If you've lived in Montana for awhile, you've surely heard of Pictograph Cave State Park in Billings -- and perhaps you've even visited. But believe it or not, there's one place in Montana that has even more pictographs, and it's a true hidden gem. We're talking about Bear Gulch in Central Montana, a scenic ravine with plenty of prehistoric art.
You'll find Bear Gulch in Forest Grove, a small community near Lewistown.
The area has a unique rugged beauty you won't find anywhere else in Montana.
The walk through Bear Gulch spans about 1.5 miles, and if you make an appointment, you can take a guided tour.
In addition to being a treasure trove for the history buff, the gulch is a pretty pleasant place to walk through.
Pictographs are defined as drawings or paintings created on a rock, and you'll find a whopping 4,000 of them here.
Compared to the 100-200 at Pictograph Cave State Park, it's safe to say this spot has the highest number of pictographs in Montana.
These are simple snapshots of everyday life, recorded by the Plains tribe.
From animals like elk and bison to warriors with shields, you'll see a little bit of everything here.
Believe it or not, we went centuries without ever knowing this spot existed.
When archeologists visited Bear Gulch in 1989, they were blown away by the discovery. After that, two teams of archeologists visited the site, and efforts were made to keep everything well-preserved.
Unlike most pictograph sites, Bear Gulch has no depictions of war, interestingly enough.
But you will notice graffiti made by American pioneers who were passing through in the 1800s on their way out west.
If you've never seen the Bear Gulch pictographs, add it to your bucket list.
They have had to suspend private tours for awhile, but they will resume as soon as current conditions allow.
Have you ever been to Bear Gulch?
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