CLOSED until next season: May 19 - September 6, 2027

Museum Tours

Explore Our Museum
Touch real dinosaur fossils!

When you arrive, our museum interpreters offer you a personal guided tour of Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Museum. Around half of our fossils and casts are able to be touched by visitors, for a more comprehensive sensory experience of the prehistoric past. There are no set times for museum tours - arrive any time during opening hours and we are happy to show you around!

Activities you can choose from:

Put a real dinosaur bone back together (fossils aren't always found in one piece).
Put together a real animal skeleton (bones can be discovered scattered).
Share your theory on what killed the dinosaurs in our interactive extinction display.
Dinosaur fact scavenger hunt, aimed at grades two through four.
Dig in our indoor sand bins using brushes, just like palaeontologists do.
Make or paint your own plaster cast of a dinosaur claw, tooth, or footprint.
Play with the dinosaur toys and games in our activity room, or settle in and read a dinosaur book.
Visit our Hertiage Garden across the road from the museum. See our airplane, eat a picnic, or dig in our outdoor bone bed.

Find your perfect souvenir in our gift shop full of one-of-a-kind items. We've been known to have hand-painted fossil casts by local artists, handcarved walking sticks from Wendy Sloboda (perfect for your own fossil-hunting hikes), picture books about the Devil's Coulee nest discovery autographed by Wendy, and copies of Hope Johnson's definitive book on vertebrate fossils. We also have toys, stickers, jewelry, exclusive postcards, fossils, and geological treasures. Search our shop online here.

Open Times: 9:00 - 4:00 Wednesday through Sunday, from the Saturday of the May long weekend until Labour Day Monday (the one Monday we're open).

Duration: On average, 30 to 60 minutes.
Difficulty: Easy. (The museum is wheelchair accessible.)

Palaeontological Site Tours

Discover the Dinosaur Nesting Site
Enter Devil's Coulee and see for yourself where the first official dinosaur nesting site in Canada was discovered. It is protected, the first Alberta palaeontological site to be named a Provincial Historic Resource. We manage this site on behalf of the government, and access is only possible with one of our qualified guides. This is the Alberta badlands in its natural form. There are no manmade structures and we follow deer paths around the site. The site is always changing as weather causes the bentonite clay to shift, often revealing new fossil finds. You will have a chance to explore the different areas and discover dinosaur egg shells and other fossils for yourself.

What to Expect:

Check in at the museum for your site tour. The first part of the site tour is an included tour of the museum, which usually takes around half an hour. You will then need to drive your own vehicle out to the dig site from the museum (directions will be given by staff on the day). It is a twenty-five minute drive.
Site tours (upon reaching the site) are approximately forty-five minutes to an hour and cover about one kilometre. Extended site are usually twice as long (see below).
Our first priority is safety. If the weather is too hot or windy, if the shifting clay is too waterlogged, or if there is an air quality warning, we may have to cancel that day’s tours to ensure we are keeping everyone safe.
Devil’s Coulee can be ten degrees hotter than the weather at the museum. We lead morning tours to try to beat the heat of the day, but it can still feel hot.
We cannot guarantee a private dig site tour, but we try to keep groups small, and you may well end up receiving a private tour.
There is no washroom, only a portable toilet. There is no soap and water, only hand sanitizer. Please use the washroom at the museum before following your guide out to the dig site.
The site does not have Wi-Fi. Cell phone reception is weak at the top of the coulee, and nonexistent at the bottom.
We are out in the natural badlands. The trails we follow have been made by deer, not humans. Site visitors, for their own safety, should be able to walk unassisted.
At the site, you must stay with your guide at all times. All guides carry an emergency kit and are trained in first aid. As an active palaeontological site, no one is allowed in the coulee without an official guide from the museum.
Alberta has strict fossil laws, which do not permit visitors to dig or to keep any fossils found at the site. (See full details in FAQ below.) If you find something really cool, though, it might just end up in the Royal Tyrrell Museum with your name as the official discoverer!

What to Bring:

Sturdy walking shoes or boots (NOT flipflops)
One or two water bottles
A hat
Sunscreen
Bug spray
A high-energy snack, like a fruit leather or granola bar (no food available at the site; please bring your own or purchase at the museum)

Site Tour Times: We offer site tours at 9:00 and 11:00, weather permitting, Wednesday through Sunday from the Saturday of the May longweekend through Labour Day Monday (the only Monday we're open). Please arrive at either 9:00 or 11:00; there is no need to be earlier. You do not need to book ahead of time, but it is highly recommended so that we can notify you if weather conditions prohibit tours on your chosen day. We do not ask for payment until you arrive at the museum for your tours. If you would like to book a tour at a different time, please call 403-642-2118 or e-mail info (at) devilscoulee (dot) com and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Duration: Approximately 45-60 minutes, or 2 hours including the museum tour and drive.
Difficulty: Moderate (Access for wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers is not possible. We follow narrow deer paths down the slopes. We trust visitors to judge their own fitness levels.)

Photos are allowed and encouraged! The dinosaur nesting site is situated in a dramatic, photogenic landscape surrounded by beautiful rural Alberta.

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Extended Tours

See More Mysteries
Dive deeper into our dinosaur nesting site with an extended tour. Access to the nesting site is only possible with one of our expert guides. Discover rare fossils and trace the steps of renowned palaeontologists.

Site Tour Times: We offer extended site tours at 9:00 and 11:00, weather permitting, Wednesday through Sunday from the Saturday of the May longweekend through Labour Day Monday (the only Monday we're open). Please arrive at either 9:00 or 11:00; there is no need to be earlier. You do not need to book ahead of time, but it is highly recommended so that we can ensure an extended guide is available, and notify you if weather conditions prohibit tours on your chosen day. We do not ask for payment until you arrive at the museum for your tours. If you would like to book a tour at a different time, please call 403-642-2118 or e-mail info (at) devilscoulee (dot) com and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Duration: Approximately 2 hours, or 3 hours including the museum tour and drive (twice as long at the site, for only an additional $10).

