also just found out that they have a cafeteria here. I have been totally unaware that there was one (although I did wonder why they didn't have anywhere for someone to grab a drink and some food because this place is in the middle of nowhere, pretty much!) so I can't speak to the prices of the food or the food quality. (UPDATE: We have gone back once since this visit and we did take advantage of the cafeteria this time. It is what you would expect, it is expensive and the food is just okay. I would say save your money and go eat at one of the local restaurants that are in Drumheller. There are plenty of family-owned eateries to support!)
One last thing: They only allow water bottles inside the galleries. We did not know this, I did not see any signage saying no juice boxes or other drinks.. so we got into trouble for having juices. Even though the kids were sitting quietly inside their stroller grabbing a refreshment. So just keep this in mind :)
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| Wooly Mammoth being attacked by Saber Tooth Tigers. |
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| This is the obligatory picture we take every single time we go to the Royal Tyrrell. |
Second Stop!
The Star Mine Suspension Bridge
Price: FREE
Time Spent: Depends - 15 minutes up to a few hours if you do hikes
Accessibility: I would say not handicapped or stroller accessible - the bottom of the bridge is made of Diamond Steel Mesh.
Experience:
The Star Mine/Rosedale Suspension Bridge. This is a 117m long pedestrian suspension bridge built in 1931 to help the workers of the Star Mine to cross the Red Deer River. It was taken over by the Alberta Government who rebuilt the bridge in 1958 and now maintains it.
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| *not my picture. |
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| Ethan crossing the bridge |
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| Scenery on the way to Star Mine Bridge |
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| Bentley and Ethan braving the bridge! |
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"MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!"Third Stop! |
Price: FREE
Time Spent: 15-20 minutes
Accessibilty: Not Handicapped/Stroller accessible - there are stairs leading up to the HooDoos.
Experience:
The HooDoos are largely regarded as the most recognizable geological formations for the Alberta Badlands. They are between 70-75 MILLION years old and are eroding at a rate as much as 1 cm a year. That doesn't seem like much, but this is a faster erosion than almost any other geological formation. This is the COOLEST thing I have ever seen - as much as I have been to the World's Largest Dinosaur or the Royal Tyrrell, this is the first time I was able to experience the HooDoos. They are so neat to look at and even cooler to imagine how they have formed and eroded over the years - how the layers on the rocks symbolize prehistoric swamps and the inland sea that was present in Alberta during the Cretaceous period. SO COOL. (if you're into that science-y stuff)
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| Here, you can see the stairs leading up to the viewing platform near the HooDoos. |
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| Closer shot of the HooDoos.
We had tried to visit the Worlds Largest Dinosaur, however it was closed by the time we got there. But from what I remember, it was super affordable (~$10 for a family of 5, I think Dylan was free) and aside from being incredibly windy, it was really neat. That is only about a 20-30 minute activity. We also did the "11 Bridges to Wayne" tour. I would recommend that only if you're REALLY hard up for something to do, it was literally 11 tiny bridges to this incredibly small village/hamlet. HOWEVER - I have heard that the food at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne is amazing, and from the website it looks like they often have live entertainment, as well as being family friendly, so it may be worth a trip.
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Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology -
Star Mine Suspension Bridge -
(I couldn't find an actual website - so I linked the TripAdvisor site)
HooDoos -
Last Chance Saloon in Wayne -
If you decide to visit Drumheller and participate in any of the events listed here, please leave us a comment and let us know how you liked it! Or if you want to visit in the future, let us know what kind of stuff would interest you. There is SO much to do, the sky is the limit!
Have a Funtastic Day!
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