Summer Information For Red Deer Area In Alberta






Jul 18, 08

Red Deer Area
Alberta

Located near Several Parks and Lakes

Red Deer is located 84 miles north of Calgary. The name is thought to come from the Cree word "was-ka-soo," which means elk. Early settlers mistook the elk in Alberta for the red deer of their Scottish homeland.

The region has many parks and lakes that offer a variety of recreational opportunities. Jarvis Bay and Sylvan Lake Provincial Parks are located just west of Red Deer and offer swimming, fishing, 10 km of hiking trails, and plenty of picnic areas. Aspen Beach Provincial Park at Gull Lake offers visitors camping, canoeing, and windsurfing as well as swimming and fishing.

Waskasoo Park borders the Red Deer River and has several recreation areas, ponds and historic markers. Hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders will enjoy the 85 km of trails that run along the Red Deer River, Piper Creek & Waskasoo Creek providing ample outdoor activities.

Award Winning Golf Courses

The Red Deer area is home to seven 18-hole and 9-hole golf courses making it easy to fit a tee time into any schedule. Considered the best kept secret of central Alberta, the Riverbend Golf Course is situated around the meandering Red Deer River, offering fantastic golf and beautiful landscapes. This 18-hole, par 72, championship course cover over 6,750 yards of beautiful woodland and water framed fairway. Golfers of all abilities should find challenge and fun at Riverbend in Red Deer.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park is located in the heart of the Red Deer River Badlands. The Park encompasses and preserves over 75 square kilometres of badland, river, and prairie habitat and is home to 35 dinosaur and numerous vertebrate fossils. Fossils were first discovered here in 1884, but it wasn't until 1955 that the area was officially declared as a protected provincial park. Today, after a century of excavations over 150 complete dinosaur skeletons have been discovered, as well as disorganized concentrations of bones called 'bone beds.'
Sign up for guided hiking and bus tours throughout the badlands to view and experience 75 million year old fossil beds. Explore the hoodoos of Alberta's badlands for breathtaking and incredibly unique scenery.
Camping is also available at the dinosaur park with water, firewood for sale, and 59 powered campsites.

Culture and Entertainment

If you're interested in the history of the area, visit the Red Deer and District Museum. The museum chronicles the development of Red Deer and includes natural history exhibits.

Summer events, such as the Silver Buckle Rodeo, the Highland Games and the International Folk Festival provide visitors with an exciting and entertaining look at the area's culture.

If you're up for the drive, the Royal Tyrrell Museum, featuring the fossils dug up from the Provincial Dinosaur Park, is located 170 km away from Red Deer. The Museum showcases many fascinating exhibits, such as the Preparation Lab, where visitors can watch paleontologists prepare ancient fossils for research and display.