UP CLOSE WITH T-REX
Alberta’s dinosaur trail offers up a chance to make scientific history
Royal Tyrrell the highlight of dinosaur trail
Every province has its defining symbols, from B.C.’S floral dogwood to the Atlantic puffin of Newfoundland and Labrador. On the federal scene, Canada’s bucktoothed ambassador, the beaver, certainly needs no introduction. But only Alberta can claim its own dinosaur.
When Joseph Burr Tyrrell discovered the fossilized remains of a giant theropod in 1884, he set the Prairie province on course to become a global leader in paleontological science and unwittingly created a whole new field of exploration — dino-tourism.
His discovery of what became known as Albertosaurus, closely related to the legendary T-rex, brought renown to the coal-mining town of Drumheller and led a century later, in 1985, to the opening in his honour of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, dedicated exclusively to paleontology.
Its mandate — “celebrating the spectacular history of life on Earth, from the tiniest grains of pollen to the mightiest dinosaurs” — has never wavered and today its collection of dinosaur skeletons is one of the largest in the world. Sprawling over 77,500 square metres, the Royal Tyrrell has unearthed many of its fossils from the surrounding badlands, with less than one per cent of its extensive collection on show and new specimens being added every year.
The big-daddy attraction is the Dinosaur Hall, where remains of the fearsome meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex bring to life fevered Jurassic Park imaginings. As its curators point out: “Until you stand close to a life-size dinosaur, it’s difficult to appreciate just how awesome these creatures were.”
Though T-rex steals the show, Euoplocephalus, meaning well-armoured head, and the Regaliceratops, an impressive horned dinosaur, share the stage, while a separate exhibit explores the world of mosasaurs, the giant reptiles of the seas.
Get interactive with the province’s namesake dino at the Learning Lounge, where a life-size
Until you stand close to a life-size dinosaur, it’s difficult to appreciate just how awesome these creatures were.
Royal Tyrrell Museum curators
Projects like these are crucial to helping our tourism sector come roaring back after COVID-19.
bronze sculpture of the Albertosaurus has been delighting visitors as part of a $9.3-million expansion opened last June aimed at making the museum more hands-on. Programs for the young include science camps, dino adventure hours and fossil-casting.
Located in Midland Provincial Park, six kilometres northwest of Drumheller, the Royal Tyrrell engages with its surroundings through off-site activities including the 1.4-km badlands interpretive trail and a guided educational hike through the “seven wonders of the badlands” from the subtropical climes of the Cretaceous period to today’s arid gullies.
Fifteen minutes east of Drumheller are the Willow Creek hoodoos, a fine collection of these oddly shaped sandstone pillars that are protected under provincial legislation.
Descending through the serrated badlands into downtown Drumheller, the “world’s biggest dinosaur” comes into view. Rising menacingly above the town information centre, the steel-and-fibreglass T-rex sculpture is nearly five times bigger than the real thing and weighs 65 tonnes.
Unveiled in 2000, it looms 25 metres over the town and offers unrivalled views for those who splash out $4 for a hike up its 106 stairs. Ottawa recently announced a $200,000 “scenic transformation” reno for the sculpture.
“Projects like these are crucial to helping our tourism sector come roaring back after COVID-19,” Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly said at the announcement in June.
About two hours’ drive south of Drumheller, the Royal Tyrrell maintains a field station and interpretive centre at Dinosaur Provincial Park, a 75-square-km UNESCO World Heritage site where academics conduct field studies in the tradition of Tyrrell’s pioneering work 135 years ago.
Exhibits illuminate the park’s geology and natural history and open a window on fossil preparation through video displays and a prep lab. More than 150 full dinosaur skeletons have been excavated here, and more than 50 species
identified, with guided tours allowing wannabe scientists the chance to find their own fossils. The park offers more extensive expeditions costing hundreds of dollars.
As rains and run-off sluice away layers of badlands sediment to expose ancient remains, startling revelations are common, the latest coming in February with word an amateur fossil hunter had discovered a new species of tyrannosaur.
The family-friendly park is set up for glamping with sturdy canvas tents complete with real beds and private patios. Explorers can clean up at the on-site showers and laundromat before savouring a snack at the Cretaceous Cafe, while traditional campers and Rvers have more than 120 pads to choose from.
Three hours’ drive from Calgary in Warner, south of Lethbridge, the Devil’s Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum bills itself as the home of Canada’s first dinosaur nesting site and proudly displays its centrepiece, a duck-billed Hadrosaur with nest and embryo, alongside an assortment of fossils, models and dino murals. It all started in 1987 when a local teen stumbled upon some dinosaur egg shells during a hike through the nearby coulees.
That’s the beauty of Alberta’s dino tourism: it’s an enriching vacation that may just contribute to advancing scientific knowledge. Dr. François Therrien, a paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell, says the province is unique in being linked to five different species of tyrannosaur, with many discoveries being made over the years by trained professionals. But in several cases members of the public have been the ones to stumble upon dinosaur bones, he told the Lethbridge News.
Be warned, though, that Alberta has strict rules on fossil finds — they must be left buried and reported to authorities. Violators fines up to $50,000 or a year in jail.
But take heart. Says Therrien: “If it’s something significant, you’ll be invited to come on the dig or on the expedition to recover fossils and if it’s a new species, that species may actually be named after you.”