Sunset Over the Hoodoo Trail in Drumheller, AB

by John Twynam

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Sunset Over the Hoodoo Trail in Drumheller, AB

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John Twynam

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The sun sets over a couple of tall, thin spires of rock seen on the Hoodoo Trail (part of the Dinosaur Trail) in Drumheller Valley, Alberta.

Hoodoos take millions of years to form and stand 5 to 7 meters tall. Each hoodoo is a sandstone pillar resting on a thick base of shale that is capped by a large stone. Hoodoos are very fragile and can erode completely if their capstone is dislodged. The protected Hoodoos site is a guaranteed spot to see Hoodoos but smaller versions of these sandstone giants can be found all over the Badlands. The Hoodoos make a great stop on the way to the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site in East Coulee.

When I went to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, I originally went just for the museum - I had no idea that there was landscape like this in the area. From the museum, there's a loop to the northwest known as the Dinosaur Trail, and another loop to the southeast known as the Hoodoo trail. These trails total approximately 60 kilometres, but they're well worth it. Although the museum was very interesting, it doesn't compare (in my opinion) to the sites on these trails. Badland canyons, a little church that's in the middle of nowhere (and only holds six people!), old mines, a suspension bridge, a mini ferry, the hoodoos in this picture, and a ghost town with a functioning hotel and saloon - a glorious time for any dinosaur, nature, and history lover.

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August 2nd, 2021

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