There’s something about Drumheller that truly does not feel like Alberta.
Maybe it’s the massive rock formations, the dry canyon landscape, or the fact that you can go from standing beside giant hoodoos to climbing inside the World’s Largest Dinosaur, all in the same afternoon.
It almost feels like stepping into a completely different world, which is exactly why I just had to go and experience it for myself again. I hadn’t been to Drumheller since I was a kid, and somewhere along the way, I forgot just how captivating and filled with history the entire town really is.
A landscape that feels frozen in time
Driving into Drumheller honestly felt surreal. The deeper I got into the badlands, the more it stopped feeling like Alberta altogether. The landscape slowly transitioned into massive cliffs and valleys that looked more like something you see in a movie than on a road trip just a couple of hours from Calgary.
I parked near the Royal Tyrell Museum and spent some time exploring the area before venturing further into the badlands. Even just walking around, everything felt massive in a way that photos honestly don’t fully capture.
One of my favourite parts was seeing the hoodoos up close because they almost look unreal in person. The towering rock formation, winding trails, and endless views made the entire area feel frozen in time.
A view worth the climb
If you head up the stairs directly in front of the Royal Tyrell Museum, it leads you to a boardwalk viewpoint. Once you make your way to the top, the landscape opens up in a way that is hard to put into words.
Along the boardwalk, some telescope-style viewers let you zoom in on different areas of the landscape, making it easy to see how layered everything is. From up top, you really get a sense of the scale of Drumheller and how vast and unique the terrain actually is. I stood up there for around 15 minutes just taking in the view.
One thing I truly love seeing is all the tourists and school groups out in the area. It made it feel like everyone was connected by the same experience, all taking in and learning from the history around them.
Drumheller’s most iconic stop
Of course, no trip to Drumheller would be complete without stopping to see my girl Tyra. And if you don’t know who Tyra is, she’s the world’s largest dinosaur, standing at 86 feet tall. She’s basically impossible to miss, standing over the town as one of the most iconic roadside stops you’ll ever see.
You can actually climb inside and make your way up 106 stairs to the top viewing platform inside her mouth, where you get a full panoramic view of Drumheller and the surrounding badlands.
After spending the day in Drumheller, I was reminded why it stuck with me so much as a kid. One minute you’re staring out over the badlands, and the next you’re climbing inside a giant dinosaur in the middle of town. And honestly, if you’ve ever wanted to pretend you’ve stepped into a Jurassic Park movie for the day, this is the place to do it. It’s the dinosaur capital of the world, after all.
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Kaiya Williams
Kaiya is a Calgary-based writer and content creator with a background in marketing and digital storytelling. She has a passion for community-driven stories and covering local experiences that connect people.
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