Montana’s Most Underrated State Park Is Better Than Glacier National Park

The northwestern U.S. state of Montana is house to 55 state parks and 9 nationwide parks, monuments, and historic websites, providing quite a few leisure alternatives. For sure, essentially the most famend and visited of all of them is Glacier National Park within the Rocky Mountains. Because of its breathtaking lakes, imposing glaciated peaks, historic buildings, scenic drives, numerous wildlife, and tons of of miles of trails, it’s no marvel this postcard-perfect park attracts over 3.3 million annual guests.

For all its beautiful options, although, Glacier could also be skipped altogether in favor of comparable, extra modest locations due to its crowds, excessive prices, and inconvenient timed reservations. That is the place the underrated, quiet, and considerably smaller Medicine Rocks State Park comes alongside. Situated in Southeastern Montana, this under-the-radar park gives a few of the finest actions you’ll be able to expertise at Glacier, albeit with an arguably higher environment due to the shortage of crowds. Let’s discover its lovely topography, thrilling alternatives, and climate circumstances over the course of the yr and discover out why it is a greater various to Glacier Nationwide Park.

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Medication Rocks State Park Is A Tranquil Various To Glacier Nationwide Park

Sundown over sandstone rock formations and prairie at Medication Rocks State Park, Montana

In Montana’s Carter County, some 25 miles west-southwest of Baker and 11 miles north of Ekalaka, lies a secluded place with perforated sandstone formations, pure stone bridges, and caves that hardly cowl 330 acres: Medication Rocks State Park. This distinctive identify highlights the placement’s significance as a sacred and naturally therapeutic land to varied Native tribes, together with the Lakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Cheyenne, Sioux, Arapaho, and Crow. They primarily dwelled within the space to carry non secular ceremonies, quick, pray, and collect medicinal herbs.

“Jutting from [the] rolling grass and pine-covered hills of southeastern Montana are the sand knobs and pockmarked pillars of Medication Rocks State Park,” Medication Rocks State Park’s Instagram web page states.

You may be pondering, “This park sounds intriguing, however what does it must do with Glacier?” Nicely, along with limestone and shale, Glacier, too, gives sandstone formations and has held non secular significance to many Indigenous peoples, from the Blackfeet to the Salish. What makes the Medication Rocks notably fascinating, although, is that the winds and rain have sculpted them into putting hoodoos and different figures like mushrooms and castles. Plus, you’ll additionally discover historic petroglyphs and pictographs depicting animals, summary symbols, and warriors.

“Altogether, it was as fantastically lovely a spot as I’ve ever seen: it appeared unattainable that the hand of man shouldn’t have had one thing to do with its formation.” — A younger Theodore Roosevelt, future U.S. President

Furthermore, due to its remoteness and lack of sunshine and air air pollution, Medication Rocks was designated as an Worldwide Darkish Sky Sanctuary in 2020. Whereas it doesn’t maintain the identical designation, Glacier, too, gives unimaginable stargazing alternatives for astronomers, scientists, and amateurs alike.

Lastly, each locations enchant nature lovers and adventurers with actions like mountaineering, biking, wildlife watching, meditation, images, tenting, picnicking, and scenic driving. For a extra in-depth and easy-to-digest comparability of Medication Rocks State Park and Glacier Nationwide Park, see the data under, which exhibits their variations and similarities aspect by aspect.

Abstract Of Customer Info For Medication Rocks State Park

Certainly, park guests can get pleasure from all of this and way more in Medication Rocks State Park with out the excessive costs and sometimes overwhelming crowds seen on the world-famous Glacier Nationwide Park, making Medication Rocks a worthy (and maybe even higher) alternative for extra discerning vacationers searching for Montana’s underrated hidden gems. So, are you tempted to skip Glacier for Montana’s obscure state parks but? For those who’re not fairly satisfied, maybe studying extra about mountaineering and tenting alternatives on the park, in addition to the way it fares within the completely different seasons, may be sufficient of a persuasion.

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Medication Rocks State Park’s rock formations, Montana

There could also be greater than 700 miles of trails for all talent ranges to discover in Glacier Nationwide Park, however Medication Rocks State Park, too, has a number of simple and reasonable scenic routes of its personal, particularly the North Rock Path, the Dalton Path, and the Sunset Loop Trail. The latter is the most well-liked; it spans 0.7 miles and has an elevation achieve of 200 toes. Alongside the way in which, you’ll have the chance to admire sandstone pillars between 60 and 80 toes tall, in addition to prairie vegetation like ponderosa pines, yellow violets, prairie sunbeams, creeping junipers, yuccas, and phloxes, to not point out the potential of recognizing nesting geese and meadowlarks.

So far as in a single day stays are involved, the park welcomes each tent and RV campers, although its facilities are fairly primitive and lack electrical retailers. The official web sites checklist eight campsites supplied on a first-come, first-served foundation, and one web site that may be reserved for teams. In brief, Medication Rocks State Park is, certainly, the fitting vacation spot to unwind and disconnect within the wilderness. So, be certain that to go to duly ready.

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What To Count on At Medication Rocks State Park All through The Yr

A path between timber and rock formations in Medication Rocks State Park close to Ekalaka, Montana
 

Medication Rocks could also be positioned off the overwhelmed path, however it could usually be visited year-round, making an allowance for that it sees about 55 days of rain and 38 inches of snow per yr and that the months of December, January, and February could also be uncomfortable.

Capital

Helena

Inhabitants

1.104 Million (2021)

Based Date

November 8, 1889

In accordance with List of Parks, the climate fluctuates steadily over the course of the yr. The typical summer time temperatures usually vary between 50 and 90°F, whereas winter temperatures linger between 10 and 40°F. Consequently, these searching for hotter climate and fewer possibilities of rain ought to undoubtedly go to the park in June, July, or August.

All in all, be certain that to find the underrated magnificence, exceptionally clear night time sky, numerous wildlife, and distant tranquility of Montana’s Medication Rocks State Park. Not solely is it one of the incredible ancient places for petroglyphs in the U.S., nevertheless it’s additionally a surprising various to the extra crowded and pricier Glacier Nationwide Park.