Pictograph Cave State Park
Pictograph Cave State Park things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Fascinating scenic/historic State Park off the beaten track. I ended up in Billings with a few hours to kill, so I decided to check out Pictograph Cave State Park. It's quite a small venue, but an utterly fascinating one. The visitor center contains a display detailing the site's history of human habitation and providing an insight into the archaeological excavations carried out here. The path up to the main cave is only about a quarter of a mile long, but it's quite steep. All on all there are three caves along the one mile loop trail, though only the main one holds any pictographs. Pro-Tip: If you're walking the whole loop, the "Un-maintained Trail" is actually a much easier as well as scenic way of getting to the third cave, than the main path.
Sasch MayerSasch Mayer
00
Planned stop along highway near Billings Montana. There is a short 5 minute drive to the entrance to the park. Parking was good, even for a few RV's. There is an entrance fee (per person) payable inside of the visitor center. A short 1/3 mile walk from the visitor center up to a few shallow caves. These are not really caves you can walk into or through as there are barriers. The "pictographs" were hardly visible at all, but it's easy to ponder what would it have been like for the people who resided here many years ago. Four stars for an interesting side trip. Park was clean, staff was friendly, parking was ok, otherwise, not much to see. Good for a field trip for school children.
C RenaissancemanC Renaissanceman
00
We arrived when there was a storm in the distance. My husband went in to purchase tickets. He asked the older blonde lady how long the storm would last. She said maybe 5-10 minutes. We are from Texas and deal with storms regularly, so 5-10 minutes of rain is no big deal. It started raining on us as we walked up to the first cave. The cave was exceptionally unimpressive. You canât see anything that used to be there. It started raining heavily, then hailing and rocks came from over the top of the cave. We ran for the parking lot and the hail got worse. The park staff sounded a siren. We went into the office to let them know about the rocks and got chastised by the older lady for even going up in the first place! If she had said it wasnât safe and to give it 10 minutes to clear, we would have waited it out. Also, if youâre in an RV, maybe reconsider! There are 3 RV spots. If anyone had been parked on either side of us we couldnât have gotten out of the parking lot! As it was, we were inching our 40 footer out of there. Wasted $ and time.
Billie HopkinBillie Hopkin
00
Great state park to visit in Montana. My husband focused on his HAM radio, so me and Oscar (our pup) walked through to see the petroglyphs. The walk is fairly easy, partially paved until it turns to gravel, but well maintained. It can be as quick of a stop as you'd like, for us we meandered 35 min visiting the two caves. The park staff are very friendly and warn you about the rattle snakes and ticks during the summer months. While I didn't see any rattlers, I did have to pick a tick off my dog. A warning for those with animals or kids! I would recommend this spot for a quick hike to stretch your legs and look at really neat petroglyphs!
Christina OakesChristina Oakes
00
Today April 7th, 2023 we visited this beautiful park. Unfortunately we came just an hour before closing time so was not be able to explore all. But our short time there was very informative and enjoyable. This park is so different then any other park. This place have history which dates back thousands of years old yet there is very nice trial, picnic area and a visitors centre. There is charge $8 for out of province vehicle I believe itâs free for locals. Very nice drive to the parking spot. Must visit if you are either passing by or visiting Billingâs. 5 stars all the way.
Abdul SamiAbdul Sami
00
Positively beautiful. The pictographs are fading, but you can still see some. I imagine the minimal exposure would cause that. It's a quiet place. The walks to the caves are each individually kinda steep, but we met a few people with knee replacement and stuff that were doing just fine. I saw a lot of wild catnip! đIf you are not accustomed to that sort of hiking, just take a break.They have benches around for exactly that, and for simply taking in the atmosphere of the place. If the awe of the history of this place doesn't get to you, I feel bad for you.
Cyndie ChinniciCyndie Chinnici
00
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
3401 Coburn Rd, Billings, MT 59101
Map
Phone
(406) 254-7342
Call
Website
stateparks.mt.gov
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.4
(617 reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
cultural
family friendly
pet friendly
Description
Pictograph Cave is an area of three caves located 5 miles south of Billings, Montana, United States, preserved and protected in the 23-acre Pictograph Cave State Park. Excavation of the three caves began in 1937, and they were the site of some of Montana's first professional archeological studies.
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