Red Rock Coulee Natural Area

Visit this hidden gem in Southern Alberta especially at sunset.

This is a day use park and there are no facilities (bathrooms) available and camping is not allowed. Access is via a short gravel road leading to a parking area near the rock formations. There are also some excellent hiking trails and the chance to spot wildlife.

Keep an eye out for: white tailed jack rabbits, mule deer, pronghorn, western rattlesnakes, bull snakes, and shot horned lizards. Careful of the Opuntia Cactus as well.

The landscape offers steep sided coulees, a small upland of fescue needle grass and hoodoos. Plants include sage brush, opuntia, and prairie crocus.

Of course, the main attraction are the red rocks that give the area its name. Some are 2.5 m (8 ft) across. The sandstone (concretions in geological terms) have eroded out if the bedrock and are thought to be among the largest in the world.