Pompeys Pillar National Monument
Remember your OUTDOOR ETHICS when enjoying your public lands. Please RECREATE RESPONSIBLY.
Overview
Pompeys Pillar National Monument encompasses 51 acres on the banks of the Yellowstone River with a massive sandstone outcrop covering about 2 acres at its base and rising 120 feet high toward Montana's Big Sky. The Monument's premier location at a natural ford in the Yellowstone River, and its geologic distinction as the only major sandstone formation in the area, have made Pompeys Pillar a celebrated landmark and outstanding observation point for more than 11,000 years of human occupation. Hundreds of markings, petroglyphs, and inscriptions left by visitors including William Clark and the Lewis and Clark Expedition have transformed this geologic phenomenon into a living journal of the American West.
The BLM-managed public land adjacent to the Monument is designated as the Pompeys Pillar Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), which is approximately 432 acres. The ACEC was designated to protect the significant cultural resources along with riparian ecosystem and fish and wildlife habitat. The ACEC is open to walk-in access year-round.
Know Before You Go
Hours
Main Gate (May 1st - Sept. 30th): 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Interpretive Center (May 1st - Sept. 30th): 9 a.m. - 4 a.m.
NOTE: Even when the Monument is closed, visitors may still walk into the site during daylight hours. The walk from the gates to the Pillar is about 3/4 of a mile. Special arrangements can be made during the off-season for school programs and other special events.
Available Facilities
- Interpretive Center
- Amphitheater
- Day Use Areas
- Boardwalks
- Walkways
- Vault Toilets
- Picnic Tables
The interpretive center, restrooms, parking lot and day use area are fully accessible.
Educational Programming
Opportunities may exist for scheduling field trips to the site. For more information please email blm_mt_ppnm_pillarschoolgroups@blm.gov
Pets
Pets must be on a leash at all times. Please pick up after your pets. Dog waste stations are present throughout the Monument.
Be Respectful!
Please respect the heritage of Pompeys Pillar National Monument. Do not deface any tree, shrub, rock, or ancient Indian artifact. Do not touch petroglyphs or remove any artifact. Not only is this illegal, but it also erases evidence of past generations and deprives others of the knowledge about these sites.
Partnerships: Friends of Pompeys Pillar
The Friends of Pompeys Pillar provides substantial and much needed support for the Monument. This nonprofit organization provides volunteers to assist visitors at the site and help operate the interpretive center. Profits from gift-shop sales assist with special programs and events at the Monument. Hundreds of hours of volunteer time are donated each year.
Helpful Links
Photos
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
Two paved parking areas serve the interpretive center and adjoining Monument. The smaller area, closer to the center, has 5 striped accessible spaces with access aisles for vehicles with a side lift or ramp for mobility devices. The larger lot has 113 parking spaces and 14 spaces for oversized vehicles such as RVs and buses.
Cell service at the site is generally good, depending on the service provider.
Entry doors for the center, which was built to comply with ABA accessibility requirements, operate via a push-button system. The center has 2 gender-specific restrooms, each with an accessible toilet stall, as well as a 3rd accessible unisex restroom. A water fountain and bottle-filling station are at a height appropriate for visitors using wheelchairs and other mobility devices. In addition, there are benches with arm rests on both ends.
The center has Braille directional signs, as well as a National Park Service panel that provides a tactile guide to the entire Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which runs through the Monument. The center’s exhibits, including those with audio-visual and interactive components, are designed to be accessible for visitors using mobility devices. Films shown in the theater include closed captioning.
Walkways to and around the center are paved and of varying widths, with none narrower than 6 feet across. An amphitheater, next to the interpretive center, is adjacent to one of the pathways. Angled interpretive panels provide information about the site, based in part on William Clark’s journal. Benches without arm rests are located throughout the grounds.
Picnic tables, 5 of which can accommodate wheelchair users at one or both ends, sit on the flat grassy area around the center, not on a concrete pad or walkway. The rustic play area was not designed with accessibility in mind.
Flat paved walkways lead to the base of Monument, but the top of the monument is not accessible to people with limited mobility. Visitors must climb 100 steps to the first landing, near Clark’s famous signature in the rock, then another 100 steps to reach the top of the Monument.
Inside the center, visitors can experience the top of the Monument virtually. A ranger can assist with a pan-tilt-zoom camera that focuses on Clark’s signature and other points of interest. A virtual reality headset enables visitors to take a 360-degree tour of the Monument without leaving the building.
Descriptions and photos uploaded October 2024. Please note that actual on-the-ground conditions may vary due to natural events (e.g., weather, wildfires, erosion), normal wear and tear, or site improvements.
Flickr Album
Phone
Activities
Addresses
Geographic Coordinates
Directions
The area is easily accessible from Interstate 94, using exit 23, or from State Highway 312. The monument is 25 miles east of Billings, Montana
Fees
Fee rates apply only when the Monument Entrance Gate and Visitor Center are open, which is from May 1st to September 30th.
Vehicle rates are based on number of passengers.
Standard Vehicles:
- 1-6 passengers - $7
- 7-25 passengers - $12
- 26+ passengers - $20
Commercial and/or Group Vehicles:
- 1-6 passengers - $25
- 7-25 passengers - $40
- 26+ passengers - $100