Dinosaur Provincial Park
Alberta Provincial Park / UNESCO World Heritage Site · Patricia, Alberta
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a stretch of badlands along the Red Deer River in southern Alberta, about two hours east of Calgary and near the town of Brooks. UNESCO listed it in 1979 as one of the richest dinosaur fossil beds in the world, with dozens of species found here. It is an Alberta Parks site, not a Parks Canada one. The landscape is dry coulees, hoodoos and layered clay and sandstone, with cottonwoods along the river. Much of the park is a restricted core area that you can enter only on a guided tour or hike, so book ahead and confirm. The public areas include short trails, a loop road, a campground and a visitor centre with a field station run with the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is a separate place near Drumheller, about two hours away. It suits families, geology fans and photographers. Summer heat can pass 35 C, rattlesnakes live here, and rain turns the clay to slick gumbo that closes roads. No fossil collecting is allowed.
Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre, Township Road 204, Patricia, Alberta, T0J 2K0, Canada
The park is generally open year-round for daytime use, but services are seasonal. The visitor centre, field station exhibits, guided tours and the campground run mainly from late spring to early autumn, with times that change by year, so confirm before driving. Guided hikes and bus tours into the restricted core area are scheduled, limited in size and often fully booked in July and August, so reserve ahead and check the meeting point. Public trails and the loop road can be used outside tour times, but may close in wet weather when clay roads become impassable. In winter, facilities are minimal and snow or ice can limit access. Evening light for photography is best in summer.
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