Visiting City of Rocks National Reserve

City of Rocks as seen from Indian Grove Overlook.

NPS/Wallace Keck

Hidden in the Albion Mountains of southern Idaho, City of Rocks rises quietly from the shadows like an ancient city in ruins. Granite spires towering 700 feet and giant monoliths of timeless age stand guard around Circle Creek Basin. Silence is common here, though the land could tell many stories.

Its secrets are told through oral traditions of the Shoshone people, through inscriptions and journals of California-bound migrants, or in the crumbled ruins of a pioneer’s house. The land still speaks, from the echoes of children’s laughter around a family campfire to the shout of a climber, “on belay!” City of Rocks refuses to speak only one language; its inherent values are understandable to all who come.

Emigrant signatures written in axle grease on Register Rock.

NPS

City of Rocks National Reserve is an odd unit of the national park system, beginning with its origins in public law. The Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 directed the National Park Service to protect and manage these 14,407 acres cooperatively with a state or local government. The State of Idaho was already managing a portion of City of Rocks since 1957. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation became the natural partner.

Today the partners work to preserve the story and artifacts of the California Trail (1843-1882), including views and landscapes, ruts and signatures. A self-guided driving tour booklet and interpretive wayside exhibits help to tell this nationally significant story of European-American migration into the homelands of the Shoshone and Bannock people. City of Rocks was also a place of rest and recreation long before it became a climber’s destination. Generations of local residents played, picnicked, hunted, and camped here. The Reserve has also become an outdoor classroom to study some of the oldest exposed rock west of the Mississippi River. Scientists are also discovering that the Reserve is uniquely located at a biogeographic crossroads, where plants and animals of three ecosystems collide.

A climber ascends a granite rock called The Anteater.

NPS/Wallace Keck

Whatever reason guides you to visit the City of Rocks, you will find 23 miles of trails, picturesque campsites, over 700 climbing routes, and many inspirational viewpoints. Knowledgeable park staff provide orientation and interpretation afield and at the visitor center located in the gateway community of Almo. The park is open year-round.

For additional information, or to check the availability and hours of visitor services, visit the City of Rocks website at nps.gov/ciro.