Devil's Coulee

Trip Date: July 2016

The Devil's Coulee Dinosaur & Heritage Museum is located in the village of Warner; approximately 280km southeast of Calgary. Devil's Coulee is an important paleontological site as it's Canada's first, and largest, dinosaur nesting site. The coulee was originally called Fossil Coulee but the name was changed when local ranchers started referring to it as Devil's Coulee because the three valleys that makeup the coulee resemble a devil's trident when viewed from the air. In 1987, after a tip from local woman Wendy Sloboda, paleontologists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum arrived and made an exciting discovery; a tiny embryonic femur and fragments of eggshells. Kevin Aulenback, a Tyrrell Technician, followed the trail of eggshell fragments, which eventually lead to a small batch of fossilized dinosaur eggs on what is now known as Little Diablo's Hill. Since that initial find various species of dinosaur eggshells have been found, as well as embryonic skeletons, and sub-adult bones.

Welcome to Devil's Coulee Dinosaur & Heritage Museum

The outside of the museum in the village of Warner

The museum tells the story of this important fossil site and showcases several specimens that have been found over the years, including the museum's crown-jewel, Charlie! Charlie is the most complete embryonic dinosaur ever found in North America. Charlie is a duckbill Hadrosaurus dinosaur belonging to the Hypacrosaurus stebingeri species. Charlie has allowed researchers to unlock additional evidence about some of the Hadrosaur species that resided in southern Alberta, such as their egg size (approximately the size of a volleyball), length prior to hatching (approximately 45cm or 18in), and whether their parents played a role in raising them. The current theory is that after laying their eggs the mothers abandoned the nest. Charlie is equipped with a mouthful of teeth meaning he wouldn't have needed his mother to chew/provide food for him and the absence of adult fossilized bones near the nest site leads paleontologists to believe that baby dinosaurs were left to fend for themselves.

Inside the Devil's Coulee Museum

Devil's Coulee was once near the shoreline of an ancient inland sea meaning fossils of marine life such as fish, clams, turtles, and Ammonites (above) have all been found in addition to dinosaurs

An example of what a Hadrosaur nest may have looked like

This is an example of a Troodon nest, another species that has been found in Devil's Coulee

This is what Charlie may have looked like prior to being reassembled by paleontologists

Charlie, the gem of the museum

This is how he would have been positioned inside his volleyball-sized egg. You can even see his teeth!

In addition to the museum tour I also opted for the site tour, meaning I would get a chance to visit Devil's Coulee and see where the nests were found. Devil's Coulee is closed to the public unless you're accompanied by a guide from the museum. The Royal Tyrrell is still actively conducting research in Devil's Coulee so guides are required to prevent disturbances to the site.

Devil's Coulee

The original marker left by the Royal Tyrrell Museum back in 1987 when they first started operating at this site 

Hoodoos perched on a hill above the coulee

Seventy-five million years ago the climate around Devil's Coulee was much warmer, closer to that of Florida or Louisana today. Many animals were present in what is now southern Alberta and some of them, such as Hadrosaurs, were ground-nesting species. These animals would lay their eggs in floodplains and when easterly flowing rivers flooded the nests were covered in layers of sand and mud, suffocating any embryos within the eggs, but also protecting the eggs from being destroyed. Over the years these nests were covered in additional layers of sediment and through various geological processes were eventually fossilized. Thousands of years later new rivers eroded these layers exposing the ancient nest sites within.

Examples of eggs found in Devil's Coulee as compared with birds and reptiles of today

Devil's Coulee also contains a bountiful micro-fossil site. All of the items in the photo above were uncovered in the coulee and they're still finding countless others all the time.

This is the fossilized remains of an adult Ilium bone. This is the only adult specimen ever found in Devil's Coulee, which leads researchers to believe that the animal died here coincidentally and wasn't actively taking care of its young.

