Digging Into Our Prehistoric Past
An immersive travel experience that takes you back to the time of the dinosaurs
Preserved in the massive sandstone hoodoos of the Canadian Badlands is the ancient story of Alberta.
These precarious columns, created by deposits made during the Cretaceous Period some 70 million years ago, are a dramatic reminder that humans have not always dominated this landscape.
The Canadian Badlands are famous around the world for the large amount of dinosaur fossils that have been discovered in their midst. Visitors come to see the otherworldly landscape, to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and to walk through Dinosaur Provincial Park.
But that's just scratching the surface, says Zach Vanasse, founder of Dinosaur Trips, a new travel company that is opening the door to a more immersive exploration of the province's prehistoric past.
"I realized that no one was connecting the dots on this incredible Paleontological destination," he said.
Reigniting his childhood love of dinosaurs, Zach set out to create an itinerary through Alberta that weaves immersive cultural experiences and popular nature spots with hands-on discovery of prehistory.
He led his first expedition this summer and saw magic happen.
"We were in the restricted section of Dinosaur Provincial Park with a paleontologist and just looking around. The landscape is so dynamic," he said. Within 15 minutes, they were finding fossils. (Entry to this section of the park is permitted on guided park tours only to protect the fragile environment).
"It was an incredible experience for everyone, myself included," Zach said. "Like 'Oh my God, I found a dinosaur bone, I never thought I'd get to do that.' It is mind-blowing when you think these hadn't been seen for 66 to 75 million years."
Zach's group not only spent their days searching for fossils in the company of experts but they also camped in the park to get a full feel for the landscape.
"It's something that you didn't even think to put on the bucket list, or whatever you want to call it, because you didn't realize it was possible."
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Jeremy Klager
Photo: Jeremy Klager
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
Photo: Dinosaur Trips
For those wanting even more immersion into dinosaurs, the next must-stop in Alberta is Wembley, located northwest of Edmonton near the city of Grande Prairie.
Here you'll find the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum and the site of a current fossil dig site. Dr. Philip Currie, a famous Canadian paleontologist, is at the forefront of paleontological work in Canada.
This year, Wembley was home to an expedition hosted by the Calgary-based Dinosaur Research Institute.
Zach's group joins the paleontologists at the fossil dig site for a couple days, working alongside the scientists on a real dinosaur dig, helping to unearth the bones that will be brought back to the research lab for further study.
"Dr. Currie is a Canadian leader in the space. He was one of the paleontologists that they used in creating the character of Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park," Zach says. "That we're out there digging with him, well for me as a Canadian, is really exciting."
While Zach says his trips are undoubtedly centred around dinosaurs, he tries to give people a well-rounded experience in Alberta.
"You're still going to get to do the Rocky Mountains, where you're going to get to do a cowboy cookout, ride a horse through the Rockies, and go caving. It's not just dinosaurs," Zach says.
"It's a full destination experience but we're just using palaeontology to lead the way and choose the destinations and be kind of the centrepiece — but not the only piece."
