Pictograph Cave State Park

Pictograph Cave State Park, on the south-east edge of Billings, protects three caves in a sandstone bluff above Bitter Creek: Pictograph, Middle and Ghost caves. People sheltered here for thousands of years, and the walls of Pictograph Cave, the largest of the three at about 160 feet wide and 45 feet deep, still carry more than 100 rock paintings. The oldest is a turtle, radiocarbon-dated to around 2,100 years ago; the youngest, which include figures with rifles, date from the last few centuries.

The paintings are in red, white and black, and many have faded, so bring binoculars: Montana State Parks recommends them for picking out the figures from the viewing area. A paved three-quarter-mile loop trail climbs gently to the caves with interpretive displays on the paintings, the geology and the plants along the way. Middle and Ghost caves have no rock art but show how the bluff was used for shelter.

The caves were among the sites of Montana's first professional archaeology. The first recorded finds of artifacts and paintings came in 1936, and excavations from 1937, carried out with Works Progress Administration crews, recovered about 30,000 artifacts, among them stone and bone tools, moccasins, arrow shafts and beads made from Pacific coast shells. The site became a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and covers just 23 acres.

Start at the visitor centre, which has displays, a gift shop and restrooms, and allow at least an hour for the centre and trail. Picnic areas are for day use; camping is not allowed. The bluff is good for bird watching; the park sits at about 3,500 feet and the trail is exposed to sun and wind. Rock art is fragile: stay on the trail and do not touch the walls.

The park is now on winter hours, which began on the third Monday of September: it opens Wednesday to Sunday only, the grounds 9 am to 5 pm and the visitor centre 10 am to 4 pm. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, on Thanksgiving, and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Summer hours, daily, return on the third Friday in May 2027.