Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, Provincial park in Alberta, Canada
Dry Island Buffalo Jump is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada, set along the Red Deer River in a badlands landscape. A wide plateau rises steeply above the river, exposing layered rock formations, open grasslands, and deep ravines below.
Cree peoples used this site over many generations as a hunting ground, driving bison herds off the cliffs to the river below. The practice shaped the place so strongly that its name still carries that memory today.
The name comes from an ancient hunting method where bison herds were driven over the cliffs, reflecting the deep connection between people and the land. The landscape itself serves as a reminder of when large herds roamed freely across this river valley.
The park has two campgrounds, Tolman East and Tolman West, along with a boat launch that gives access to the river. All facilities tend to be open from spring through fall, so warmer months are the most practical time to plan a visit.
A bone bed full of Albertosaurus remains was found here in 1910, then largely forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1997. The gap between discovery and rediscovery shows how much of the badlands has yet to be fully studied.
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