First published: 09/02/19.

Jay T 4.0

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park (Inscribed)

Dinosaur Provincial Park by Jay T

Of the Canadian fossil sites I have visited, I enjoyed Dinosaur Provincial Park the most. A great part of this is due to the size of the fossils on display in the on-site museum, to include tyrannosaurs, hadrosaurs, and ankylosaurs, all unearthed in the surrounding fluvial landscape. I spent an August day with dinosaurs last summer, starting off in the museum, and then exploring the nature trails in the surrounding badlands to see exhibits detailing former archaeological sites. I love the Badlands of South Dakota, and it was impressive to see a similar landscape inscribed as a World Heritage Site, even if primarily for the fossils found there (and I still find the US Badlands as separately unique for their own prairie and Native American heritage). Returning to the visitor center, I took part in a program to create plaster casts of fossils, which was enormously entertaining, and provided some unique gifts to pass on to my nephews and nieces. I wish I had had time to visit the excellent fossils at the Royal Tyrrell Musem of Paleontology a couple of hours away in Drumheller, but with time running short, I had to continue on with my travels to Lethbridge, Alberta, where I closed out my dinosaur day with a viewing of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It only seemed fitting.

Logistics: Dinosaur Provincial Park is about three hours east of Calgary, Alberta, and is best reached by private transportation.

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