Departure time: Summer and autumn
Duration: 6 days and 5 nights
Car rental advice: You can rent a car at any car rental agency in Calgary Airport
Arrival Airport: Calgary International Canadian Badlands Airport
Departure airport: Calgary International Airport
Day 1: Calgary – Drumheller – Dinosaur Provincial Park – Medicine Hat
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Day 2: Medicine Hat
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Day 3: Medicine Hat – Elkwater
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Day 4: Elkwater – Waterton
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Day 5: Waterton
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Day 6: Waterton – Calgary
come Alberta Southern Alberta Canadian Badlands In the Canadian Badlands, you will have a conversation with the strange geological features like the surface of the moon in the remains of 200 million years, feel the amazing power of the earth, and listen to the ancient call from the strange rocks in the canyon.
Millions of years ago, this place was full of vitality, but now it has become a “barren land” and has performed a more desolate and mysterious miracle. Here, countless archaeologists and travelers have searched for “ugly, fantastic, and strange” mountains and rock formations, and explored the ancient dinosaur fossils and once lush strata.
Follow us for 6 days and 5 nights, go deep into the Canadian Badlands, search for the lost light years, follow the footsteps of the North American ancestors, and experience the epic primitive customs.
DAY 1
Calgary – Drumheller – Dinosaur Provincial Park – Medicine Hat
Calgary is the fourth largest city in Canada. As the economic and financial center and the largest city in Alberta, it is famous for the Calgary Stampede. The supersonic development of Calgary’s food, art and nightlife can also fully make people feel the vitality of this city.
Driving east from Calgary, it takes less than 2 hours to reach
Drumheller area. Entering Drumheller, the road will drop sharply and go deep into the canyon area. The town is surrounded by mysterious wasteland with strange natural rock pillars. Deep river valleys separate the vast wasteland. Canadian Badlands This place was built because of coal, telling the past of lush forests billions of years ago.
Today, it is world-famous for its dinosaur fossils. Drumheller has the world’s largest dinosaur sculpture, and dinosaur art can be seen everywhere, which shows the locals’ love for the mysterious and majestic dinosaurs.
Fossil Laboratory
This is one of the largest dinosaur museums on earth and also a “great encyclopedia” of ancient times. The museum exhibits the largest number of dinosaur bone fossils in the world, including the “Hellboy” dinosaur skeleton discovered in 2005 and the 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex “Black Beauty”.
The museum combines modern technology such as sound, light, and film to completely restore the scene here in ancient times. In addition to dinosaurs, Canadian Badlands other mammals, reptiles, fish, and trilobites, primitive snails, and fossil fish with exposed sharp teeth and a length of three meters that grew in Alberta during the dinosaur period are also on display.
There are also more than one hundred kinds of ancient plants and theme exhibitions on the movement of the earth’s plates, allowing you to travel through the 4.5 billion-year time tunnel of the earth. The museum often has interactive experiences. Canadian Badlands You can come here to see the fossil laboratory, learn about how they were discovered, and wander in the sea of ​​biological knowledge.
Museum of Paleontology
Paleontologists have discovered more than 400 dinosaur bones from more than 40 species here. Although the area is not large, such a staggering number of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed, which is probably unique in the world.
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Located deep in the Red Deer River Valley, Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Walking into this place, everything seems like an unreal landscape. Natural strange rock pillars can be seen everywhere, and the desolate and barren badlands are like the surface of Mars. The mysterious dinosaur fossils buried deep here and the strange terrain will bring unlimited imagination. It is really exciting to touch the dinosaur fossils in person and look for traces of dinosaurs living Canadian Badlands here 75 million years ago.
There are hiking trails in Dinosaur Park for hiking enthusiasts to choose from, as well as the famous “Trail of the Fossil Hunters” where you may encounter real fossils. If you find them, the park will issue you a certificate. There is also a circular driving track in the park that can pass through part of the park. Like Jurassic Park, the decadent and desolate beauty here will definitely make you unforgettable.
It takes more than an hour to drive from Dinosaur Park to the small town in the southeast.
Medicine Hat This is truly a sunny city, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year.
Related Recommendations
- Hotels: You can stay in the first two days of the trip.
- Baymont Inn & Suites Medicine Hat
- (Baymont by Wyndham Medicine Hat) Canadian Badlands or
- Medicine Hat Chalet
- (Medicine Hat Lodge)
DAY 2
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is full of happiness because of the abundant sunshine. The cafes here are perfectly integrated with the graffiti on the walls, and the whole street is full of artistic atmosphere. Walking on the streets of Medicine Hat, taking some pictures of the graffiti on the walls is not only interesting but also helps to understand the local history.
Medalta Potteries National Historic
Medalta Potteries National Historic Site was once home to 75% of Canada’s pottery, which was exported to all over the world. As the times change, it has now become an interactive museum where we can learn about Canada’s industrial history through these pottery. Canadian Badlands There is the oldest pottery workshop here, and of course there are interactive experiences. You can get started yourself, enter the circular kiln, make a piece of pottery that is exclusive to you, and learn about the production technology and craftsmanship of the past.
There is also a quiet
Police Point Park, the quietly flowing lake and the quiet and deep hiking trails add to the wildness of this place. The huge tree hole can listen to all your Canadian Badlands stories and is also very popular.
Related Recommendations
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Hotels: You can stay in the first two days of the trip.
