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Formed by the meltwaters of the last Ice Age, the valley of the Red Deer River cuts a deep gash through the dulcet prairie about 140km east of Calgary, creating a surreal landscape of bare, sunbaked hills and eerie lunar flats dotted with sagebrush and scrubby, tufted grass. On their own, the Alberta Badlands - strangely anomalous in the midst of lush grasslands - would repay a visit, but what makes them an essential detour is the presence of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology , amongst the greatest museums of natural history in North America. The museum is located 8km outside the old coal-mining town of Drumheller , a dreary but obvious base if you're unable to fit the museum into a day-trip from Calgary. Drumheller is also the main focus of the Dinosaur Trail , a road loop that explores the Red Deer Valley and surrounding badlands; you'll need your own transport for this circuit, and for the trip to the Dinosaur Provincial Park , home to the Tyrrell Museum Field Station and the source of many of its fossils.
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