Typically, you expect to see dinosaurs in the big city, like at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago or the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.. You don’t expect to travel to tiny hamlets, usually paleontologists ship the bones to the people, not the other way around.

The small town of Tumbler Ridge, population 3,300, in eastern British Columbia has a little secret worth exploring though. In addition to being the “Waterfall Capital of the North”, it is home to one of the only sites in BC with both perfectly preserved dino tracks as well as home to discoveries of both bones and teeth. Whether you like natural history or are raising the next great paleontologist, you should check it out.  

The amazing find was actually discovered by two young boys after an afternoon of tubing the nearby rapids on Flatbed Creek. They realized that the tracks embedded in the stone were important and, believe it or not, spent over a year trying to convince adults of that fact. That’s some determined kids. Thankfully someone along the way took them seriously enough to check it out for themselves.

Today, the area is an active dig site as well as a museum and educational center. They offer several tours of the amazing finds, including a special tour at 10 p.m. that is quite unique and highly recommended. For children, the museum gives a hands-on look at what paleontologists actually do, from excavating fossils to preparing them for further research. The experience is exciting and not likely to be forgotten by the paleontologist wanna-be in your life, young or old.