Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site

🦬 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump – A Powerful Connection to the Past—We’ve visited Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump a few times over the years, and each time it gets better. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable—they really bring the history to life. The site is well-maintained, and the washrooms were clean, which is always appreciated. This year, we noticed some new features added since our last visit, which made the experience feel fresh. They offer family packages and discounted rates for veterans and their families, which is a thoughtful touch. No need to book in advance—we walked in on a weekend and had no issues, even with tour buses coming through. 🐾 Heads-up for pet owners: Dogs aren’t allowed inside the interpretive centre, but there’s a shaded waiting area outside where you can sit with your pup. They even provide water bowls, which was a kind gesture. ✅ Tip: If you’re heading south from Pincher Creek or exploring the Waterton area, this is a must-stop. It’s not just a museum—it’s a place to reflect, learn, and connect with Indigenous history in a meaningful way.

Such an amazing place to visit! The site is beautiful with stunning scenic views — but be prepared for extremely windy conditions at the top. Make sure to check the hours, as they close early, so plan your visit accordingly. One tip for after your visit: when exiting, avoid turning right as the road is very rough, almost off-road with lots of rocks — not suitable for a sedan. Instead, take the left turn to reach the highway for a safer and quicker drive.

Great place to visit. Took about an hour to do the whole heritage site. Unique heritage site with tons of info on the buffalo jump. One of my favorite parts is the building itself. Built into the side of the cliff, it's architecturaly very fascinating. Great views from the cliff of the prairies and the Old Man River.

Woow. Magnificent place. I heard about it long time ago but had no chance to visit till last weekend and it was worth for such long drive. Knowing the history of the place and native culture goes back to 6000 years. Mind blowing for me. Also, layer by layer display of the soil which contains buffalo remains in last 6000 years, stunning. I have more respect to the native people than before after visiting and learning one of their sacred place.

This is a very informative historical site. The curators have done an excellent job. It is very well put together. After you check-in, You start the visit by taking elevator to the 7 floor, then go outside to the viewing point. You reenter the building and make your way down through the 6 floors of displays. Not a difficult walk. This is worth the visit. Spent maybe 1.5 hours here.

Super friendly staff and a clean, well maintained building and trails. I did the trails to the kill site, and met a deer along the way. Educational tour. I had no idea the excavation of the site discovered the site had been used for about 6000-7000 years! Very cool.

Absolutely amazing. As young high schoolers we often drove to the cliff as a group & hiked up. We also walked through the cows right to the base. This was all way before it was repatriated to the Blackfoot. I'm so glad things are run by the ancestral people of the land. My memories of the place are completely different. I think we went to the further, now for First Nations only, Buffalo Jump. I loved the interpretation centre. I wish we could have joined the private group tours to learn more. There wasn't any wandering interpretation staff to talk to when we were there. The man at the entrance to pay was so friendly & welcoming. I wanted to offer him tobacco to ask permission to come in, as I was taught, but there was a line behind me & I didn't want him to feel awkward seeing as he was behind a glass wall. I grew up knowing that you offered tobacco as both permission to be somewhere & to ask if the Firsr Nations person would accept it to honour their guidance they could choose to give you. It's symbolic but important. I would suggest adding some different languages as an audio walking tour or maybe books to borrow for common other languages. There were 2 family groups i witnessed, one Persian & one French that struggled with understanding the movies & written displays. As someone who grew up in Southern Alberta I knew this place was important & sacred. My high school didn't respect its sacredness or coordinate with local Blackfoot to have permission or even pay for a guided tour. I offered tobacco as an offering when I came for several reasons. First, to apologize for coming there without permission as a teen & not respecting the sacredness in the past. Next to thank the spirit & ancestors of the land for allowing me to come back to both apologize & see it's majesty again. I had hoped to offer tobacco officially to a guide to ask them if they would accept it, but I never saw anyone until we were leaving. I had prayed with it & had some ready to offer. I used most of it up at the tourist area overlooking the first jump, but left some along the path to & from the facility in sincere thanks. The gift shop was ok, but I would have loved to see much more artisanal work by local Blackfoot . The t shirts were nice, staff in the shops too. The gift shop is poorly designed and cramped. The snack area was closed. Parking was ok. You can drop off people at the entrance that have mobility issues. It's all wheelchair friendly. You start by taking elevators to the top. I did overhear that one of the USA groups had trouble with the elevators because they were all too heavy.

