Atlas Coal Mine

The Drumheller valley had a hundred and thirty-nine coal mines at its peak, feeding prairie homes and railways, and the Atlas was the last to close, in 1979. Its wooden tipple, the structure that sorted and loaded coal into rail cars, is the last one standing in Canada; eight storeys of timber, condemned and nearly demolished before volunteers saved it. Tours climb inside it. The site also runs a mine train along the valley floor and takes visitors a short way into a tunnel. Former miners and their descendants have worked as guides, and the site does not soften the working conditions or the deaths.

What you actually see

• The wooden tipple - the last standing timber coal tipple in Canada.
• The mine train - a short rail trip along the valley floor.
• The tunnel tour - a guided walk into a section of the underground workings.
• The washhouse and offices - the surviving surface buildings of the operation.

When to go

May to September; the site closes for winter. Tipple tours have limited places and sell out on summer days, so book. Mornings are cooler in the valley.

Honest expectations

The site closes roughly October to April. The tipple climb involves steep stairs in an old timber structure and is not for everyone. Underground access is short.

Nearby

The hoodoos lie west; Drumheller is beyond them.