Weird, eroded rocks in the middle of nowhere Montana.
What brought me to this Montana state park in the middle of nowhere (but with fantastic cell service)? It had a convenient campground. I wouldn’t have stopped otherwise, but I’m glad I did. Luckily, I had left Devils Tower early enough for some exploration before the sun set.
Medicine Rocks State Park is a small state park surrounded by prairie. A series of eroded, almost hoodoo-like sandstone rock formations start randomly showing up as you drive down the highway. Medicine Rocks got its current name by the medicinal plants that used to grow around them. Teddy Roosevelt even visited and described the area “as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen.”
As it is a Montana State Park, there are no decent trail maps to be found anywhere online. So, I kind of winged it and just started walking. (There is still a 2021 program schedule on the website. Worst state park website system ever.)
Jana Irving The park only has dirt roads. They wind around these large eroded rock formations.
Jana Irving The Montana prairie. A mowed trail goes across the prairie from the road. No trail name was posted so I named it the Prairie Trail. It fits.
Jana Irving Very weird rock formations. Very weird.
Jana Irving They just randomly sit in the prairie.
Jana Irving They tend to run in ridge like lines through the landscape.
Jana Irving There are even more outside of the park. I’m not sure how much farther this trail goes.
The campground is actually just a random series of campsites strewn about the park. There was only one other campsite being used. I really liked the one next to that guy, but I wanted solitude since I could. This campsite was by itself and surrounded by more weird rocks.
Jana Irving I’m glad it wasn’t busier since a trail basically ran through the site connecting it to other campsites and other parts of the park.
Jana Irving A trail crosses most of the park. I took it from my campsite towards one I knew existed (only because I drove past it. Heaven forbid a map of the park would be posted in the park).
Jana Irving A bit of fall color showing up.
Jana Irving Looking a bit like Swiss cheese.
Jana Irving A little natural arch.
Jana Irving This trail actually had a name! The Sunset Loop. It wasn’t a loop though.
Jana Irving More Swiss cheese.
Jana Irving All the rock formations line up in lines but they still seem so random.
Jana Irving They apparently are just weird hoodoos.
Jana Irving Very random hoodoos.
Jana Irving Continuing out in the prairie.
Jana Irving There is a big grouping on the Sunset Loop, which you can climb.
Jana Irving Very cool looking.
Jana Irving Another natural arch.
Jana Irving I walked back to my campsite and then took the Dalton Trail, which may be the trail that I took to get to the Sunset Trail. No idea.
Jana Irving If you look closely, you can see the eagles’ nest.
Jana Irving That nest is gigantic.
Jana Irving The sun was getting fairly low.
Jana Irving Little natural arch in the middle there.
I turned around after the last photo. Hunger compelled me to.
Medicine Rocks was a surprising gem. It’s a small park in the middle of nowhere and poorly signed, but it was fun. It was a perfect for a late afternoon exploration.
Check out my next update where I will be visiting Montana’s badlands!
or
Start at the beginning of this northwest Midwest road trip!
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