Difficulty: Moderate (Access for wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers is not possible. We follow narrow deer paths down the slopes. We trust visitors to judge their own fitness levels.)

Extend your adventure and explore the secrets of ancient life. Please see the Site Tours section above for details on what to expect and what to bring.

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Tour Rates

Ages	Museum	Museum & Site	Extended Site Tour
Child under 3 (accompanied by adult)	Free	Free	Free
Youth (3-17, accompanied by adult)	$6	$26	$36
Adult (18-59)	$11	$36	$46
Senior (60+)	$6	$26	$36
Solo Site Traveller		$50	$60
Group (minimum 6 people)	$36 (add $6 per additional person)	$156 (add $21 per additional person)	$216 (add $31 per additional person)

*For field trips, please e-mail us for school and summer camp rates.

Fossil Site Tour Waiver

All site tour participants are required to fill out and sign a waiver. (A child can be included on their guardian's waiver.) Waivers can be filled out and e-mailed ahead of time to info (at) devilscoulee (dot) com, printed and turned in upon arrival at the museum, or a paper copy can be filled out in our gift shop on the day of your site tour.

Download Waiver

FAQs

Will we get to actually touch dinosaur fossils?

Yes! Many of our fossils are displayed to promote tactile learning. You will have the opportunity to touch REAL dinosaur fossils, as well as ammonites, bivalves, and more.

Is there parking?

Yes! There are parking spaces in front of and behind the museum, as well as street parking beside the museum, and across the road by our Heritage Garden. Whether you drive a mini car, an RV, or a school bus, there is plenty of space for you! We are nextdoor to Warner's gas station, so you can also fuel up while you're here, if needed.

Where can we have lunch?

If the weather is good, your group can eat outside in our Heritage Garden, across the road from the museum. There are picnic tables, and a gazebo; we just ask that you place any trash in the recepticle provided. (Please note, our Conservation Policy prohibits eating or drinking in the museum.) Warner has a Chinese restaurant (with pizza), a much-visited restaurant in the hotel next door to the museum, plus a bakery just over on the main road. Or, feel free to enjoy an ice cream cone at Warner village's corner grocery store.

Are there overnight stay options nearby?

If you're looking for a place to spend the night, Warner has a B&B, a grocery store for food and other supplies, and a hotel, all locally owned and operated. You can book one of the museum's two RV spots for one night (no hook-ups available) through either RV Overnights or Terego, or stay at one of these nearby campgrounds: 8 Flags Campground (12 minutes away in Milk River), Gold Springs Campground (22 minutes south), Ridge Park Campground (27 minutes northwest), or Writing-on-Stone Campground (42 minutes southeast).

What other attractions are nearby?

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is a 45-minute drive from our museum. Pairing Devil's Coulee museum and site tours in the morning with Writing-on-Stone in the afternoon makes for a great day out. Other nearby attractions include the Milk River Historical Society & Museum, Etzikom Museum, and the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston. We are 35 minutes south of Lethbridge, which has the Galt Museum, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, and more.

Is the museum wheelchair accessible?

Yes. We are on the ground floor, fully accessible, and the washrooms right across the hallway from the museum's entrace have wheelchair accessible stalls.

Is the palaeontological site wheelchair accessible?

No. The site is natural badlands, without humanmade structures. There are no paved paths or handrails. Coulees have steep slopes and are not accessible for wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers. Site tours are not suitable for children unable to walk on their own, or for those with mobility issues on slopes. Please do NOT carry children in your arms or strapped to your body in case you become offbalance and fall.

How do we get to the palaeontological site?

Museum staff will give you directions on the day of your visit. The site is about a 25-minute drive from the museum. Museum staff are not allowed to transport visitors. Your guide will meet you at the site, everyone driving in their own vehicles.

Can we dig for fossils?

Fossil laws in Alberta prohibit excavation except by professional palaeontologists who have obtained a permit issued by the government. These fossil laws are one of the topics we are happy to teach more about. Kids will have the opportunity to try their hand at digging in our indoor and outdoor simulated bonebeds at the museum. We manage the palaeontological reserve on behalf of the government. This is a protected site, and anything removed from it could result in the government issuing a $50 000 fine or a one-year prison sentence. You will still get to see and touch fossils in the museum and out in the field, but all fossils must remain where they are found.

Phone: 403-642-2118
Email: info (at) devilscoulee (dot) com

Museum Rules

Help us maintain a welcoming environment for everyone while enjoying your visit:

Please have fun, but avoid loud or unruly behaviour. If you verbally or physically abuse staff or visitors, you will be asked to leave.

Respect the exhibits. You can touch most fossils not inside cases. Just don’t pick them up and remember to be gentle.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Enjoy food and beverages outside only.

Pets are not allowed inside the museum, with the exception of trained and certified service animals. Do not leave animals alone in vehicles, or unattended anywhere on the grounds, as summer temperatures are deadly.

Smoking is not permitted. Alcohol and recreational cannabis consumption is prohibited on the property.

Shirts and shoes are mandatory. Swimwear, or clothing displaying offensive content, are not allowed.

Solicitation of any kind is prohibited in the building and throughout the property.

Feel free to take photos for non-commercial use, but be respectful of other patrons. If you wish to take a video for social media, please contact us as we are happy to facilitate filming.

Thank you! We appreciate your help to ensure an enjoyable experience for all our visitors.