More Hoodoos

Both the museum and site tours were fantastic. My tour guide Holden did an outstanding job of explaining the history of the site and what its means to the world of paleontology. His passion for the subject area was truly infectious! I don't know if it was the day (Wednesday morning) or the weather (continual threat of rain), but I was the only member on both tours, which was actually really enjoyable. It allowed me to ask all the questions I had and kept the tour moving at a good pace. I'm really glad I took the drive down to Warner to visit the museum and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in dinosaurs and their history in Alberta. If you find yourself in the southern part of the province, maybe on your way to Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, it's worth stopping for a visit!

I spotted this Red-Tailed Hawk just after leaving Devil's Coulee

He must not have liked his picture being taken as he didn't stick around very long!

If you're interested in reading more about dinosaurs and fossils in Alberta please refer to my previous blog posts titled, Drumheller, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Guided Excavation. You can also read the two stories I wrote for the Calgary Guardian called Breaking Bad(lands) and Jurassic Province.

Guided Excavation

Trip Date: August 2015

"If you throw your hat and it doesn't come within twenty feet of a dinosaur bone,                 then you're not in Dinosaur Provincial Park." 

                                                 ~Anonymous

I returned to Dinosaur Provincial Park in early August to participate in their one-day Guided Excavation Program; meaning I was going to be digging up actual dinosaur bones inside the park!  I was secretly hoping the above quote was true because I really wanted to unearth a fossil or two.  If you recall, I was in the park back in July for the Centrosaurs Quarry Hike, which you can read about right here.  Due to previous commitments, this was only going to be a day trip from Calgary, but one that was well worth the effort!

Welcome to Dinosaur Provincial Park

I was on the road early as the program started at 9AM and the park is approximately 220km east of Calgary.  When I arrived, our guide David was ready and waiting at the Visitor Centre.  He did a brief orientation, complete with a tour of the lab, which is also a field station for the Royal Tyrrell Museum.  After last minute bathroom breaks we boarded the bus and headed for the Natural Preserve, which is an area of the park that's off-limits unless accompanied by a guide.  

The Visitor Centre doubles as a Field Station for the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller

This carnivorous Dromaeosaurus was part of a larger display showing how they were pack hunters

This is the skull of a Styracosaurus and it was assembled by our guide.  This was the first piece he's ever had displayed in a gallery.  It took David 14 months to get it ready to be featured and it was originally excavated in the park in 1987.

Our first stop featured a short hike to a couple of ancient clam beds.  Here we discovered hundreds of divots where prehistoric, freshwater clams had once resided.  Scattered across the soil were thousands of fragments of crushed clam shells and the odd intact specimen.  The clams would have lived at the bottom of a freshwater river that flowed through the area.  Near the clam bed is Quarry Number 221 that was excavated back in 1995.  They found a full skeleton of a Ornithomimid that is now on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

A solitary hoodoo perched in the badlands

The divots from the freshwater clams

Bits and pieces of ancient clam shells

This Nuttall's Cottontail was hopping by while we were looking at the clams

Beautiful badland scenery

Quarry Number 221 where the Ornithomimid skeleton was found

This leaf impression was also found in Quarry No. 221

Before reaching the dig site we made one more quick stop, which is also part of the Explorer's Bus Tour.  There was a spinal column of a duck-billed dinosaur on display, just as it was found in the late 1980's when they were building the road through the Natural Preserve.  Since there was no skull found at or near the site, researchers are unsure what species of duck-billed dinosaur it was.

Several intact vertebrae from a duck-billed dinosaur

It was a short walk to the dig site, which is one of several Centrosaurus Bone Beds that have been found in the park.  Our job was to excavate different areas of the dig site and carefully remove any bones that were found.  Large parts of the site had already been excavated from previous expeditions, but there was still lots of overburden to remove.  There were seven of us on the tour and David assigned each of us different tasks in different areas of the site.  It was my job to remove untouched soil that was immediately next to several exposed bones that were waiting to be removed from the ground.

