Top Places to See Real Dinosaur Fossils in Canada

Fossilized bones of a hadrosaur in UNESCO World Heritage site Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. (Shutterstock/Pi-Lens)

Canada has its share of dinosaur experiences, and for those looking for a unique adventure this summer, dinosaur hunting is it.

From the Badlands in Alberta to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, here are the five best places for a dinosaur experience.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park offers an amazing experience in a section of the badlands that is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can hike through the park, take an interpretive tour, or drive along a scenic route through the park. About 150 complete dinosaur skeletons and over 50 dinosaur species have been discovered in the area. Visitors can also stay right on the site with 120 RV and tent campsites open in the park, but it’s vital to book early as they fill up quickly.

Fundy Geological Museum, Nova Scotia

On the coast of Nova Scotia, the Fundy Geological Museum offers a chance to get close to some of the oldest dinosaur bones in Canada, which have been found along the sea cliffs of the shore. It also includes a specimen of the world’s smallest dinosaur prints, found in 1984, the Jurassic crocodile, and other dinosaur fossils found locally. Visitors can also explore the area on horseback and search for fossils with a museum expert, or sign up for a family experience such as being paleontologists for a day.

Redpath Museum, Quebec

Close-up of a Gorgosaurus face skeleton replica inside the Redpath Museum in Montreal in February 2020. (Shutterstock/Awana JF)

Located at McGill University, the Redpath Museum offers an opportunity to get close to various dinosaur fossils, including the T.rex, Triceratops, Dromosaurs, and Gorgosaurus. The Dromaeosaurus comes from Drumheller, Alberta, and is on display with skeletons of a chicken and an ostrich so visitors can get an idea of the size of the dinosaur. McGill acquired the Triceratops skull from Saskatchewan, and it has been named Sara. The skull fragments of the T.rex, also known as Sue, are on loan from the Chicago Field Museum.

Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation, British Columbia

British Columbia’s Tumbler Ridge fossil findings go back to two young boys who were persistent in showing others a dinosaur trackway they found in 2000. Mark Turner, then 11, and Daniel Helm, 8, made the finding during a tubing trip on Flatbed Creek. About a year later, experts found the province’s second-ever dinosaur bone in the area. The museum now houses displays of marine fish and reptile fossils that are over 200 million years old, as well as ice age mammals and several footprint discoveries. Visitors can take guided tours of the area and visit the museum exhibits for a unique dinosaur experience.

Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario

Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) houses fossils of some of the most well-known dinosaurs, including the T.rex, Triceratops, and Barosaurus, a dinosaur that was 27 metres long. The ROM has one of only three complete Barosaurus skeletons in the world. The fossils are in the museum’s James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs. The ROM boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of dinosaur skulls in the world. These include a complete, original fossil skeleton of duck-billed dinosaurs.