Madison Buffalo Jump State Park

Look up at this high limestone cliff and imagine the stampeding herds of buffalo falling off the edge to their death. For about 2,000 years, ancient Native Americans used fast young runners, camouflaged in buffalo, antelope or wolf skins, to lure the giant bison. The buffalo were key to their survival, supplying food, clothing, shelter and provisions. The site was abandoned sometime after the year 1700, when the area’s early inhabitants began using horses, but tons of bones remain buried at the base of the cliff, now known as Madison Buffalo Jump State Park. Archaeologists have found teepee rings of an extensive village at this site near Three Forks, Montana, which sits on the edge of a broad valley carved by the Madison River. Bring some food along for a picnic and hike to the top of the jump for a great view of the valley. The site is not far from Bozeman, where fly fishing, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, and hot springs await.