3 Days in Drumheller: The Perfect Itinerary for the Badlands

Drumheller is home to some incredible Hoodoos, the world-famous Tyrrell Museum, and tons of other fun attractions that you may or may not have heard of. This Drumheller itinerary is packed with all of our favourite activities and food places for you to enjoy your time here in the Badlands!

This itinerary is meant for 3 days because there is so much to do that a day trip simply isn’t enough! But no matter how many days you decide to spend in Drumheller you can use this itinerary for some inspiration.

From outdoor activities to yummy restaurants in Drumheller and fun, hidden gems, this 3-day itinerary has everything you need to enjoy your time in one of our favourite places in Alberta!

Disclosure: This post has been created in collaboration with Travel Drumheller. Everything in this post is based on our personal opinions and experiences. This post also contains affiliate links which means if you decide to use the links and make a valid purchase, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

The Ultimate 3-Day Drumheller Itinerary

Drumheller has so much to offer, it’s incredible! Growing up in Alberta I always saw Drumheller as a place to see dinosaur fossils. That you definitely can do, but I wrongfully assumed that seeing dinosaur fossils was the only thing you could do in Drumheller – and man, was I wrong!

Now after going back and canoeing down the Red Deer River, exploring the Atlas Coal Mine, trying local beer at the brewery downtown, and hiking in the Badlands, I’ve fallen in love with Drumheller all over again.

Hopefully, after reading this itinerary and exploring Drumheller for yourself, you’ll see why it’s such a great place to visit here in Alberta.

Where to stay in Drumheller

One of the most important things about planning your trip is finding the right place of accommodation. We stayed at Bridgeviews Drumheller (glamping yurts) a short 10-minute drive from Drumheller. There are some good hotels right in Drumheller too if you want to stay right in town. 

We definitely recommend staying at Bridgeviews because it’s such a unique experience in Rosedale right outside of Drumheller! The yurts are really cool and the area as a whole is beautiful. Regardless of where you stay, you’ll have a blast in Drum and get to enjoy all the highlights.

We have a full blog post about where to stay in Drumheller right here.

Day 1: Get to Drumheller and check out the downtown area

The first day in this 3-day Drumheller Itinerary is all about exploring the downtown! On this day, we suggest you get familiar with the area by going on a bike tour and checking out a few viewpoints. Then, you can check in to your place of accommodation and go for a nice dinner.

Ride around Drumheller with Bikes and Bites

Bikes and Bites is an awesome local business run by two ladies that combines delicious food and e-bikes! Depending on what you’re looking for, you can either go on one of their Bikes and Bites guided tours or simply rent e-bikes from them and cruise around at your own pace. 

We recommend grabbing a bite to eat for lunch (their food is delicious!) and going on one of their tours! Some of their tours also have food included so you can look into that. We had sandwiches, salads, and cookies and it was all so good!

The food was honestly so tasty that we’d recommend just going there for food even if you don’t plan to rent a bike or go on a guided tour. Going on a bike ride is the perfect way to start your trip in Drumheller though so we do recommend doing that. You get a good feel for the town by biking around it and by talking to the local tour guides.

They have so much fun information about other things to do in Drumheller, places to visit, and the great community they have here!

Check into your hotel in Drumheller 

By the time you’ve enjoyed a delicious meal at Bikes and Bites and gone on a guided tour, your place of accommodation will hopefully be ready for you! We personally recommend staying at Bridgeviews Drumheller if you’re up for a unique experience. That’s where we stayed for 3 nights and it was awesome!

The yurts are super spacious. This is a true glamping experience right outside of Drumheller in Rosedale. It feels like you’re camping but with all the amenities. There are showers, toilets, wifi, and even a little “greenhouse” where you can relax and have a cup of coffee. Read a book or chill on your phone or laptop and enjoy the peace and quiet of this awesome location. 

We totally get that glamping isn’t for everyone, though. So if you prefer to stay in a hotel, there are some great hotels in Drumheller here you can check!

Have supper at Bernie and the Boys

Bernie and the Boys is a Drumheller classic! You’ll find locals there all the time and some other tourists who did their research to find one of Drumheller’s best restaurants.

It’s a little local burger joint that’s been selling delicious burgers and over 75 milkshake flavours to Drumheller residents for years. The place is family-owned and you may even bump into the owners while you’re there. 

Make sure to try their onion rings and a milkshake if you’re up for it. They have an abundance of different flavours that you can mix and match and create the milkshake of your choice!

You can easily walk to Bernie and The Boys too as it’s conveniently located near the town centre. Otherwise, there’s street parking near the restaurant or on one of the side streets!

