On Finding Digs in Dinosaur Country

Getting there: Calgary is the major airport nearest Dinosaur Country. Air Canada and Delta Airlines offer daily direct flights from Los Angeles to Calgary. Prices range from $255 to $586 U.S. round trip. Rental cars cost about $38 U.S. per day and are available at the airport. Dinosaur Provincial Park is about 125 miles east of Calgary. By car, take the Trans-Canada Highway to Highway 542 and the town of Brooks, which is about 30 miles from the park entrance. The Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller is about an 85-mile drive northeast of Calgary via Highway 9.

Hotels and restaurants: Various types of accommodations are available in Brooks. Rates at the Heritage Inn are $36 to $44. Call (403) 362-6666.

The Douglas Country Inn is a bed and breakfast inn about five miles from Brooks. Rates: $65 double occupancy. Call (403) 362-2873.

Camping is allowed within Dinosaur Provincial Park, but the area is often very hot and dry; more scenic camping is available at nearby Lake Newell.

In Drumheller, the Drumheller Inn has rooms ranging from $50 to $67. Call (403) 823-84001. The Sizzling House is an excellent Sichuan restaurant. The Bridge serves up good Greek cuisine.

Museum information: Admission is free to the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Summer hours, from late May to Oct. 8, are 9 a.m to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Open holidays. For more information, call the museum at (403) 823-7707.

How to dig dinosaurs: Every year the museum selects 30 to 40 volunteers to work on summer digs. The only requirements are that volunteers be physically fit, over 18 years old and under 55.

To obtain a volunteer application, write Bev Hall, The Friends of Tyrrell Museum, Box 178 Riverside Center, 180 Riverside Drive East, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada TOJ OYO.

For more information: Contact the Los Angeles office of Travel Alberta and ask for their information and accommodations guide. The office is at 333 S. Grand Ave., Suite 3535, Los Angeles 90071. Call (800) 424-3687 or (213) 625-1256.