The Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology display remains of flying reptiles, prehistoric mammals and marine invertebrates that come from Bearpaw Sea which vanished many millions of years ago, in addition to more than 30 complete dinosaur skeletons the museum's galleries. An indoor prehistoric garden houses more than 100 species of plant which thrived in the area during the dinosaur era. Some are still surviving, in their smaller version, as house plants. A viewing window in the main laboratory allows visitors a look at the scientists at work.

Many Albertans will recall July's discovery in Dinosaur Provincial Park of Struthiomimus, a dinosaur skeleton from the family of ornithomimids (“bird mimics”). Philip Currie, head of dinosaur research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, told the Calgary Herald: “These guys look like ostriches without the feathers...they're built to move fast.”

Paleontologists say that in order for a complete dinosaur to fossilize, it had to be rapidly buried in large quantities of sediment. The contorted appearance of many skeletons suggest burial of dinosaurs which died in agony, or of freshly dead dinosaurs whose limbs were distorted by the sediment load and rapid water current which carried the load [The Tyrrell paleontologists report that the ornithomimid was found in the “classic death pose” with neck and tail dramatically curved].

Dinosaurs were originally thought to have become extinct 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. But scientists now think that the mass extinction of the large dinosaurs, as well as many other animals and plants, did not wipe out some smaller dinosaur species. This branch on the evolutionary tree, known as Maniraptors, includes Aviaele, which survived and evolved into the birds of today.

The sharp contrasts between the deep past and the exciting present are evident everywhere in the Drumheller Valley. From the prehistoric world of the dinosaur, to the ancient forces of nature which carved the Badlands, traces of the distant past are there for all to discover. Gouged from the prairie landscape by prehistoric wind, water and ice, the Badlands are as mysterious and moon-like today as they were when they were formed. Exposed sedimentary rock reveals 70 million years of geological history within the layers.

Once upon a time, somewhere between 65 and 70 million years ago, there was a valley, vast and rich. The land was flat, abundant in tropic-like plants, big and small; and the climate was mild and humid. In this lush plain, crossed by rivers that flowed out of the Rocky Mountains and emptied into the Bearpaw Sea, lived the giants we now call dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs appeared on the Earth some 228 million years ago, having evolved from the first vertebrates that preceded them by some 300 million years. The non-avian dinosaurs did die out about 65 million years ago, probably because of a meteorite impact or a major, global increase in volcanic activity. These points scientists seem to “know,” though not with certainty.

Featuring fossils and displays relating to the prehistoric life and geological phenomenon of the “Valley of the Dinosaurs”, Drumheller Dinosaur and Fossil Museum's exhibits explain the occurrence of the inland seam petrified forest, coal formation, process of fossilization, and the many varieties of dinosaur remains found in the area.

Dinosaur tracks provide rich sources of scientific information on dinosaur behavior, locomotion, foot anatomy, ecology, chronology, and geographic distributions. Today countless amateur and professional “trackers” are actively studying track- sites all around the world. New sites are being discovered at a rapid rate, and track studies are becoming more detailed and systematic as the scientific importance of tracks becomes more widely recognized.

Although most of Drumheller's claim to fame comes from dinosaurs, following the Dinosaur Trail, a 50-kilometre circle through the Red River Valley that starts and ends in the city, uncovers many other natural and man-made wonders. The Dinosaur Trail is a trail in name only, as it is a network of roads that circle the Valley and it is probably the best way to see and enjoy Drumheller's landmarks and history.