Skip to content
Pompeys Pillar National Monument, Pompeys Pillar, MT

Photo: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffOutdoor Adventure

Pompeys Pillar National Monument

Climb a boardwalk up a sandstone butte to see the signature William Clark carved on July 25, 1806.

3039 US Highway 312 · Pompeys Pillar, MT

About Pompeys Pillar National Monument

This sandstone butte rises about 120 feet above the Yellowstone River, 25 miles east of Billings, and carries the signature William Clark carved on July 25, 1806. A boardwalk of about 200 steps climbs past the inscription and hundreds of other etchings and petroglyphs to the top. The visitor center covers Clark's trip down the Yellowstone Valley with Sacagawea and her son Pomp, and shady riverside grounds hold picnic tables and mowed trails. At 51 acres, it is one of the smallest national monuments.

  • #national monument
  • #lewis and clark
  • #petroglyphs
  • #boardwalk climb

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Pompeys Pillar National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Lake Elmo State Park

    Under $25

    A 123-acre urban state park in Billings built around a 64-acre reservoir, popular for swimming, paddling, fishing, and lakeside walks.

    25 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Southeast Montana

    No admission fee

    Montana's southeastern tourism region, spanning badlands, dinosaur digs, and Old West history across 13 counties.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    28 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Billings

    No admission fee

    Plan a visit to Billings, Montana's largest city, set along the Yellowstone River beneath the Rims.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    28 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    DanWalt Gardens

    Under $25

    A family run botanical garden and event venue in Billings blooming from May through October.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    29 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Attractions

    ZooMontana

    Under $25

    A nonprofit zoo in Billings focused on Montana and cold-climate wildlife, with a botanical garden on site.

    35 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

    $25–$50

    Walk Last Stand Hill, see the Indian Memorial and drive the tour road across the 1876 battlefield.

    40 mi awayMore like this