Disclaimer the Activities Described in This Book Have Inherent Risks That

All rights reserved. No part of this publica- tion may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, audio recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

All photos by the author except for: Paddling with Kids, p. 17, Norman Dennis Happy Jack, p. 88, Glenbow Museum

Front Cover: Paddling through Dino- saur Park. Frontispiece: Lunch stop along the Oldman River. Prologue: Old- man River downstream of Highway 36.

Badlands Publishing Inc. 5823 Dalkeith Hill Calgary, AB, T3A 1G5 www.badlandspublishing.com

Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens, Altona, Manitoba. No outsourcing!

ISBN 978-0-9880741-0-1

Disclaimer

The activities described in this book have inherent risks that can lead to loss of property, injury, and/or death. Canoeists and other users of this book undertake these activities entirely at their own risk. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of the information in this book.

6 Contents

Start of the run Index map ...... 11 Prologue ...... 12

Introduction to Prairie Canoeing Paddling Palliser’s Triangle ...... 14 Style of Trip ...... 15 Seasons ...... 16 Your Right to River Access ...... 17 Responsible Travel ...... 18 Difficulty ...... 18 Obstacles ...... 19 Things that Bite and Sting ...... 21 Weather-Related Concerns ...... 24 Remoteness ...... 26 Planning ...... 26 River Flow Levels ...... 27 Gear ...... 28 Canoe Construction ...... 32 Places to Purchase or Rent a Canoe ...... 33 Checklist ...... 34 Canoe Transport ...... 34 Car Shuttle ...... 36 Basic Paddling Skills ...... 37 GPS Navigation ...... 41 When Nature Calls ...... 43 Campfires ...... 43

Paddling: Red Deer River Content Bridge to Trenville Park ...... 46 Trenville Park to McKenzie Crossing ...... 49 McKenzie Crossing to Dry Island Buffalo Jump ...... 49 Dry Island Buffalo Jump to Tolman Bridge ...... 52 Tolman Bridge to Morrin Bridge ...... 55 Morrin Bridge to Bleriot Ferry ...... 60 Bleriot Ferry to Drumheller ...... 63 Drumheller to Cambria ...... 66 Cambria to East Coulee ...... 69 East Coulee to Dorothy ...... 72 Dorothy to Finnegan Ferry ...... 74

7 Finnegan Ferry to Emerson Bridge ...... 76 Emerson Bridge to Steveville ...... 76 Steveville to Dinosaur Park ...... 80 Dinosaur Park to Jenner Bridge ...... 85 Jenner Bridge to Buffalo Bridge ...... 90 Buffalo Bridge to Bindloss Bridge ...... 90 Bindloss Bridge to Empress ...... 94 Empress to Estuary ...... 99

Paddling: Oldman and South Saskatchewan Rivers Lethbridge to Nolan’s Bridge ...... 102 Nolan’s Bridge to Taber ...... 106 Taber to Highway 36...... 109 Highway 36 to Grand Forks ...... 110 Grand Forks to Medicine Hat ...... 114 Medicine Hat: Echodale to Strathcona Island Park ...... 118 Medicine Hat to Sandy Point ...... 120 Sandy Point to Estuary ...... 128 Beyond Estuary ...... 130

Paddling: Milk River Whiskey Gap to Del Bonita ...... 132 Del Bonita to Milk River ...... 134 Milk River to Gold Springs ...... 140 Gold Springs to Coffin Bridge ...... 140 Coffin Bridge to Weir Bridge ...... 142 Weir Bridge to Writing-On-Stone Park ...... 146 Writing-On-Stone Park to Deer Creek Bridge ...... 153 Deer Creek Bridge to Aden Bridge ...... 153 Aden Bridge to Pinhorn...... 159

Camping: Red Deer River Content Bridge ...... 46 Trenville Park ...... 48 McKenzie Crossing ...... 49 Tolman Bridge ...... 54 Morrin Bridge ...... 60 Bleriot Ferry ...... 62 Drumheller ...... 64 Rosedale and Wayne ...... 68 Dorothy ...... 73 Emerson Bridge ...... 76 Steveville ...... 78

8 Dinosaur Park ...... 82 Jenner Bridge Rodeo Grounds ...... 89 Buffalo Bridge ...... 90 Bindloss Bridge ...... 94 Empress ...... 98

Camping: Oldman and South Saskatchewan Rivers Lethbridge ...... 102 M.D. of Taber Park ...... 108 Grand Forks ...... 110 Medicine Hat ...... 116 Sandy Point ...... 127

Camping: Milk River Del Bonita ...... 134 Milk River ...... 139 Gold Springs Park ...... 140 Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park ...... 147

Interpretive Red Deer River ...... 44 Tail Creek and Content ...... 45 Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park ...... 50 Glaciation ...... 53 Sandstones, Mudstones, and Coal ...... 56 Geological Formations ...... 59 The Royal Tyrrell Museum ...... 65 Fossil Collecting and the Law ...... 65 The 2005 Flood ...... 66 Badlands and Hoodoos ...... 69 Coal Mining ...... 70 Finnegan Ferry ...... 75 Dinosaur Hunters ...... 78 Dinosaurs ...... 83 Happy Jack ...... 86 Beaver ...... 95 Oldman and South Saskatchewan Rivers ...... 100 Oldman River Geology ...... 108 Naming Confusion ...... 112 Grasslands Ecology ...... 112 Potatogate ...... 114 Milk River ...... 131 The Spite Ditch ...... 138

9 The Milk River Formation ...... 145 Writing-On-Stone ...... 148 Humphrey and Davis Coulees ...... 150 The NWMP ...... 152 The Sweetgrass Hills ...... 156 Meandering and Braided Rivers ...... 157 Pinhorn Grazing Reserve ...... 160

End of the run About the Author ...... 164 Best places ...... 165 Bibliography ...... 166 Index ...... 167

Divided highway Map Legend Numbered highway, most are paved Township/Range road, gravel Private road or track. Access to wellheads, gasplants, farms, and ranchland. Roads may be gated. Railroad River, with kilometer marker Floodplain, valley bottom Riverbanks, badlands Provincial park, crown land Restricted area, no trespassing Urban area Campground Picnic area River access Hiking area Information centre kilometer-scale grid, with UTM coordinate (km) Highway number 10