麻豆APP

931px-_T_Rex__Canada’s_Dinosaur_Museum. photo by Bernard Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Drumheller Badlands, Alberta, Canada

Drumheller is a small city located in Alberta, Canada and is at the heart of the Canadian Badlands and very popular with dinosaur lovers of all ages. Its also known for other prehistoric artifacts, but there鈥檚 much more to this diverse and scenic region. Drumheller is the 鈥淒inosaur Capital of the World.鈥�

The badlands shelters the exceptional rock formations, gorgeous canyons, hoodoos, and fossil beds. Also there’s a likelihood to find the remains of beasts, both large and small, that once ruled the land. There is plenty in Drumheller for the dinosaur-inclined like the amazing Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Drumheller also offers lots of non-dinosaur fun.

Seventy-five million years ago when dinosaurs walked the earth, southern Alberta was a subtropical paradise of towering redwoods and giant ferns. Currently the fertile plains suddenly drop away into a world of multi-hued canyons and wind-sculpted hoodoos.

Spanning east from Drumheller to the Saskatchewan border and south to the United States, this region is known as the Canadian Badlands. It is home to the largest deposits of dinosaur bones in the world.

At the southeast end of the badlands, the Cypress Hills rise 600 meters above the plains like a vast layer cake of sedimentary rock. An astonishing diversity of plants and animals make their home in the grasslands, forests and wetlands of these high, lush plateaus. The Milk River Natural Area to the south of these hills preserves wild prairie in the same undisturbed state as when the buffalo

1. The Canadian Badlands is the only region in Alberta that shelters the western small-footed bat

This species of bat is classified as a Species of Special Concern by the province. Western small-footed bats typically roost in rock crevices, making the badlands and clay cutbacks an ideal habitat. It is also home to the prairie rattlesnake, the short-horned lizard and various species of cacti.

2. It is a home to 35 provincial parks and natural areas.

Lethbridge Viaduct Looking South From Alexander Wilderness Park photo by Tiado

The Badlands are home to numerous recreational areas including Alexander Wilderness Park, Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park, and Rochon Sands
Provincial Park.

3.Art, culture and history collide with retrofitted factories which serve as as museums in this region

The Canadian Badlands is home to hundreds of cultural, historic and scenic destinations. Plus, if you really love dinosaurs, you鈥檒l find the world鈥檚 largest in Drumheller, standing at 25 meters tall (that鈥檚 4.5 times the size of an actual T-Rex). Scale the 106 steps to the top for a roaring good view.

Medalta in Medicine Hat is both an industrial museum and contemporary arts Centre, utilizing past architecture and featuring artists who can help attendees craft their very own clay creations.

4.The Canadian Badlands is also a home to some of the darkest skies in the world

Take in the true beauty of the night sky at the Cypress Hills Observatory, conveniently located in the Cypress Hills Dark-Sky Preserve which is dedicated to keeping out artificial light that restricts the view. This dark-sky preserve is one of the darkest, most easily accessible, and one of the largest with 39,600 hectares protected 鈥� that鈥檚 the size of 97,850 football fields

5. The Rosedale Suspension Bridge

Rosedale Suspension Bridge Photo by R. Sieben

The Rosedale Suspension Bridge is a 117meter long bridge across the Red Deer River in Rosedale. It was originally built to allow the miners on the north side of the river to get across to the Rosedale community.

The bridge was constructed in 1931, before then the miners crossed the bridge in row boats. During a mud slide in 1957 the bridge and mine was destroyed. In 1958 the bridge was reconstructed, and is still used today. It is open to public and you can take the walk by yourself and enjoy the scenery. The bridge commemorates the mining history of the area

6. Hike in the Hoodoos Trail

Hoodoos Trail is the best way to explore the Hoodoos of Dinosaur Valley up close. It is located  on Highway 10, enroute to Dorothy from Drumheller. A hoodoo is also known as a tent rock, fairy chimney and earth pyramid.

It is basically a thin rock that protrudes from an arid rock basin or Badlands. On top of the hoodoo is a soft rock with softer, eroded stone as the column. If the rock topper is dislodged the hoodoo can erode completely, so remember no climbing when you visit the Hoodoo Trail.

7. The Bassano Dam has the highest point and is 150 meter’s wide

1075px-Bassano_Dam,_Alberta photo by steelium

The Bassano Dam is a reservoir for the local communities. It is part of the irrigation system for the surrounding farmlands. The Dam forms part of the main Canadian Pacific Railway鈥檚 main line. Some see the building of the dam as such a huge project that it overshadows the Brooks Aqua duct.

The highest point of the dam is 150 meters wide at the base. It is a magnificent sight to see vast amount of water the dam holds. You can bring a picnic basket and enjoy a leisurely time on the banks. The dam was refurbished in 1984 and today it offers irrigation water to more than 1500 farmers that are part of the irrigation system.

8. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Dinosaur Provincial park

Dinosaur Provincial park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located 165 kms from Drumheller. It offers a variety of activities for visitors during the day and overnight. The park is home to one of the biggest fossil deposit sites in the world, and there has been more than 50 different dinosaur species found at this site.

The fossils include some of the smallest microscopic fern spores, to the largest carnivorous dinosaurs. There are excellent camping grounds as well as guided tours and hikes. If you want to explore on your own, there are self-guided hiking trails on offer that show you the history of the park and the area. The park offers a visitors Centre with the necessary information.

9. Unusual fossils discovered in the Canadian Badlands isn’t actually dinosaur

It is believed that a relative to dinosaur walked the planet 225 million years ago . The leg bone of a pterosaur was discovered in the dinosaur provincial park. Also the tooth of a small predatory dinosaur was embedded in its bone

10.  Get to visit the Ghost Town of Wayne

It is located outside of Drumheller Alberta in the Red Deer River valley. The Ghost Town of Wayne has a coalmining town with more than 3000 inhabitants. It is one the coolest attractions in the Drumheller area.