4 Things to do around Drumheller

Driving along the Alberta 9 road, deep into the fields, some friends of mine invited me and two other guys for a night in Drumheller. They wanted to show us the beauty of the place they stayed during summer. The thing is... I just passed two months in Canmore, where I was totally obsessed by the massive landscape there and couldn't believe that Drumheller could amaze my eyes more than the rocky mountains.

#1

So yeah,

Me and two other guy drove the 2 hours and 18 minutes that separated Canmore from Drum (thanks Google Maps) through infinite fields... A pleasant drive with a few turns. 

After spending an hour wondering where the canyon was, we finally arrived to the Horseshoe Canyon Interpretive Centre. It was a nice little canyon that came out of nowhere where you can walk down in it. 

Horseshoe Canyon's view as we arrived

This majestic canyon as plenty of non-mapped little trails. Me and the two others spent a good hour and a half wondering through the canyon, going up and down the small sandstone formations.

#2

As you enter the town of Drumheller, which is located in the largest and deepest part of the entire canyon. You'll probably notice that there's a lot of dinosaur representation. In fact, the canyon where Drumeller is situated is the richest place for dinosaur fossils in all Canada. So, if you want to have a good view of the town and want to see the World's Largest Dinosaur, go for it. This giant representation is located south of the Red Deer River in town... You can admire it or climb in it for a better view.

By the way, sorry for the burgers, we were hungry, hope you understand that.

#3

Go for Horsethief Canyon, if you are amazed by canyons and that kind of stuff and you want to go for a day hike in the canyon, I suggest you to go there because this one is bigger and larger than Horseshoe. This time, we went there as the sun rose (it explains the thumbnail).

#4

(The most important)

During the night, as we slept, our friends rudely woke us up and they told us that they wanted us to see what mattered most to them. they drove us to the Hoodoo trail-head, we climbed up a small hill and turned off all of our lights.  And it was at this exact moment that I, yes, me, the one who said that he couldn't be appealed by the canyon, I was, and will always be, amazed by the night sky I saw there. Just by looking at the night sky, with my bare eyes, I was watching the most stellar natural phenomenon. I kept looking at the billions light dots which formed a great, colorful line across the sky, the milky way in all of its details. We stayed there 3 or 4 hours, I don't know, I just wanted to stay there and the sun to not rise. It was a memorable night where I saw more than seventy shooting stars...

So, If you are around Drumheller and want to see a good natural show, there's no light pollution there... It's the most important thing to do, I'm telling you.

Hope you enjoy, 

Cheers, 

Maxence Lavoie