They also have a few outdoor tables you can enjoy on a nice sunny evening. Otherwise, inside Bernie and the Boys, it feels like a proper 1980s burger joint! It almost brings you back in time and it’s such a cool experience. It’s definitely one of the must-visit places in Drumheller during your time here! 

PS: There are more options than just burgers and they have vegetarian options as well! 

Tasty beer at Valley Brewing Brewery Drumheller

Depending on how much energy you have left after today’s adventures, you can stop by Valley Brewing for a little beer or two at the end of the night. Valley Brewing is located within walking distance from Bernie and the Boys right in the heart of Drumheller.

It’s an awesome location because they have beautiful outdoor seating next to a park that you can enjoy during the summer! If you can’t decide which beer(s) to try, you can try out a flight for $10. You’ll get four smaller glasses of beer so this is a fun way to try multiple flavours!

We personally really liked their May Day Sours (seasonal) and the Virtue Juicy Pale Ale. A fun thing that Valley Brewing does is when you get a flight, you get a little card with each beer that describes the beer that is all based on the history of Drumheller.  So not only are you drinking delicious beer but you’re also educating yourself about Drumheller. A win-win in our books! 😉

Day 2: Historic and fun adventure just outside of Drumheller 

On the second day of, this Drumheller itinerary you will explore some cool spots just outside of Drumheller for a few hours. There you will learn a little about the mining history in the Badlands and Canada in general, and how this part of Drumheller came to be.

You’ll also get a chance to see the famous Hoodoos and try out one of the tastiest food spots in the area!

Start with a delicious breakfast at WHIFS Flapjack house

WHIFS Flapjack House is an icon in Drumheller and has been around for years. It’s one of those places where if you don’t know about it you may just miss it – and that would be a real shame!

It’s THE breakfast diner to go to in Drumheller and serves up an awesome breakfast from waffles with ice cream to eggs benedict with hashbrowns.

Of course, some of the hotels in Drumheller have breakfast included so it’s up to you if you decide to go here. It’s such a unique spot that it’s worth trying out, even if you do. From the second you step inside WHIFS, it feels like you’ve entered a time machine…

You’re back in time where servers constantly ask if you want your coffee filled. A miniature train is cruising around on a train track that’s suspended from the roof. There’s also plenty of dinosaur art all over the place. It really is a one-of-a-kind place.

Atlas Coal Mine experience

Atlas Coal Mine is a historic site located just east of Drumheller. It’s a short and beautiful drive that takes you through this incredible landscape in the Badlands. This part of Alberta was known for its coal mining and brought a lot of people down to Wayne, Drumheller, Rosedale, and all the other surrounding areas. 

Once you get to Atlas Coal Mine you can buy a general site admission ticket and explore the attractions yourself. You can spend some time (around 30-60 minutes) looking at all the exhibits and learning a bit about the coal mining history in the area. After that, you can go on one of the guided tours. 

There are also three different tours you can do at Atlas Coal Mine. You have to pay for these on top of the general admission (see Atlas’ tours here). We ended up going on the Mine Portal Hike where you actually get to go into the entrance of one of the coal mines. It was pretty cool!

The tour guides are super knowledgeable and love to answer any questions you may have about the mine, people who used to work here, and the process of how coal is made! 

You can read our post about our visit to Atlas Coal mine here!

Explore the hoodoos

Drumheller and the Badlands are known for the iconic hoodoos that surround the landscape. The Drumheller Hoodoos near Atlas Coal Mine is one of the more popular areas to explore these fascinating natural structures. There’s also a short hike you can do above the hoodoos.

We’ll be honest and let you know that this area gets extremely busy, especially during summertime. Right before midday, it can get kind of wild with people going off-trail, taking selfies, and going all over the place.

Even though tons of people go off the trail please stay on the main trail and don’t go onto the unmarked areas. First of all to preserve the land but also, the ascent to the top is very steep. If it’s rained in the past day or two the trail can be extremely slippery!

Regardless, it’s still worth checking out and admiring the beautiful hoodoos. There are a few other places in and around Drumheller to see them but this spot is one of the most accessible ones.

Hiking Tip: Look up the trail on AllTrails before starting your hike 🗺️. You can find important trail information such as recent wildlife sights and trail closures. Check out the free version here or get a 7-day free trial of AllTrails+ here.

Stop by the Sunny Spot for delicious food and minigolf

After you leave the Hoodoos, the next stop before Drum is The Sunny Spot! All of these places mentioned are only a few minutes’ drive from each other so it’s super convenient.

The Sunny Spot is located right off Highway 10 and it’s impossible to miss. It was such a surprise to us that it ended up being one of our favourite things to do in Drumheller. Once you get there you’ll see there’s a corn maze, mini golf, a pumpkin patch, a sunflower field, and best of all… delicious food!

