There are many trails to explore throughout Dinosaur Provincial Park, ranging from 200 metres to 2.5 km in length. Because these trails are so short, it’s easy to mix and match the paths you want to take on your visit. The trails on my list give some of the best views of the three geographical habitats included in the park: the prairies, the Badlands, and the riparian/coulee regions.
Many of these trails are closed when wet, as the loose sand creates a slippery mud that can be dangerous as well as erode the trail faster than necessary. If you are travelling to Dinosaur Provincial Park during or just after a rain, be mindful of these closures.
If you are visiting Dinosaur Provincial Park on a day trip from Calgary, you’ll need to factor approximately 2-2.5 hours of driving each way (depending on where in the city you are driving from), so remember this when planning your day. Dinosaur Provincial Park is located east of Calgary, near Brooks and close to Patricia, Alberta. It is close to 2 hours away from Drumheller or the Royal Tyrrell Museum, so these are best done as separate trips or a multi-day road trip. Check out my guide to Dinosaur Provincial Park for more information on how to get here, what you can see, and important planning information.
UNSECO Overlook/Prairie Loop
Hike Statistics:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 0.5 km
- Trailhead: Park Entrance Viewpoint
There is a short loop around the viewpoint parking lot, should you wish to stretch your legs and take in the views of the park from a couple angles. The primary viewpoint is marked with a UNESCO plaque, as the park is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The loop passes through prairie grassland above the badlands coulee of the park below. You can explore how the native plants and animals survive here.
Dinosaur Provincial Park is home to a wide variety of species that aren’t found in many other places in the province.
Like other parts of the badlands, you can find the plains prickly pear cactus, the ball cactus, many species of sage, rattlesnakes, bull snakes, and up to 200 bird species, including Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, and Tree Swallows, in the park.
You may also see other common Alberta wildflowers such as sunflowers, brown-eyed Susans, prairie crocus, asters, and harebells, among many more.
Welcome Walk (Formerly Coulee View)
Hike Statistics:
- Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (some stairs)
- Distance: 1.2 km
- Trailhead: Visitor Centre
The Welcome Walk was formerly called the Coulee View trail and it can be accessed from the Visitor Centre. To find the trailhead, first park at the main parking lot outside the Campground Check-in and Cretaceous Cafe building. There are trails on the south side of the parking lot that bring you to the Visitor Centre, as there is no parking directly beside that building.
Look for signs for Coulee Trail, on the right hand side of the Visitor Centre (as you approach). The Welcome Walk is a 1.2 km loop that connects with a few other trails in the area, including Nighthawk Walk, Birds and Other Dinosaurs, and Valley View.
The Welcome Walk brings you through the hoodoos before ascending some steps that take you to a spot overlooking Little Sandhill Coulee. The views of the coulee are spectacular, and in July everything was quite green. The loop took us about 30 minutes to complete, with a few stops for photos along the way. Do be mindful of the cliff at the top of the trail, as there is a steep drop off. There is lots of space between the trail and the edge, but just mind any children if you’re hiking with them.
Palaeo Preserve Trail (Formerly Badlands Trail)
Hike Statistics:
- Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (some stairs)
- Distance: 1.6 km
- Trailhead: Badlands Trailhead, just past the campground on the Scenic Public Road Loop.
If you’re going to hike any trail in Dinosaur Provincial Park, it should be the Palaeo Preserve Trail.
The trailhead is located just past the campground on the public road loop. There is space for parking on the left side of the road and the trailhead is on the right. It still has the old name, Badlands Trail, on the sigh here (as of July 2026).
At the beginning of the trail, you’ll pass the Sleeping Giants, a unique set of hoodoos. From there, you continue uphill to a viewpoint before descending down a set of stairs at the beginning of the loop. The trail takes you through valleys between hoodoos and around sandstone ridges. This is an interpretive trail, so there are periodic signs along the trail that give interesting information about the landscape’s geological and human history.
The sign at the beginning of the trail mentions that the loop takes around 45 minutes, but I usually do it in around 30. Depending on the weather, the loop can get very hot, as there is no shade along the majority of the trail.
Note that this trail leads you through the designated Natural Preserve area. Anywhere off trail is part of this protected, off-limits area, so make sure to stay on the path.
Extinction Expedition
Hike Statistics:
- Difficulty: Moderate (some stairs and a ladder section)
- Distance: 1.0 km
- Trailhead: Across from the Badlands Trailhead, just past the campground on the Scenic Public Road Loop
The trail leaves from the same parking area as Badlands trail, but continues from the left side of the road up and around the hoodoos. The official Extinction Expedition Trail connects Time Travellers’ Trails with the Stories in Stone loop (trails 7 and 12 if you have a map from the Visitor Centre).
We took a slightly different route, taking Time Travellers’ Trail from the parking area to connect with the Extinction Expedition. We followed this trail until it meets Prickly Pear Path (trail number 10), where we got lookouts over the Red Deer River. We then took a loop around Prickly Pear Path to Time Travellers’ Trail for our return, ending this trek a little early as our dog was getting quite tired from the heat.
In general, Dinosaur Provincial Park is often 5-10 degrees hotter than the surrounding areas in Southern Alberta. Always bring lots of water, wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen, and take frequent breaks in the shade to cool down. One of my favourite parts of exploring here is that the short trails let you see lots of different areas while giving you tons of flexibility regarding time, heat, and other factors.
Scenic Road Loop
In addition to the hiking trails, there is also a public road loop that brings you to two fossil exhibits before circle back along the Red Deer River to the campground.
The fossil exhibits are free to view and encased in glass to protect them from the weather. The first display shows the remains of a Hadrosaur, exactly as it was found in 1959. The size of the bones really displays the scale of these colossal beings.
The second fossil display shows a scene as if the archaeologists are out for lunch. The fossils below to Centrosaurus, a herbivore dinosaur that moved in herds. This particular spot was the site of a flood event that killed a herd of Centrosaurus and created a “bone bed” where the remains of many dinosaurs lay on top of one another. They have also found Albertosaurus teeth, indicating that the carnivore(s) feasted on the Centrosaurus after they died in the flood.
Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre
The Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre is off the first right turn from the main road after you descend the hill into the park. The Visitor Centre offers free maps and interpretive guides, such as informational brochures on snakes and birds in the area.
Beyond the information desk, they also have 650 sq metres of interactive exhibits with a fee of only $2.00 per person and a theatre. The Visitor Centre has 4 accessible parking spots for people with limited mobility and a valid handicap parking permit. All other guests should park by the Cafe and campground check-in building (the next right off the main road).
Note that dogs are not permitted inside the Visitor Centre, but they can accompany you on the trails as long as they are kept on leash, as with all provincial parks.
