Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Wyoming Sundance Vore Buffalo Jump

Vore Buffalo Jump

This shallow pit was once used to send over 20,000 buffalo plummeting to their death.

Sundance, Wyoming

G graknil profile photo
Added By
Jeff Allen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Vore Buffalo Jump   Scott Jones on Flickr
Vore Buffalo Jump   Scott Jones on Flickr
Vore Buffalo Jump   Scott Jones on Flickr
  sophiejogregory / Atlas Obscura User
  sophiejogregory / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Using this sinkhole's steep cliff wall as a trap for stampeding buffalo, ancient Native American's turned what is now known as the Vore Buffalo Jump into a rich archeological site. 

A natural sinkhole with a sheer 40 foot drop on one side, the buffalo jump was used from about 1500 to 1800 CE by Wyoming's Plains Indians as a trap and slaughtering ground. After spooking herds of large buffalo, the Native American hunters would herd them towards the near invisible drop, sending the animals careening to the bottom of the hole where they would die or be permanently immobilized. Oftentimes, the kills would be broken down right in the pit, leaving the bones behind.

After hundreds of years of such use the bison trap filled with bones and stone tools that were eventually left and forgotten. When archeologists discovered the site, they found layers of bone and tools extending over 20 feet into the ground comprised of over 20,000 animal carcasses. The site is still an active excavation today but visitors can come and see the open bone pit with its seemingly endless supply of remains. Anyone interested in Native American history should jump at the chance to see this site. Just be careful how you land.   

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Know Before You Go

The Vore Buffalo Jump now has a permanent structure covering the bones. It is also only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The grounds are open but none of the buildings can be accessed.

Community Contributors

G graknil profile photo

Added By

graknil

cyccommute profile photo EricGrundhauser profile photo S sophiejogregory profile photo

Edited By

cyccommute, EricGrundhauser, sophiejogregory

  • cyccommute profile photo cyccommute
  • EricGrundhauser profile photo EricGrundhauser
  • S sophiejogregory profile photo sophiejogregory

Published

January 27, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vore_Buffalo_Jump
  • http://www.wyomingtourism.org/thingstodo/detail/Vore-Buffalo-Jump/4864
  • http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/vore-buffalo-jump

Related Tags

Native Americans Archaeology Animals
Vore Buffalo Jump
369 Old U.S. 14
Sundance, Wyoming, 82729
United States
44.537066, -104.156001
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Quaal Windsock

Sundance, Wyoming

miles away

Aladdin Coal Tipple

Aladdin, Wyoming

miles away

Fish Car No. 3

Spearfish, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sundance

Sundance

Wyoming

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Quaal Windsock

Sundance, Wyoming

miles away

Aladdin Coal Tipple

Aladdin, Wyoming

miles away

Fish Car No. 3

Spearfish, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sundance

Sundance

Wyoming

Places 2

Related Places

  • San Nicolas Island

    Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California

    San Nicolas Island

    A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

  • Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park and Museum

    Globe, Arizona

    Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park and Museum

    The remains of a large pueblo village constructed by the Salado culture, who occupied the region more than 600 years ago.

  • Submerged dugout canoe.

    Creswell, North Carolina

    Dugout Canoes at Lake Phelps of Pettigrew State Park

    This lake—the second largest in the state— was hiding historic treasures beneath its surface.

  • The ruins of El Cuartelejo.

    Scott City, Kansas

    El Cuartelejo

    The ruins of the northernmost pueblo in the Americas tell the story of a mixing of native cultures.

  • The Hacienda

    Alcalde, New Mexico

    Los Luceros Historic Site

    This ranch on the banks of the Rio Grande is home to a little-known LGBTQ history of Mary Cabot Wheelwright, Marie Chabot, and two-spirit Navajo weaver Hastiin Klah.

  • On the platform.

    Lovelock, Nevada

    Lovelock Cave

    How a bat poo mine became a major Native American archaeological site—and connections to legendary red-haired giants.

  • Big Foot petroglyph, with standing figure to right.  The Big Foot is literally a representation of a bare human footprint, not the storied cryptid.

    Clark County, Nevada

    Black Butte Petroglyph Trail

    The highest concentration of petroglyph sites in Gold Butte National Monument, plus an improbable early 20th-century dam.

  • Abo kiva in foreground, church in background

    Mountainair, New Mexico

    Salinas Pueblo Missions

    The remains of Abó, Gran Quivera, and Qurai are monuments to the long, complicated history of the Indigenous people of the Southwest.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.