The best camping near Dinosaur Provincial Park

Take a deep dive into the Canadian Badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park, where you can marvel at out-of-this-world rock formations, towering hoodoos and coulees, winding canyons, and ancient cottonwoods. Once home to more than 50 dinosaur species, the UNESCO-listed park is classified as one of the world’s richest dinosaur fossil sites—you might get lucky and find a new fossil or bone during your adventures on the trails. The Visitor Centre also exhibits fossils, many of which are worth the trip alone. The park's single campground, Dinosaur Campground, is set under cottonwood trees by the Red Deer River and offers more than 120 RV-friendly pull-through sites and tent sites.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a true gem of the Alberta parks system. To secure a site, during summer campers will typically need to make a reservation months ahead of time—you can book 90 days in advance. Weekends in May through August are especially busy so try mid-week dates or bundle up, make the most of those fire pits, and try winter camping. There are no first-come, first-served sites. Reservations are required year-round, and can be made online, by phone or in-person at the Visitor Centre.

Beat the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds by visiting in late April or early fall. You’ll be rewarded with quiet, snow-free trails—and peaceful trips to the small museum at the visitor centre—without missing out on the park's natural splendour. However, programming and guided bus tours might not be available in the shoulder season. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience in this peaceful part of Canada, visit in the winter—it’ll be harder to find a fossil under the snow, but you might have the entire park to yourself. Plus, the rattlesnakes will all be hibernating. 

• Dinosaur Provincial Park is not in Drumheller, (home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum). If you make this common mistake, you’ll find yourself more than two hours away from the park, and it’s time to start heading south towards the Brooks area.
• The trails are beautiful, but lack shaded areas. Starting at the end of May, temperatures in the Badlands can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius. Bring lots of water and shade protection—we use an umbrella.
• With the exception of the park's five hiking trails, most of Dinosaur Provincial Park is a natural preserve, meaning access is restricted to protect its sensitive landscapes and fossilized dinosaur bones. Entry to the natural preserve is only through the park's guided tours.