Alberta’s Not So Badlands

For more than a hundred years, Alberta has been known as a mountain playground. Peering at the pages of travel magazines you will see endless images of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. Even our $20 bill used to show an image of the mountains in the name of Moraine Lake. More recently though, the tide is beginning to turn as more and more people begin to explore some of our numerous, non-mountainous attractions. One of the most exciting landscapes within the province can be found hidden within the middle of our vast prairies—the badlands.

Alberta’s badlands can best be described as a miniature version of the Grand Canyon. Similar in appearance, they seem to have been carved out of the prairie itself. This is in fact the case. With the retreat of the last glaciers around 18,000 years ago, immense amounts of water were released to carve large and intricate drainage channels through the soft rock. Over time, these channels have been sculpted and molded by wind and water into the intricate, and almost eerie, landscapes we see today.

When you first set eyes on the badlands, it’s usually very unexpected. Traveling across the flattest of prairies, the ground abruptly opens up into a wide, beautiful canyon. Exploring the badlands provides endless excitement as they bring a little of the southern desert to the Alberta plains. In spring, the desert comes to life as the prickly pear and pincushion cactus’ explode into fiery yellow and red flowers. Since most of our badlands are located along river valleys, they form an oasis for local birds and wildlife. Pronghorn antelope and mule deer peer at you from a safe distance and an endless variety of birds roost in the trees lining the river.

Wander away from the shoreline and the climate quickly changes. The ground immediately dries and cracks. The plants choke out a tough existence in this wild and dry land. The landscape is stark—almost moonlike. In fact one area of Dinosaur Provincial Park is known as the Valley of the Moon. You have stepped into a wondrous new world—a world that begs to be explored. Be cautious though! This is an area to be explored in good weather only. Many badlands, including the Drumheller and Dinosaur park areas, are underlain by a bentonite clay soil. This clay swells and forms a completely frictionless surface when wet. In addition, the clay causes flash floods through this normally dry valley. Luckily though, rainfall is rare in this near desert area.

Unfortunately for the badlands, the name tends to drive away tourism. Who, in their right mind, would want to visit an area described as "bad". In reality though, the badlands are an area of incredible beauty and stark character. The name ‘badlands’ was actually a mistranslation of a French term used to describe similar landscapes in the American Dakotas. Apparently early French voyageurs called similar areas "mauvaises terres a traverser" or simply "bad lands to cross". This is a very apt description as the badlands are indeed difficult to cross by walking in a straight line. However, if you don’t mind a meander, they provide endless opportunities for exploring.