If you look closely you can see the dig site just to the right of centre in the above photograph

Another view of the Centrosaurus Bone Bed dig site

All the materials we'd need for our day of excavating

David giving us a site orientation and assigning us our jobs

We were each given a set of tools that would help in the excavation process.  I was obviously excited for what might lay beneath the surface, but I was careful not to re-bury the previously exposed bones that were being removed by other members of the group.  Before lunch I had uncovered a small piece of Centrosaurus bone and several pieces of plant material, but nothing too substantial.

There were exposed bones scattered all around the dig site

Once a bone has been fully excavated a jacket of plaster is put over the bone to protect it from being damaged

A large fossil that was coated in plaster prior to our arrival

A few examples of the planet material I was uncovering during my dig

We stopped to enjoy lunch while David showed us several different fossils that had been uncovered in the park.  Teeth, claws, tendons, pieces of shell, and armour plating were some of the most interesting.  Before resuming work on the dig David lead us to a micro-site that was a short distance away from the main dig site.  Here it's common to find much smaller fossils, such as teeth or bits of tendon, instead of the large bones.  I found the tooth of a small plant-eating dinosaur, as well as turtle shell fragments and other pieces of bone.

On the way to the micro-site we passed this petrified log that's slowly deteriorating

Petrified Log

The bone bed as viewed from the micro-site

A group member spotted this tooth from a Gorgosaurus; a close relative of both Tyrannosaurus Rex and Albertosaurus

After our micro discoveries we returned to the site and resumed digging for the remainder of the afternoon.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to discover any large fossils, but that's all part of the experience.  I still had an incredible time and the possibility of finding something with each scoop of soil was very addicting.  I didn't want to leave!  It's worth noting that as fun as this experience is, participants are part of an ongoing scientific dig and will be handling real dinosaur fossils.  As a result of this the minimum age for participation is fourteen.

Some of the bones that were uncovered by members of our group

Limb bones from a Centrosaurus

The bones appear shiny because once they're exposed we coated them with glue to help preserve them.  Bones that are exposed to the elements after millions of years can be extremely fragile.

This is a piece of a horn from a Centrosaurus

The day concluded at the Cretaceous Cafe where we all enjoyed some ice cream.  One of the group members even spotted a Little Brown Bat enjoying his late afternoon snooze!

Little Brown Bat

I highly recommend the Guided Excavation program that's offered at Dinosaur Provincial Park.  If you have a keen interest in paleontology or just a passion for dinosaurs this experience should be on your bucket list.  To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going in, but the bone beds offer such a wealth of opportunity that the odds of finding something are very high.  Plus we didn't just spend the entire day digging; we were also granted access to different areas of the park that are normally closed to the public.  To top it off, David's knowledge about the park and his passion for the work were infectious!  It was just an awesome day overall and I am extremely happy to have been apart of it.

I posted a brief story, titled Jurassic Province, about my time in Dinosaur Provincial Park on the Calgary Guardian website. In addition you can read about Canada's first and largest dinosaur nesting site by visiting my post called Devil's Coulee.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Trip Date: July 2015

I had never been to Dinosaur Provincial Park, until earlier this month.  At first glance you might think the park is located in the Drumheller area, but that's not the case and is a common mistake made by many tourists.  The park is actually 170km southeast of Drumheller and approximately 220km east of Calgary, situated along the Red Deer River.

If you're interested in additional information, I've highlighted the Drumheller area in both a previous blog post, titled Drumheller, and a Calgary Guardian story, called Breaking Bad(lands), but this is my first story about Dinosaur Provincial Park.

A map of Dinosaur Provincial Park

In 1979 the park was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site designation as it contains the largest and most comprehensive collection of fossils from the late Cretaceous period in the world.  Over forty different dinosaur species have been unearthed in the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and showcased in museums around the world.