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Baymont Inn & Suites Medicine Hat
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(Baymont by Wyndham Medicine Hat) or
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Medicine Hat Chalet
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(Medicine Hat Lodge)
DAY 3
Medicine Hat – Elkwater
On the way to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, in Red Rock Coulee, there are still strange rock forests and barren grasslands. Everything seems like another lifeless planet. In summer and autumn, the grass and rocks form a sharp contrast. You will feel the power of all life and Canadian Badlands desolation here.
Continue driving, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park rises from the ground. It is definitely a great place to relax in Alberta. When night falls, it is the best destination for observing stars and planets, and it is also a veritable dark sky reserve. During the day, you can also go boating and fishing in the park’s lake; cross the jungle and search for dinosaur fossils. This park is ready for you. Of course, enjoying the beauty of Cypress Hills is also essential. Cypress Hills is located in a hilly area above 579 meters. There are cliffs, viewpoints and forest trails everywhere, and you can enjoy the adventure trip of the primeval forest.
From the Reesor Viewpoint, you can see the green trees and Spruce Coulee. You can have a panoramic view of the Canadian Badlands coulee or visit the highest point of the mountain to feel the grandeur of the view from above.
If you want to explore Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in depth, we will Elkwater Lake Lodge is a comfortable lodge that provides ample preparation for travelers to explore Cypress, including off-road equipment in the winter and some beautiful hiking trails in the summer Canadian Badlands and fall.
Related Recommendations
Hotels: On the third day, you can choose to stay at Elkwater Lake Lodge or campground
DAY 4
Elkwater – Waterton
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
It takes about 3 hours to drive from Elkwater to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. This is the largest rock art site in North America. Ancient indigenous people used rock paintings Canadian Badlands and pictographs to record the history of the Blackfoot and Shoshone tribes 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.
The local guide will take you to understand why this place is regarded as the most important sacred place by the indigenous people, and understand Canadian Badlands the meaning of these rock paintings, starting a rock painting tour that dialogues with history. You can also take a canoe to swim in the river and go cross-country skiing in winter. Stroll Stone Forest Trail (Hoodoo Trail), in the bubbling milk river
Strolling along the Milk River or fishing are both good options here. There are many wild animals in the stone carving park, and you can feel the contrast between life and hard rocks.
DAY 5
Waterton is a very charming alpine town with Alberta
Compared with other destinations, this place is more quiet, as if time has stopped, and you can enjoy a unique and transcendent tranquility.
In Waterton Lakes National Park, you Canadian Badlands can experience the flat grasslands and Rocky Mountains
The lake reflects the castle on the top of the mountain, making you feel like you are in a fairy tale world.
The park is located in southwestern Alberta, adjacent to Montana in the United States. It is a World Heritage Site and part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and International Peace Park. At the same time, it is the fourth oldest national park in Canada.
Waterton Lake
It is named after Waterton Lake and is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies.
The park has a vast area and rich biodiversity. Grizzly bears, elk, mountain lions and other iconic animals here. There are also hundreds of plant species growing here. The beautiful and charming natural environment offers a new scene at every step, providing photography enthusiasts with the opportunity to take blockbuster films at any time.
Cameron Falls is one of the most popular places to check in in Waterton. In the rainy season, the river water upstream of this waterfall will mix with red mud and rocks. When the waterfall rushes down, it turns pink, which is both romantic and shocking!
The oldest Precambrian rocks in the Canadian Rockies were discovered here and are said to be around 1.5 billion years old.
Waterton Valley, located along Route 6 in the eastern part of the park, is a great place to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Canadian Badlands lakes and mountains.
In the summer breeze, take a walk along the lake or take a boat on the lake to admire the nearby mountains and woods, and enjoy the fresh nature in private, which is a unique experience.
Because the park is adjacent to the U.S.-Canada border, you can also cross the U.S.-Canada border into Montana when you take a boat cruise! Overlooking the scenery of the two countries, you can appreciate the mountains and the long and elegant scenery along the lake.
Readmore Beginners tips and common knowledge for domestic travel 2025
DAY 6
Waterton – Calgary
It’s about 240 kilometers from Canadian Badlands Waterton by car, and it takes about 2 hours to get there.
Calgary
As the central city of Alberta, Calgary is convenient for traveling to various surrounding destinations. It is an important tourist transportation hub and scenic spot, Canadian Badlands and also a city with aboriginal historical flavor.
This place has the most bizarre name of any Alberta attraction, because it is a reflection of Canada’s cultural heritage and a story of a people’s resourcefulness. For thousands of years, the Blackfoot people of North America have used Fort Macleod near the cliffs to hunt bison.
You can learn more about the history of the Aboriginal people at the interpretation center here.
Located in the town of Turner Valley, Eau Claire Distillery adheres to the spirit of craftsmanship, using high-quality grains grown by local farmers for brewing, following the spirit of exquisite Canadian workshop-style hand-made brewing, and producing the most authentic products. The gin and vodka here have won many awards, and it can be said to be the best Canadian Badlands place for local wine tasting.
During driving, you can Bayu Farm 
Take a short break for lunch at Bar U Ranch. Here you can see the early Canadian ranches and cowboy life. It is like traveling through time and space for a hundred years and becoming an unruly cowboy. It is an unforgettable travel experience.
There is a 500-kilometer-long road to the cowboy between the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian wilderness. Ang Lee’s film “Brokeback Mountain” was filmed on this road and on a ranch near Calgary. There are beautiful scenery and countless wild animals and plants along the way. At the same time, this road also has the history of ranches and cowboys, which can be said to be full of cultural sense. In short, this is a road full of fantasy and worth our in-depth Canadian Badlands exploration.
