Road Trip Report: Pompey’s Pillar/Tower

I want to spend some time reporting on some Paulie’s Picks from the road. When my wife and I travel together, she tends to prefer the tourist traps. I look at the tourist traps, and then I go and find a road or a path that is next to them. That way, you can see the trap without getting trapped. We both got what we wanted when we made our first stop at Pompey’s Pillar to get out of the car and are willing to drive roughly 30 miles outside Billings, MT.

Now you might be thinking, “What? They traveled through Rome to get to North Dakota?”

Well, yes, our minivan doubles as a time machine. It's pretty wild what happens because that's when V-TEC really kicks in. The secret is holding 88 mph + 5200 rpm. It is a tough combo, but you know when you hit it because you travel in time. Well, so far it only works to see the future quicker, but we are working on traveling back in time as well.

So, I do not have a time machine, this is not the Roman pillar, but the pillar outside of Billings, MT that bears Clark’s signature. You can read about the National Monument here. This is the pillar that Clark discovered. Not, the “She’s a beat clark” as complimented by Cousin Eddie. Rather, it is the explorer Clark, as in the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

One would think that the picture of the sign below would be a deterrent. However, I only see a win/win scenario.

This means that vehicle travel was not permitted in the park. However, the loophole is that one could travel on foot to see the park. So, in that sense, it was open, but not to cars. This means that the tourist trap is less touristy and less trappy! See, win/win situation. We did take the opportunity to meander around the park. I would not say that this is a park where you can spend all day exploring, but if you are traveling through Montana and want to see some history, it is worth the stop. Just make sure that you enter the Pompey Pillar National Park and not the town. We made that mistake and started heading to the town. It turns out that details really do matter.

The rock is sort of weird. It is just there. There is flatness, and then there is this rock that just protrudes out of the landscape. You can walk around the rock and even climb up to the top of the rock.

You notice that the landscape is flat, and then there is a rock that is jutting out of the ground. It is just fascinating to stare at it. I can see why the Clark expedition had to stop.

Clark found this pillar as he was navigating the Yellowstone River. It is pretty amazing to look at the river and to think of that crew navigating this river for the first time. That crew had some gumption to put it mildly…. I am trying to keep it clean for the kiddos.

The significance of the rock is that Clark signed the rock by etching his name in it. I guess we can see that Clark is an early tagger. (It’s a joke, people! It’s a joke!)

Now, I can hear someone say, “Why did that guy deface the rock?” Well, I was asking that same question when I was engraving my name right next to his. (Just kidding! It’s another joke, people!) I’m not that much of a cretin! It would have been pretty epic to get a comment of me being a cretin though! Honestly, there was a tradition of rock engraving here. You don’t have to take my word for it, take the word of those who put the protection over Clark’s signature.

Here is another sign that the Park Service put together. I will say that the park was clean, and the signs were relevant and worth taking a gaze at them.

You will be greeted by friendly marmots. He seems pretty tame coming up for food, but clearly I am a bully, as all I could initially get a shot of was his hind end.

This is probably the closest I came to one. They are pretty funny creatures. We decided to hang around and see if we could get another shot of the Marmot. My patience paid off as I got a shot of the critter’s face. I could tell the critter was on edge, but still pretty tame considering the spectator.

Here are a few pics of the view from the top of the Pillar. It is really peaceful and tranquil to be up there.

The other thing that is nice is that there are a lot of walking paths. I would not call it a hike, but there are plenty of places to stretch your legs. If you packed a lunch for your trip and like to just meander while you eat to stretch out, then this is a great break. Here are some pics from our exploration of the park.

This rock face reminded me of a turtle. I just thought it looked cool and shot the pic while we waited for the marmot to make another appearance.

We wandered around on another path and noticed evidence of a beaver going to town!

After I finish processing the pictures, I’ll give you a report on Makoshika State Park, which is just a couple of hours down the road. It is a mini badlands. So, it is right up my alley! Not many people know about it, AND you get a great bang for the buck.

I will say that Pompey’s Pillar is a Paulie’s Pick! (I dare you to say that 10 times fast). The landscape is beautiful, the river is just fascinating to watch, and it is just peaceful. So, if you need to stretch your legs or see something else on the Lewis and Clark expedition, then make this place a priority stop! Until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you!