We had the most delicious taco salad and we’re not even exaggerating. Apparently, they do tasty burgers as well (our friends at Bikes and Bites told us). But we stuck with the taco salad and it was so good. Once you’ve had lunch, you can decide if you want to play a round of mini golf, get lost in the corn maze, or just enjoy the area.

Visiting the Sunny Spot is a great activity to do right outside of Drumheller! You can easily spend 2-3 hours eating food and trying out the different attractions.

Also read: 25 Fun Things to Do in Drumheller

Make your way up the World’s largest dinosaur

Just in case you were wondering… No, this is not a real dinosaur! 😉 Tyra, as they call her, does stand at 26.3 meters (86 ft) tall though. The dino is made from steel and fibreglass and is more or less a kids’ attraction – but it’s still a must-do while you’re here.

But for $5 you can walk up a few flights of stairs, enter into the mouth of the dino, and get one of the best views overlooking Drumheller. You get a great shot with the local water tower and downtown Drumheller! It’s one of those activities you just have to do while you’re in Dinosaur Country!

Have Indian at Sam’s Kitchen for dinner

We’re not kidding when we say Drumheller has a lot of delicious restaurants. Sam’s Kitchen is a little Indian restaurant tucked away just outside of the main streets in Drumheller and they make some of the best Indian food we’ve had in Alberta.

It’s connected to Hotel Dinosaur & Newcastle Bar. It’s kind of hidden in the building but once you walk in you will see it. Sam’s is run by a local family from Calgary who decided to move out of the big city and enjoy a quieter life in Drumheller. 

The food is fabulous and you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose from the menu – and the portions are huge! It’s a great dinner spot especially if you’re looking for something tasty and filling.

The mango lassi and naan bread were exceptionally good! The restaurant itself from the inside is nothing fancy but the food is bang on and you will leave stuffed and happy! It’s hands down one of our favourite restaurants in Drumheller! Once you try it out you’ll know why.

Evening in Drumheller 

After you enjoy a delicious dinner at one of Drumheller’s gems you can decide between a few fun evening activities! Drumheller is still a small town so the nightlife in Drumheller isn’t huge – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff going on. 

If you didn’t get a chance to visit Valley Brewing the night before, we’d recommend checking it out at least for a pint or a flight. Another awesome option is you can check what is playing at the Napier Theater. It’s a small locally owned theater that is open a few times a week with one movie option!

They often have some sort of event or theme going on so it depends on what time of year you visit Drumheller. Lastly, there’s also Summer @ The Plaza which, yes, only takes place during the summer. Every single weekend there’s live music at the plaza downtown (1-minute walk from Valley Brewing). It’s a little outdoor area with chairs and a gazebo.

It’s super cute! There’s a different singer every weekend and it’s all by donations only. So it’s free to listen and enjoy the music and once it’s finished you can leave a tip if you like! You can find the exact location of The Plaza here.

Day 3: Adventures and a taste of Drumheller

We’ve saved some of the best for last! On the third and last day of this Drumheller itinerary, you get to explore some of the other gems around Drumheller.

This is a day for good food & coffee and some of our favourite outdoor adventures! Since this is your last day, you can decide what you have time for and what you can see before leaving Drumheller to go back home or continue your journey!

Enjoy a tasty breakfast in Drumheller

As we mentioned before, there are quite a few hotels in Drumheller that do have breakfast included! If you don’t have breakfast included and want to go out for breakfast, you might be tempted to go to WHIFS Flapjack House again!

But there is also a Canadian classic in town (and if you’re Canadian this is no surprise): It’s Tim Hortons!  Tim Hortons basically is a fast food chain that you can find all over the country. Most are quite generic and look similar but the Tim Hortons in Drumheller is quite unique. 

The food is the same but the interior design and decor is quite unique and fun. You get a mix of hockey and dinosaurs and it’s actually quite cool. Tim Hortons is great if you’re looking to go for a quick and easy breakfast. They got coffee, bagels, donuts, and a few other solid breakfast meals.

Go kayaking on the Red Deer River

One of the best outdoor activities you can do in Drumheller is to kayak down the Red Deer River! There’s a company called Red Deer River Adventures that does rentals as well as guided trips down the Red Deer River!

We went with the owner, Andy, and it was an absolute blast! He took us to one of the best viewpoints overlooking the valley before heading down to the river and then we spent 2 hours on the water together.

If you go on a guided tour, you’ll learn all about the area from the animals that lived here to how the landscape came to be. There are a few different trips you can do that range between 1-2 hours to 3-4 hours. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can talk to Red Deer River Adventures and plan the perfect trip!

