First Nations Heritage and Old West History Day Trip from Calgary
Calgary, Canada
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 8 hours
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: It might sound like a news headline, but it's actually a UNESCO site that you can visit on this trip to southern Alberta from Calgary. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved sites of the 6,000-year-old practice of buffalo jumping, a hunting tradition you will learn more about from your guide of First Nations descent. Travel deeper into Canada's cowboy country for a lunch break in Fort Macleod followed by some free time at Heritage Park Historical Village. Inside the country’s largest living history museum, you can wander through settlements like a prairie railroad town, check out Gasoline Alley Museum, and take a ride on the steam-engine train.
More About This Activity All Day Trips →
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: It might sound like a news headline, but it's actually a UNESCO site that you can visit on this trip to southern Alberta from Calgary. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved sites of the 6,000-year-old practice of buffalo jumping, a hunting tradition you will learn more about from your guide of First Nations descent. Travel deeper into Canada's cowboy country for a lunch break in Fort Macleod followed by some free time at Heritage Park Historical Village. Inside the country’s largest living history museum, you can wander through settlements like a prairie railroad town, check out Gasoline Alley Museum, and take a ride on the steam-engine train.Meet your guide and board your air-conditioned coach near Calgary Tower for your day trip to explore southern Alberta, known as Canada’s cowboy country. Take a scenic 2-hour drive through open country of grazing pastures before arriving at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
For thousands of years, the Native people of the Northern Plains hunted buffalo for food and clothing by chasing them off a cliff’s edge. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the oldest and most important hunting sites of this age-old practice that is known as buffalo jumping.
When you reach the interpretive center, explore on your own or follow a guide to learn about the history and traditions of the people who lived in these foothills where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains.
Continue your trip through Canada's cowboy country on a stop in Fort Macleod for lunch (own expense) and a stroll down Main Street. The historic town was founded as a Northwest Mounted Police outpost in 1892.
Want more of the Old West? Return to Calgary and travel back in time at the Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada’s largest living history museum with more than 180 exhibits spread across 127 acres (51 hectares).
Inside the park, get glimpses into the 1860s fur-trading era, and explore areas that were once a First Nations encampment, a 1880s pre-railway settlement, and a vibrant 1910 prairie railroad town. Over in Heritage Town Square, chat with costumed characters on your way into the Gasoline Alley Museum to check out western Canada's automotive history. At the Conklin Lakeview Amusements Antique Midway, kids will get a kick out of riding an authentic steam train, a Ferris wheel and a classic fairground ride called The Whip.
After about 90 minutes in Heritage Park Historical Village, return to Calgary Tower in the late afternoon.
For thousands of years, the Native people of the Northern Plains hunted buffalo for food and clothing by chasing them off a cliff’s edge. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the oldest and most important hunting sites of this age-old practice that is known as buffalo jumping.
When you reach the interpretive center, explore on your own or follow a guide to learn about the history and traditions of the people who lived in these foothills where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains.
Continue your trip through Canada's cowboy country on a stop in Fort Macleod for lunch (own expense) and a stroll down Main Street. The historic town was founded as a Northwest Mounted Police outpost in 1892.
Want more of the Old West? Return to Calgary and travel back in time at the Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada’s largest living history museum with more than 180 exhibits spread across 127 acres (51 hectares).
Inside the park, get glimpses into the 1860s fur-trading era, and explore areas that were once a First Nations encampment, a 1880s pre-railway settlement, and a vibrant 1910 prairie railroad town. Over in Heritage Town Square, chat with costumed characters on your way into the Gasoline Alley Museum to check out western Canada's automotive history. At the Conklin Lakeview Amusements Antique Midway, kids will get a kick out of riding an authentic steam train, a Ferris wheel and a classic fairground ride called The Whip.
After about 90 minutes in Heritage Park Historical Village, return to Calgary Tower in the late afternoon.
« Go Back