Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark

The stone wheel at the top of Medicine Mountain is a pre-Columbian structure built from roughly loaf-sized pieces of local white limestone laid on an exposed limestone ridge at 9,642 feet. The circular pattern of stones is surrounded by a central cairn, with 28 radial lines extending out to the perimeter and six additional smaller cairns arranged around and near the outer circle. No indigenous people have publicly claimed to have built it; the Crow have stated the wheel was already present when they arrived in the area. Age estimates from researchers range from a few hundred to more than 3,000 years, and archaeological evidence shows the broader Medicine Mountain landscape has been visited by Native Americans for nearly 7,000 years. The site remains an active ceremonial place: representatives of dozens of tribes still travel here to practice traditional ceremonies, and on-site interpreters may temporarily close access for private observances — plan for that possibility and be prepared to wait respectfully.

Access is seasonal, typically from mid to late June through mid-September, and the gravel spur off US-14A (Forest Road 12) leads to a lower parking area from which all visitors walk the roughly 1.5 miles to the wheel — three miles round trip on foot. The elevation means weather can turn fast: cold wind, rain, and intense sun are all possible on the same afternoon, so layers and water matter more than they might seem from the valley below. Drones are prohibited over the landmark regardless of any other permits a rider might carry. The walk itself is unhurried and the views across the Bighorn range are wide and open — the kind of perspective that makes the detour from US-14A feel earned rather than incidental.