The best way to contact them is just to shoot them an email. Since Andy is often out on the water, he’s not always available to pick up his phone. If you shoot him an email, he’ll get back to you! Besides maybe the Horseshoe Canyon Trail and the Bikes and Bites Tours this is our favorite outdoor activity to do in Drumheller!

Grab a coffee in town

After a few hours on the river, you might need a little energy reboot! There are a few nice cafés and coffee shops downtown. The two we recommend are Café Ole and Black Mountain Roasters.

Café Ole is a cute little family-owned cafe and they have great coffee and a ton of different varieties of teas. Café Ole is located right next to the farmers market (which is on every Saturday. More on this below). There’s also Black Mountain Roasters which is a bit bigger of a coffee shop that makes some great coffee!

Black Mountain Roasters have indoor and outdoor seating and serve delicious coffee. You can also buy their own roasted beans. We love coffee so we always buy local beans and bring them with us or give them to family and friends.

Grab some lunch at Heller Good Sandwiches 

Only about a block away from both of those coffee shops mentioned above, you’ll find Heller Good Sandwiches! Yup, Drumheller isn’t that big but it’s packed with awesome places to check out!

This sandwich shop in Drum is awesome! They have an awesome variety of sandwiches and salads and they switch up their menu frequently! You have the option to sit inside or they have a few tables outside where you can sit in the sun on a nice, warm day. 

Make sure to fuel up your belly here because the last activity we recommend is a little hike as you make your way out of Drumheller!

Hike the famous Horseshoe Canyon Loop Trail

If you’re driving back out west to leave Drumheller in the direction of Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer then this is the perfect activity to do on your last day! Horseshoe Canyon Loop Trail is about 15 minutes west of Drumheller and it is one of the coolest places we’ve visited in Alberta! 

As you hike through the coulees, you’ll feel like you’re walking along trails dinosaurs used to walk on. You can see all the different layers in the earth, how the ground below you is so dry it has cracks in it, and you might see cacti too!

It’s quite special because as you’re driving to this area, all you see is the prairie landscape. Then, out of nowhere, this coulee (canyon) appears! And it’s so cool how you can hike down there! If you’re running out of time and don’t have a few hours to hike the loop trail you can also just park your car and enjoy the view from the viewpoints.

There are a few viewpoints up above the coulee where you get a good idea of what it looks like. We definitely recommend doing the whole hike if you have the time though. It’s one of the best hikes in Drumheller! 

Also read: Hiking the Epic Horseshoe Canyon Loop Trail Near Drumheller

Other activities to do in Drumheller 

We have created a blog post with 25 things to do in Drumheller and one with the best cafés & restaurants in Drumheller so you can check out those for more suggestions.

There’s a good chunk of things we mentioned that are on this itinerary but there are so many other fun things to do in Drumheller that you can’t do them all in 3 days. Some of the things to do are also seasonal so it also depends on what time of year you come to town! 

If you want a bit of an adrenaline rush you can hit the Cactus Coulee Fun Park! At the fun park, you can try gokarting, eurobungy, and minigolf! 

Of course, there is also the famous Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in town which is what most people know Drumheller for. The museum is super cool and a great place to learn about dinosaurs!

If you head to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, you can also stop by The Little Church. The Little Church fits 6 people and it’s very pretty! It’s just a short drive from the museum. The last activity we want to mention here is the farmers’ market. The Drumheller Farmers Market is open almost every Saturday year-round from 10 am to 3 pm at The Brick’s parking lot.

It’s a great place to pick up a little gift for friends or family if you’re looking for something! We grabbed some jam and some veggies and it was the perfect little gift.

You may also like…

• 25 Fun Things to Do in Drumheller
• Hiking the Epic Horseshoe Canyon Loop Trail Near Drumheller
• 11 Best Cafes & Restaurants in Drumheller Worth Visiting

Recap of 3 days in Drumheller 

We hope you found this itinerary helpful for your upcoming trip to Drumheller! We absolutely love Drum and hope you get a chance to explore the best this beautiful town in the Badlands has to offer!

It’s full of surprises, fun history, and delicious food! It’s a great little getaway if you’re looking to get out of the city and explore somewhere else besides the mountains! 

We know a day trip to Drumheller is pretty common but we suggest you plan a weekend or spend at least a few nights to experience all the fun things to do here.

If you have any questions about Drumheller, the Badlands, or Alberta in general, feel free to leave a comment below or send us a DM on Instagram and we’ll get right back to you.

Drumheller is an awesome town in the Badlands and we hope you have the best time here!

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