Things to Do in Drumheller, Alberta in 2024

Welcome to Drumheller
Welcome to Drumheller

Drumheller, a town of about 8,000 people (10,000 if you include greater Drumheller) is a fantastic destination if you love any combination of the following – canoeing, biking, badlands scenery, world-class museums, or dinosaurs. The town fully embraces the dinosaur theme – which can get a little tacky, but it’s justifiable considering it’s home to a world-class dinosaur museum, and only a 90 minute drive to Dinosaur Provincial Park (a UNESCO site), where the dinosaurs once roamed. There’s a surprising number of things to do in Drumheller and nearby.

The town is a four season destination though I think it really shines in summer when you can see the area from the river, on two wheels, or two feet.

Drumheller is an easy 90-minute drive northeast of Calgary – past fields of yellow canola if you visit in summer. 

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Location map of things to do in Drumheller

                                                   

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Described below are 15 of the top things you’ll want to do on a visit to Drumheller.

Canoe the Red Deer River – one of the best things to do in Drumheller in summer

Canoeing the Red Deer River is a fun thing to do for a few hours or better yet, a few days.

Two years ago John and I along with a couple of friends did a weekend trip. We started with a shuttle from Drumheller to Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park and then over two days paddled back to town, wild camping one night along the Red Deer River.

There are also plenty of opportunities to do day canoe trips out of Drumheller. Paddling through the Canadian Badlands landscape is a beautiful way to spend time in the summer.

This is an easy, family-friendly river to paddle – though it can get windy.

Lovely calm water at the start of the day
Lovely calm water at the start of the day on the Red Deer River

Walk the Hoodoos Trail

Drive Highway 10 southeast from Drumheller for approximately 16 kilometres to reach the Hoodoos Trail, on the north side of the highway.

Walk among the hoodoos – geological wonders made of sand and clay from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. They have stood like sentinels at the mouth of the Willow Creek Coulee for thousands of years.

While there are stairs to aid in exploration, it would seem most people just head off trail to explore, with some people climbing to a height of land for a better view. (See photo below.)

Be careful when it’s rainy as the clay becomes very slippery. Avoid altogether in the winter.

Kids love playing along the Hoodoo Trail
Kids love playing on the rocks on the Hoodoo Trail
A couple of guys enjoying the views from the hoodoos in Drumheller
A couple of guys enjoying the views from the hoodoos in Drumheller
Big hoodoos near the parking lot
Big hoodoos near the parking lot

Photograph the canola fields in summer

Drive to Drumheller in summer and you’ll be dazzled by fields of yellow canola. If you’re a photographer explore the backroads to catch their beauty.

You’ll get amazing shots on a stormy evening or during the golden hour.

Did you know canola was developed in the early 1970’s? The word canola comes from “Can” for Canada and “ola” standing for oil low acid.

Things to do in Drumheller include photographing the canola fields
The canola fields around Drumheller

Bike or drive the Dinosaur Trail loop starting in Drumheller

The Dinosaur Trail loop is a hilly (about 160 m of elevation gain) but scenic 50 km outing that includes the Bleriot Ferry.

Allow two to three hours to complete it, depending on how many stops you make. A good place to start and finish is at the world’s largest dinosaur in downtown Drumheller as there is plenty of parking. 

Pretty cycling along the Red Deer River
Pretty cycling along the Red Deer River

Visit the Orkney Lookout

The Orkney Viewpoint is west of Drumheller, off Highway 837, via a bumpy one-kilometre dirt road.

Admire far-reaching views up and down the Red Deer River but stay well back from the cliff edge. (Note that it’s closed in winter.) There’s a bit of history here too as the road was built to connect Kirkpatrick to the Scottish farming community of Orkney.

View up the Red Deer River from the Orkney Viewpoint
View up the Red Deer River from the Orkney Viewpoint

Ride the Bleriot Ferry

There isn’t much that’s free anymore, but riding the Bleriot Ferry 105 metres across the Red Deer River is.

It only takes a few minutes, and allows you to bike or drive the 50 km Dinosaur Trail loop. It’s open from 8 AM until 11 PM from May 9th to the September long weekend.

The ferry uses cables to cross the river – so as a canoeist you need to give the ferry some space. It just goes back and forth all day long as people show up on either side of the Red Deer River. 

Canoeing up to the Bleriot Ferry
Canoeing up to the Bleriot Ferry

Check out the world’s largest dinosaur

The world’s largest dinosaur standing 25 m tall in Drumheller is a sight you’ll want to see on any visit to Drumheller. It’s a female, 4.5 times the size of a living Tyrannosaurus rex. 

The dinosaur officially opened on October 13, 2000. You can pay to go inside at a cost of $4 for an adult or $10.50 for a family. Climb to the mouth for a better view. 

The world's largest dinosaur is in Drumheller
The world’s largest dinosaur is in Drumheller

Visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum

To appreciate the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology I think you’ll need to visit many times as there is so much to learn and take in.

This world-class attraction put Drumheller solidly on the map. The displays are breathtaking – with a big WOW factor, even if you’re not that into dinosaurs.

It is recommended that you buy tickets in advance, so you can enter the museum at the time you would like to. Allow several hours for your visit. 

Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO site well worth a visit, is not in Drumheller but closer to Brooks, Alberta, 164 km and a 1.5 hour drive away. Many people get the two confused.

Fantastic exhibits at the Royal Tyrrell Museum
Fantastic exhibits at the Royal Tyrrell Museum
One visit will not be enough to take in all that the Royal Tyrrell Museum showcases
One visit will not be enough to take in all that the Royal Tyrrell Museum showcases

Walk the Interpretive Trail behind the museum

Either before or after you’ve visited the museum, wander around behind the building and do the easy one kilometre hike on the Interpretive Trail.

