Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
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| Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location: | Canada |
| Nearest city: | Three Hills, Red Deer |
| Coordinates: | |
| Established: | December 15, 1970 |
| Governing body: | Alberta Community Development |
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park is located in Central Alberta, about a 40-minute drive away from Red Deer. The park is situated along the Red Deer River and features badlands topography. Its name derives from the large plateau in the middle of the park, 200 meters above the Red Deer River, which has never been developed by humans and retains virgin prairie grasses.
The park is the site of an ancient buffalo jump, where Cree native people drove bison over the cliffs in large numbers to provide for their tribes. The hills also contain unique flora and fauna that are not found this far east of the Rocky Mountains in as large numbers as at Dry Island. The park contains the most important Albertosaurus bone bed in the world, which was first discovered by Barnum Brown around the turn of the twentieth century and rediscovered by Dr. Phil Currie in 1997. The bone bed excavation was halted at the end of August, 2005.
Overnight camping is not allowed, and the park is rather difficult to access, making it something of a local secret. Its beauty, however, is definitely something to search out if one travels to Alberta.
 Entrance to the park, overlooking the river valley. |
 Panoramic view. |
