Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai'pi
Hoodoo rock formations in the Milk River valley and the densest concentration of Indigenous rock art on the North American plains, listed as a World Heritage Site in 2019.
Writing-on-Stone (Blackfoot: Áísínai'pi) lies in the Milk River valley and was inscribed as a cultural landscape World Heritage Site in 2019. On both sides of the valley, wind-eroded sandstone forms mushroom-shaped hoodoos. The cliff walls bear rock art, carved and painted over thousands of years by the Blackfoot and other Plains peoples, depicting people, horses and battle scenes. You can walk the roughly 2.2 km hoodoo interpretive trail on your own to see some of the art, and look across to the Sweetgrass Hills to the south. The core archaeological protected area can only be entered on a guided park tour, which runs daily in summer. Advance registration and a fee are required. The park has riverside campgrounds. It is about 110 km from Lethbridge, roughly 1.5 hours' drive via the town of Milk River. In summer, watch out for rattlesnakes and the heat, and bring plenty of water.
Opening hours
All day (visitor center in summer about 09:00–17:00)
Nearby sights
- Devil's Coulee Dinosaur & Heritage Museum
- Henderson Lake Park
- Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden
- Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG)
- Galt Museum & Archives
- Fort Whoop-Up
- Indian Battle Park
- Helen Schuler Nature Centre