You’ll find hoodoos, informational signs, and some very beautiful and compelling badlands scenery. The trail is in Midlands Provincial Park

The Interpretive Trail behind the Royal Tyrrell Museum is easy to follow even in winter
The Interpretive Trail behind the Royal Tyrrell Museum is easy to follow even in winter

Have a burger at Bernie & the Boys

Profiled on the show, You Gotta Eat Here, this restaurant serves old-fashioned milkshakes in at least two dozen flavours along with a list of hamburgers that reads like a pizza menu.

Their most famous one, that should serve a family of four, is the Mammoth Burger. It’s a 24 ounce patty on a homemade bun with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

G's Special Burger & an old-fashioned milkshake
G’s Special Burger & an old-fashioned milkshake from Bernie & The Boys

Visit Horsethief Canyon

Horsethief Canyon, named after outlaws who hid stolen livestock here over a century ago, isn’t as touristy as Horseshoe Canyon but it’s still very beautiful.

You’ll find it on the east bank of the Red Deer River, 16 kilometres northwest of Drumheller. People often confuse it with Horseshoe Canyon.

You are allowed to hike down into the canyon (though it’s closed in winter) – though that’s for more adventurous people as you won’t find signage and trails are less well-used than in Horseshoe Canyon.

Visit beautiful Horse Thief Canyon near Drumheller

Explore Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller on foot

Drive 17 km west of Drumheller on Hwy 9 and then take the signed turn-off to reach the huge u-shaped Horseshoe Canyon. There are several viewing platforms easily accessed from the parking lot.

From the top of the canyon admire a geological history dating to the Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago when dinosaurs called this area home.

There is the option to explore inside the canyon. There are a couple of trails down into it – and from there you can spend the better part of a day, if you’re adventurous. The two arms of the canyon each extend about 5 kilometres. If you plan to explore them in summer, be sure to take lots of water and a sun hat. It is off limits in winter.

Read: Horseshoe Canyon Hike Near Drumheller, AB

Check out Horseshoe Canyon - either from the viewpoints or a couple of trails - going cross-country like this is not recommended especially when wet!
Check out Horseshoe Canyon – either from the viewpoints or a couple of trails – going cross-country like this is not recommended especially when wet!
Lots of trails to explore in Horseshoe Canyon Lots of trails to explore in Horseshoe Canyon

Pay your respects at the Little Church near Drumheller

The Little Church, built in 1968, was designed as a place of worship though it’s also a tourist attraction. It seats just 6 people at a time.

You’ll find it on the north side of the North Dinosaur Trail at the corner of Murray Hill Road – after the Royal Tyrrell Museum, if you’re driving towards the Bleriot Ferry. Visitors are free to enter.

Drumheller's Little Church
Drumheller’s Little Church seats 6 people at a time

Go the theatre in nearby Rosebud

Head to Rosebud, a 25 minute drive southwest of Drumheller if you enjoy a night at the theatre. The small hamlet is home to a professional theatre company offering six shows every year on two stages from March until December.

There is the option of a dinner and theatre at the Opera House. The will also be offering open air concerts in 2023.

Go to the theatre in nearby Rosebud
One of the stages in Rosebud

Bike or drive the 11 Bridges Road to Wayne from Drumheller

Bike or drive Highway 10x – the 11 Bridges Road from Rosedale to Wayne. Along the six kilometre stretch you’ll cross 11 one-lane metal bridges, enough to earn bragging rights in the Guinness Book of World Records – as the most bridges to be found within the shortest distance.

Stop in at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne – not just for the food, but to marvel at the antiques and memorabilia from the early 1900’s when coal mining was alive and well.

This is an exceptionally pretty road with lots of canyon scenery.

One of the 11 bridges on the way to Wayne
One of the 11 bridges on the way to Wayne
Stop in for a meal or a drink at the Last Chance Saloon
Stop in for a meal or a drink at the Last Chance Saloon, a rustic bar established in 1913

Visit the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site

You’ll find the Atlas Coal Mine 23 kilometres southeast of Drumheller via Highways 56 and 10. It’s a large site – which you can experience on a tour. 

Between 1911 and 1979, the Drumheller Valley was a hotbed for coal mining with 139 mines operating at different times. The Atlas Coal Mine preserves and showcases the history when “coal was king.” It’s a fascinating site to see and definitely worth a visit.

The historic Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller
The historic Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller

Drive scenic Highway 10 to Dorothy

The drive from Drumheller to Dorothy along Highway 10 is an exceptionally scenic one. Surprisingly, at least at dusk, you need to keep an eye out for moose. Who would have guessed?

There isn’t a lot to see in Dorothy but there are two white, restored churches across the road from one another, a beautiful grain elevator and the Arthur Peake First Ranch House.

An abandoned grain elevator in Dorothy makes a good photographic subject
An abandoned grain elevator in Dorothy makes a good photographic subject
An old cowboy cabin in Dorothy
Arthur Peake First Ranch House in Dorothy
Get a glimpse of what life would have looked like as a cowboy
Get a glimpse of what life would have looked like off the horse as a cowboy in the ranch house

Where to stay in the Drumheller area

If you want to stay in one of Alberta’s Charming Inns book the Heartwood Inn & Spa – a B&B not from from Drumheller’s downtown area. 

For a mainstream overnight stay, check out the Canalta Jurassic.

There are also several RV resorts and campgrounds, most with nice locations along the Red Deer River.

You'll find dinosaurs in the garden of the Heartwood Inn in Drumheller
You’ll find dinosaurs in the garden of the Heartwood Inn & Spa in Drumheller

More reading on things to do in south and eastern Alberta

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Top things to do in Drumheller, Alberta

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