Very interesting site, for those with a curiosity about the culture of Canada's Indigenous population. You can get through the whole interpretive center in about an hour. Make sure you go to the theater and watch the short 15 minute film about the buffalo herd cliff stampede. Then at the end you can grab a cap or tshirt that says 'Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump'. Not everyone has one of those. A guaranteed conversation starter. If the weather permits take a short stroll to see the cliffs just outside the center.

The center was built into the mountain. We began with a :20 film reenacting a buffalo hunt 1,000 years ago. Donovan Troy, our guide told us about how all the parts of the Buffalo were used and stored for the future generations. The UNESCO Heritage Center was beautifully displayed. We followed the boardwalk outside to see the Buffalo cliff. The grounds are lovely. This was an informative stop. Three thousand acres is the size of this First Nation land. There were elevators, restrooms and a gift shop.

We went early May. Not many visitors. Safe during Covid. All precautions taken. Wonderful to see all the displays and read the quotations. Highlight was the documentary. Once you see it then you will be able to understand the displays. It was windy walking outside but we enjoyed it. Saw some deer grazing & praire dog. Washrooms were clean. Resturant however was closed. Take a picnic if you heading that way

The visitor center for the Unesco World Heritage Site, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump is one of the best I have been to. Great interpreted scenes from history and I really liked how they projected stories on large rocks around the different rooms. It is 4 stories as you have to go to the top to access the trail to the cliffs. And just like the Buffalo, you go down through the museum to the end.

While visiting Waterton Lakes NP, we had a day open and a friend suggested we come here. Glad we did. Smashed-In-Head is a significant historical exhibit, deservedly a UNECSO World Heritage site. The entire exhibit is well-presented and contains tons of information about the jump, the people and how the historical record is being examined and preserved. It's a great learning opportunity for young and mature. And it's not too expensive. Most of the exhibit is housed within the building but there's an overlook trail to the edge of the jump that is a must but other than seeing the actual cliff, doesn't provide much information. Nice views, though. You should walk the lower trail to get a different perspective of the jump and the campsite, as well. Highly recommended.

great place to learn about Indian harvesting of buffalo before horses. Excellent exhibits. There are other stops in the US with dedicated monuments to the buffalo jump but this is best one so far. The video is well done showing how the buffalo run off the cliff. They have real buffalo in the cafeteria. Homemade stew/burgers/hot dogs all made from locally sourced buffalo meat. they have a tipi made of buffalo hide. Interesting how soft it is and yet still waterproof

Last time I was hear I got an old chunk of coal. Comedy show here was great though. Bring back Norm!

It had been years/decades since I had been to Head Smashed In. During a trip northward to the homeland (Siksika Nation), I intentionally made plans for a tiny side trip: I mean someone needed to Yelp this place, yes? Just adjacent to the Blackfoot Confederacy's Peigan Rez (near Brocket, AB), is the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre. This is a world class museum offering insight into a significant to the past of the Blackfoot people. It is a bit gory, but buffalo jump is basically what it sounds like. This is where buffalo offered themselves for food, clothing, shelter, tools, and so many other things to the Blackfoot people. In another time, Buffalo roamed the northern plains in epic numbers, and when conditions were right some of these buffalo were hunted utilizing a buffalo jump. This was all done long ago...without horses. This spot is rich in archaeological finds, this is why an Interpretive Centre was built. This museum is so cool. While driving along the plains near the southern Alberta Rockies, the museum sneaks up on you among the foothills. Architecturally, the museum is magnificent. It blends right into the cliff on the prairie. It looks small and hidden. In actuality the museum is huge, and is built into the cliff and stairs itself up the cliffside. Inside, you have a couple of theaters showing films about the buffalo jump, a gift shop, a restaurant, and a world class museum. The museum is huge. It is tiered, and every level goes over a different part of history related to the Blackfoot and the buffalo jump. Outside are trails offering magnificent views of the plains, and vista point which is where the actual buffalo jump is. If you are ever in southern Alberta, make plans to see this Blackfoot/Peigan treasure.

Really good food in the Cafe upstairs !!! Really great facility of the story of the past . Good for kids too. our tour group gets the guided tour so thats nice. I would allow an hour and a half .

Unfortunately I never got to go. Only 2 handicapped parking spots and the hill was to steep for my scooter to go up the hill. Not a handicapped friendly site.

We were very impressed with "Smashing Head Buffalo Jump". The experience far surpassed our expectations. The building, the exhibits, the films shown, the layout of the building and the outside were excellent. What really made the experience memorable and poignant though was our outside walking tour with Dione, a Blackfoot that joined us and gave us anecdotes and perspectives that we never could have had without him. What a great visit! Thank you!