alberta

What little boy doesn’t have, at least a mild one, an obsession with Dinosaurs? When exploring options for our family holiday Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the world became an easy option for us for a long weekend vacation.

Surprisingly, with only a few short weeks until the long weekend, and knowing we wanted to camp our options were not as limited as we thought. We ended up making a reservation at Dinos Nest, which is located within Drumheller City limits. We stayed at the sister site Dino’s RV Nest. The location is awesome as it seems fairly central when you’re looking at tourist destinations. The lady who we dealt with was incredible and was full of tips and suggestions when we were planning our day. We had a good size green space at our campsite and my kids quickly made friends with the other campers. The playground was a definite hit. We did have to pay for firewood but that is the case in nearly all campgrounds these days and we found the price to be fair. The portable fire pits are ingenious and incredibly handy.

After getting a good nights sleep we started out for a full day of adventuring and exploring Drumheller.

Day One

• The Worlds Largest Dinosaur! You can not visit Drumheller and no give this a visit. My family loved this. The little ones were thrilled to be “eaten by a dinosaur” and take some awesome pictures.  With over 100 steps to the top is a treck, but the journey is worth it.  There is a gift shop there, however, do yourself a favour and skip it. The Royal Tyrrell has a more reasonably priced one.
• Follow the North Dinosaur Trail.
  • The Little Church. It is beautiful, and the history is wonderful. It is Little, as the name implied, so little in fact that we nearly drove past it.  It seats only six people at a time, but it seats them comfortably.
  • Horsethief Canyon, another area rich with history and the view is incredible. I wish we had brought a picnic as it would have been a perfect spot. The boys made friends with some gophers and sat there watching them for a good amount of time.
  • Bleriot Ferry which crosses the Red Deer River. It takes about 5 minutes or so to cross the river and then you’re on your way.
  • Orkney Viewpoint, just off the beaten path for another incredible lookout. It is gorgeous and I would love to catch is during a sunrise/sunset. The river snakes through beautifully.
• Royal Tyrrell Museum. Drumheller’s Claim to fame. There are a lot of interactive displays to keep the kid busy while we read the information panels. Certainly informative. The staff throughout the museum were full of interesting fact and were happy to answer any questions Big H & L had to ask. They have an amazing fossil of a Nosodor, in near perfect condition. This is was my absolute favourite exhibit and I highly recommend you take some time here. The gift shop was reasonably priced which both shocked and pleased me. I expected otherwise. This is the gift shop I recommend you buy your souvenirs at.

After a day full of activities we were all ready to head back to the camper. We made a batch of Tacos in a Bag for dinner while the boys made friends with the other kids at the campsite. After dinner (and marshmallows of course) they headed off to bed and Blayne and I enjoyed the rest of our evening – with an amazing show of the Northern Lights – and planned what we would do the next day of our dinosaur filled weekend.

I think my favourite time of any trip is after the kids go to bed, and Blayne and I get to relax on our own, in the quiet. Doing it outdoors around the campfire is something special all on its own.

Day Two

•  The Hoodoos. My kids absolutely loved this place. Climbing and running around. Beautiful scenery too. It is much smaller than I had expected, but years of people and weather have led to that. They are still unique and wonderful though. None the less, you can spend hours exploring and climbing. We spend about an hour there and we didn’t even make it a fraction of the way to the top.
• Atlas Coal Mine. While there are only certain things you can do if you’re under the age of 6, there is still a ton to do here with the younger ones. The pony cart ride and the train ride were by far the most popular for us.  B and I enjoyed it from a more adult perspective and the boys loved seeing everything. The staff, especially the train conductor, were friendly and super informative. We were there for about 3 hours. Bring a picnic as this is also a perfect place to eat.
• Rosedale Suspension Bridge. Not only is it free it gives you another glimpse into the past. Big H and L could have easily spent all day going back and forth if we were to let them. At the other side, there is plenty of trails that you can hike if that is something you have time to do. I hear there are smoulder piles that have been smoking for years, so keep an eye out for that!
• The Fossil Shop. Drumheller has no shortage of souvenir stores but this one is special. The items in the store are BEAUTIFUL, which grossly undersells it even. While there some incredibly large and expensive pieces there are plenty of small, gorgeous, unique pieces available as well for a very fair price. I’m confident that there is something there for everyone. The staff is helpful and encourages you to “touch the past.”

One Final Stop

• WHIFS Flapjack House. We had breakfast here after being told by numerous Drumheller locals that it was the place to be. The food was awesome. The buffet had all the offerings and their famous Flapjacks were all they were made out to be.

From there we ventured onward. Still talking about the memories we made and the wonderful vacation we had.