Located in the Badlands of southeastern Alberta, about a half hour drive south of Medicine Hat, is an amazing landscape. Red Rock Coulee is not very well known — I’d only recently heard about it from some friends who live in Medicine Hat, who told me I should go to see it. I’m glad I took their advice because the scenery and rock formations are remarkable!
There are hundreds of large red sandstone boulders scattered over the hills in this area. My friend described the scene as resembling what it would look like if a giant threw handfuls of monstrous marbles around. The distance landscape contains rolling hills and eroded coulees of Alberta’s Badlands.
The boulders are large but not huge, most between 1.5 – 2.5 m in diameter, some starting to break apart from erosion.
These large red spherical sandstone concretions are thought to have eroded out of the softer bedrock, their relative hardness helping them survive the elements. Not unlike the forces that created the Hoodoos one encounters in the Badlands. Iron gives the rock its red color. If you look carefully, you might find some marine fossils.
The following photo was used as last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. It was recognized by the incomparable George G.
Note of Caution: There are no guest services in the area. In the summer it is hot and windy, so be prepared for this. This is rattlesnake country, so be cautious as you wander this natural area. There is a lot of clay in the ground and it will be slippery when wet.
I’ve always been fascinated by geological rock formations ever since I signed up for a college course in Geology that was my final course allowing me to graduate before being drafted in the US Army.