The entrance to Dinosaur Provincial Park

My trip was planned for two days with one night of camping inbetween.  Christine was working, so I was on my own for this one.  I left Calgary early Friday morning and headed east through the prairies.  A couple of hours later I arrived at the park's entrance and stopped at the viewpoint above the valley.  Here they have one of the five self-guided interpretive trails in the park; Prairie Trail.  This short 300m loop explores the open prairie ecosystem that covers the outer edge of the park's land base.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Along Prairie Trail is an ancient glyphstone with etchings carved by First Nation People.  The boulder was originally found west of Dinosaur Provincial Park, but was relocated to the park in 1958 by local residents who wanted the stone to be protected, yet still accessible to everyone.  It is unclear what the petroglyphs mean, but two common theories are landmarks for travel or sacred offerings before and/or after a buffalo hunt.  

The ancient glyphstone protected within the park

Here you can see the etchings on the surface of the boulder

You can read more about the petroglyph sites I have visited by visiting my Western Canadian Rock Art section on the Bradshaw Foundation's webpage.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site plaque sits on the edge of the valley overlooking the badlands below

Panoramic view of the badlands

Although difficult to see, the photograph below depicts a circle of stones slowly being covered by grass and soil.  These stones would have anchored a bison hide tipi of a First Nation family that stopped to rest at this location.  Additional sites, like the one below, have been found all along the the edge of the Red Deer River Valley.

Anchor stones from a tipi

From there I made my way into the park and towards the Cretaceous Cafe to check into my campsite, which was a seamless process.  Afterwards I did the short walk up to the Visitor's Centre where I was given additional information about the park and due to my role as an Albert Parks Ambassador was granted free access inside.  I spent the next hour thoroughly exploring the Visitor Centre and their in-depth displays before finding my way to my campsite, settling in, and having lunch.  

This bench can be found just outside the Visitor's Centre...but watch your head!

The Visitor Centre also acts as a Field Station for the Royal Tyrrell Museum

This large skeleton greets everyone as they enter the Visitor Centre

This is a skeleton of a Daspletosaurus that was collected in 1985.  It's in the classic death pose, which is an indication of nervous system trauma at time of death, possibly related to drowning.

In this reenactment a pack of small Dromaeosaurs attack the larger duck-billed Lambeosaurus

A complete skeleton of a Chasmosaurus

Once my stomach was full it was time to get out and explore the park on foot.  Most of Dinosaur Provincial Park is a protected Natural Preserve, meaning it's off limits to the general public without a guide.  However, there are five self-guided trails within the park that allow guests the opportunity to explore the rugged landscape.  I had already completed Prairie Trail, so next up was the Badlands Trail.  This 1.3km trail walks visitors through the landscape unique to the area and discusses how it was formed.  

Hoodoos are common sites within the park

Badlands as far as you can see

A time lapse video I created using my GoPro camera

There's no shortage of interesting rock formations to look at!

Despite the dry, rugged landscape vegetation can still be found, like these wildflowers

A badlands selfie!

The park is home to two Fossil Houses, which are enclosed shelters that showcase dinosaur bones in the ground.  The first features a Hadrosaur exactly as it was discovered by Roy Fowler, the park's first ranger, back in 1959.  The second is a depiction of a Centrosaurus bone bed, which are prevalent in the park...more on that in a bit!  The second Fossil House is also the trailhead for the 0.9km Trail of the Fossil Hunters, which leads to a historic quarry that was used in the early 1900's, during the Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush.

Roy Fowler's headless Hadrosaur skeleton

The recreation of a Centrosaurus bone bed

Hiking along the Trail of the Fossil Hunters

This is a steel marker, used to identify different quarries.  The sandstone in the background was where Barnum Brown and his team excavated Euoplocephalus and Albertosaurus.

On my way to the next interpretive trail I stopped at the John Ware Cabin, that was scheduled to be open for a short time.  John Ware was a freed slave from the southern United States that worked his way to Canada and became one of the most famous ranchers and cowboys around.  His funeral was the largest attended funeral, at that time, to ever be held in Calgary; a fitting tribute to the legendary rancher.  

