Early morning · Calgary to Horseshoe Canyon
Watch the prairie open up
Leave Calgary early and take Highway 9 east. Horseshoe Canyon is the first big reveal: a short rim walk turns the flat horizon into layered badlands almost without warning.
Alberta · self-drive guide
Calgary to Drumheller
A city-to-badlands escape where open prairie suddenly falls away into striped coulees, fossil country and wonderfully strange roadside geology.
TIME1–2 days
DISTANCEAbout 355 km
GOApril–October
Calgary → Horseshoe Canyon → Drumheller → Dinosaur Trail → Hoodoos → Wayne → Calgary
Route overview
See the whole
journey at once.
Select a named checkpoint to see its photograph and notes. Zoom in for the road detail, or open the main stops in your preferred navigation app.
The line follows the mapped driving route between the checkpoints. Your navigation app may vary, so check conditions, ferry crossings and seasonal closures before driving.
Late morning · Drumheller
Drop into dinosaur country
Roll into town for coffee and a look at the Red Deer River valley, then follow North Dinosaur Trail toward the museum and the quieter northern viewpoints.
Afternoon · Royal Tyrrell & Horsethief Canyon
Fossils, then fresh air
Give the Royal Tyrrell Museum a proper two or three hours. Afterwards, continue to Horsethief Canyon for the wide-angle view before doubling back through the valley.
Late afternoon · Hoodoos & Wayne
Take the curious road home
Finish among the protected Willow Creek Hoodoos, then detour across the eleven bridges to tiny Wayne. Return to Calgary in daylight—or stay over and make the day feel less like a checklist.
Overnight stops
Where to stay
along the way.
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- Return to your Calgary hotel after a long day trip
- Stay in Drumheller for a slower museum-and-canyon weekend
- Choose a local campground or cabin in settled weather
Before you set off
Road notes
- Start early: this is roughly five and a half hours of driving before stops
- Pre-book museum admission at busy times
- Stay on the paths around the fragile hoodoos
- Carry water and sun protection—the badlands can feel much hotter than Calgary
Distances and drive times are road-map estimates, not promises. Always confirm current road conditions, park access, ferry times and seasonal closures before setting off.
Sources checked · 9 August 2026Travel Alberta — Drumheller, the Hoodoos and Royal Tyrrell Museum Royal Tyrrell Museum — visitor information