Black Hills Trip: Vore Buffalo Jump

Vore Buffalo Jump Website

Entrance Fee: $5/adult, max $10/family. Open seasonally.

While we were at Devil's Tower, I picked up a pamphlet about the Vore Buffalo Jump. Even though we were unsure if it would be open, since stopping required only a minor detour, we decided to check it out. While it wasn't officially open, we arrived on a work day where they were preparing the site for opening, and got a personal tour by Ed Vore, whose father had previously owned the land before the archeological site was found. After the site was found, Ed's father donated the land, and it is now owned by a non-profit organization. The tour was great, and the site quite amazing.

The Vore Buffalo Jump is a sinkhole that was used as a Buffalo Jump by several of the Native American tribes in the area. It is unlike other Buffalo Jumps, which were cliffs. Because of its unique geology, the bones from the Bison that died in the jump were preserved very well. After each season mud covered the bones, allowing them to be preserved.

In the summer, the area continues to be an active archeological site, while still allowing visitors to view the site. Ed is working on building more educational buildings to provide visitors with a more complete experience that includes the history of how the jump was used. It was quite impressive, and well worth the side trip off the interstate.

Black Hills Trip: Devil's Tower National Monument

23 & 24 May 2012 Devil's Tower National Monument, WY ( Park Map)

Entrance Fee: $10/vehicle or National Parks Pass Camping: $12/night, includes bathrooms with flush toilets, electricity, sinks, a dish washing area, and outside water spigots. Hikes: We arrived the evening of the 23rd, and after setting up did an evening hike from the campground. We created a loop trail by hiking the following trail sections: (Southside Trail (.6mi) to Red Beds Trail (.5 mi) to Valley View Trail (.6 mi)). We hiked through out through a prairie dog town on the Southside Trail, then gained elevation up to the Red Beds Trail, which is the outer loop trail around the tower. We had great views of the tower as the moon rose, and then returned down to the campground through the prairie dog town via the Valley View Trail.

After breaking camp we stopped at the Circle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture. This is the newest addition to the park, and acknowledges the importance of the area to the Native Americans in the area.

We then drove up to the visitor center area (2 mi. from campground) and hiked the Tower Trail, which circumnavigates the tower near its base. While only 1.3 miles long, we stopped many times to take pictures and look the various sides of the tower. It is amazing how different it looks from each angle. Additionally, from certain trail points you can see the remnants of the wooden ladder that was originally used to climb Devil's Tower. I can't imagine climbing on narrow wooden rungs crammed in a crack all the way to the top!

When we returned, we explored the visitor center, then headed out on the full Red Beds Trail (3.8 miles). This more meandering trail travels through diverse habitats, from the forests surrounding the tower, to sagebrush, and into the red rock Spearfish formation (also known as the giant racetrack). It was a wonderful hike with a generally rolling character. This trail also allowed us to get out of the more populated areas of the park - I don't think we saw any other people on the trail. We did see deer and plenty of wildflowers. Overall, this hike was one that left me feeling that it had all the perfect elements of a late-morning jaunt in the woods.