Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Provincial park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Alberta, Canada
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park spans across 1,106 hectares of protected prairie land, featuring sandstone cliffs, hoodoos, and the winding Milk River Valley.
The park, established in 1957, contains archaeological evidence of First Nations settlements dating back 9,000 years, including numerous petroglyphs and pictographs.
The area holds deep spiritual meaning for the Blackfoot people, who named it Áísínaiʼpi, referring to the extensive collection of indigenous rock carvings and paintings.
The park offers guided tours, interpretive programs, camping facilities, and hiking trails located 100 kilometers southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta.
Over 50 petroglyph sites contain thousands of rock art works, representing the largest concentration of such artifacts on the North American Great Plains.
Location: County of Warner No. 5
Inception: January 8, 1957
Address: NW 36 TW1 range 13, Milk River, AB T0K 1M0, Canada T0K 1M0 Milk River
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 09:30-17:00
Phone: +14036472364
Website: http://albertaparks.ca/writing-on-stone
GPS coordinates: 49.08190,-111.61700
Latest update: September 27, 2025 02:26
Rock pillars and spires shaped by erosion stand as natural monuments across various locations worldwide. These geological structures, known as hoodoos, display different colors and shapes based on their mineral composition and environmental conditions. From the red rocks of Utah to the limestone formations of Turkey, these sites present geological formations created over millions of years through wind and water erosion. These formations develop through differential erosion, where softer rock layers erode faster than harder layers, leaving slender columns often capped with protective harder rock. Visitors find such structures in desert landscapes, canyons, and plateaus where conditions favor their formation and preservation. The color palette ranges from white to orange, red, and gray, depending on the minerals present such as iron oxide, limestone, or clay.
Alberta offers a wide range of landscapes and activities, from Banff National Park with its turquoise glacial lakes to the geological formations of Jasper National Park. The province is home to natural sites such as Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Athabasca Falls, as well as the Glaciers Parkway that crosses the Canadian Rockies over 232 kilometers. The cities of Calgary and Edmonton enhance this selection with institutions like the National Music Centre at Studio Bell, the WinSport Olympic site, and the Edmonton river valley extending along the North Saskatchewan River. In the Drumheller area, the Royal Tyrrell Museum displays dinosaur skeletons found in the Alberta Badlands. This collection highlights the main places to visit in the province, from mountain areas to urban centers.
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