John Ware's historic cabin has been restored and relocated numerous times in order to preserve and protect it

John Ware's Cabin

Next up was the Coulee Viewpoint Trail, a 0.9km loop that started at the Visitor Centre and worked its way to ridge tops offering some fantastic viewpoints.  From up there the badlands seemed to go on forever!

Interesting rock formations

Hiking the Coulee Viewpoint Trail

Viewpoint selfie!

The park's second species of cactus is the Pincushion Cactus

Wonderful scenery on this trail

While I was hiking I created another time lapse video with my GoPro

After some relaxation and a quick bite to eat I headed back out to hike the 1.4km Cottonwood Flats Trail around dusk.  The trail borders the banks of the Red Deer River and winds its way through lush vegetation, which is a stark contrast from the barren badlands nearby.  Lois at the Visitor Centre recommended this trail as the best option to see wildlife and since they're most active early and late in the day I thought I would give myself the best shot and wait until the sun started to set.  Although I didn't see any of the resident Mule Deer or the Moose that was reportedly hanging around, I wasn't disappointed.

This made my heart stop for just a second!  As I was walking along, not looking at the ground, I heard the unmistakable rattling sound and froze in my tracks.  When I looked down I saw this Prairie Rattlesnake slithering into the bushes.  Only when I was a safe distance away did I snap this photo!

Even though I was on high alert the rest of the evening I still managed to enjoy the rest of the hike along the Red Deer River

Dusk in the Red Deer River Valley

A brightly coloured American Goldfinch

Immediately after my hike I climbed up to one of the highest accessible points in the park and watched the sunset.  It was a great spot to watch the sun sink behind the horizon and see the badlands washed in late-day sunshine.  By the time I packed up my gear and walked back to the truck it was almost dark, which meant a bonfire was in my immediate future.  After a couple of cold beverages and a roasted hot dog my eyelids started getting really heavy.  Sleep came very quickly after a full day spent outside in the hot sunshine.  

Panoramic shot of the badlands as the sun's going down

The badlands washed in sunlight

A great spot to finish the day!

The sun setting over Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Red Deer River

I was up early the next morning, partly because the rising sun heated my tent unexpectedly fast and partly because I was excited for the day's events.  The  main reason I was in Dinosaur Provincial Park was for the Centrosaurus Quarry Hike; a 2.0km guided hike to one of the twenty Centrosaurus bone beds that have been discovered throughout the park.  Lead by our tour guide Andrea, we loaded a bus at the Visitor Centre and entered the Natural Preserve area of the park.  A short drive later we were outside, walking through the beautiful badland scenery enroute to the quarry.  Along the way Andrea entertained us with information about the formation of the badlands, how the area looked millions of years ago, and what caused massive dinosaur deaths, which ultimately lead to the creation of these bone beds.  

Hiking through the Natural Preserve

This whole area is off-limits unless you're on a guided tour

The Centrosaurs bone bed sits below this iconic formation known as The Citadel

Beautiful badlands

This is the site of the bone bed.  There's a protective covering over a collection of bones, to protect them from the elements, but there are countless bones and bone fragments scattered throughout the area.

This is what it looks like when the cover is rolled away

An artist's rendition of what a Centrosaurus may have looked like.  Paleontologists theorize that these massive bone beds were the result of natural disasters, such as flash floods, that resulted in hundreds or thousands of dinosaur deaths in a short amount of time.

This particular bone bed is the size of two Canadian football fields and contains thousands of bones.  This is a Centrosaurus horn that's been pieced back together.

This is part of a frill still stuck in the ground

The guided hike was awesome and being able to search for fossils after the presentation was pretty neat.  It is against the law in Alberta to remove fossils, so we could only look and touch using the one-finger approach!  My time in Dinosaur Provincial Park was incredible, but way too short.  I am already looking forward to my next adventure in a few weeks; the one-day Guided Excavation where I actually get to dig for fossils!

You can read more about Dinosaur Provincial Park in my story Jurassic Province that I wrote for the Calgary Guardian. In addition you can read about Canada's first and largest dinosaur nesting site by visiting my post called Devil's Coulee.