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Fossil Hunting Near Drumheller, Alberta


Dinoman28

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Hello everyone,

 

I'm going to be in Alberta soon and I was hoping to do some fossil hunting. I read on a previous post to this forum that dinosaur fossils can be found in the Horseshoe Valley, but I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions near Drumheller, or if they could provide any tips for this locale. I'm aware of the laws regarding fossil collection as well, all specimens will be catch and release. I'm just trying to fulfill a dream I've had since watching Jurassic Park 20 years ago haha.

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

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  I think surface collecting is ok?  You would have to check, been a long time since ive been there.   Good luck hunting

 

RB

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2 hours ago, Dinoman28 said:

I'm aware of the laws regarding fossil collection as well, all specimens will be catch and release.

If you are allowed to keep some, do so. The weather will turn them into dust eventually and they will be lost forever. If you have the opportunity to preserve them don't pass it up. They're better off sitting in a garage for generations than being destroyed. Just be sure to document them so they can be of use to science.

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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Surface collecting is OK.  The catch is, fossils are not allowed to leave the province without a permit, which I think is (very rarely) processed through the museum in Drumheller.  So if you live in Alberta and are not taking anything out of province, you can build up a nice personal collection.  We have some Forum members (past and present) who have done that.  However, if you live anywhere outside Alberta you cannot legally take them home.  In the eyes of the law, all fossils are owned by the province and the collector is merely a custodian.

 

Don

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Don is correct. Surface collected fossils cannot leave the province of Alberta.  As for other areas around Drumheller I have had more luck hiking in Horse Thief Canyon then hiking Horseshoe Canyon. 

I enter Horse Thief Canyon from the left side of the parking lot and walk down to the bottom of the Canyon - this is where I search, along the base of the hills. Word of caution DO NOT attempt to hike in this area if the ground is wet it is extremely slippery and dangerous.  Happy hunting and good luck. 

 

Cherise

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That only applies to vertebrate fossils was my understanding or is it all fossils? I know each province has different laws on it as well.

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It is all fossils, unfortunately.  The language of the law does not distinguish between vertebrates and invertebrates.

 

I might add that we have certain American museums and professional collectors to "thank" for these laws.  At one time there were no laws at all, and these collectors came to Alberta and carted off many hundreds of articulated dinosaurs in particular.  When the citizens of the province realized what was going on they demanded that the resource be protected for the benefit of Albertans.

 

Don

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12 hours ago, Vacationgirl said:

Don is correct. Surface collected fossils cannot leave the province of Alberta.  As for other areas around Drumheller I have had more luck hiking in Horse Thief Canyon then hiking Horseshoe Canyon. 

I enter Horse Thief Canyon from the left side of the parking lot and walk down to the bottom of the Canyon - this is where I search, along the base of the hills. Word of caution DO NOT attempt to hike in this area if the ground is wet it is extremely slippery and dangerous.  Happy hunting and good luck. 

 

Cherise

75F3DA6E-72D1-461F-BC60-90CC71DCA20E.jpeg

B00B0490-FD15-487B-8C83-678C5C699ABE.jpeg

D0728125-7F90-4591-8436-51C6C1EFC75B.jpeg

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I'm just curious, what kinds of things have you found there?

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1 hour ago, Dinoman28 said:

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I'm just curious, what kinds of things have you found there?

Shards of bone, pieces of bone, nothing that can be pieced together.  Here is a picture of what I typically find around the Horse Thief area. 

9CBEA7A1-6180-4BE4-B8B8-37D400DF387F.jpeg

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  • 3 years later...

I’m a new resident of Alberta. I’m headed to Drum Heller for a week. I used to post here as a collector of Florida fossil shells and bones. I’m excited about my trip. 
 

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Hi and welcome to Alberta.  I regularly drive to Drumheller (from Calgary) to hunt for bones (and teeth).  As I suggested in the thread above, I have had luck hiking in Horse Thief canyon.  More recently I did my homework and found a Drumheller area landowner who allows me access to his property .  Found an Albertosaurus tooth on this property. 
As I said earlier DO NOT try to hike these hills after it rains - super super slippery.  Good luck!

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  • 1 month later...

I may be going to Drumheller soon, so I was glad to see these suggestions for fossil exploration sites.  Any suggestions for great Hoodoo/rock formation hikes?

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Search for Hoodoos Alberta in Google maps - The Hoodoos Trail should show up. I would recommend this location. 

IMG_0144.jpeg

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8 hours ago, Emclaughlin said:

I may be going to Drumheller soon, so I was glad to see these suggestions for fossil exploration sites.  Any suggestions for great Hoodoo/rock formation hikes?

Just keep in mind, you cannot remove fossils from Alberta. You'll have to take pictures, and keep only memories.  ;)

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5 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Just keep in mind, you cannot remove fossils from Alberta. You'll have to take pictures, and keep only memories.  ;)

No worries, I'm not a collector!  I enjoy the hunt most of all and take home only photos.

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5 hours ago, Vacationgirl said:

Search for Hoodoos Alberta in Google maps - The Hoodoos Trail should show up. I would recommend this location. 

IMG_0144.jpeg

Perfect, thanks for the help!

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