Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone (Aísínai'pi) is one of the oldest standing cultural sites of the Indigenous people in all of Canada. Walk among towering hoodoos and discover beautiful rock drawings to get a glimpse into the past of the Indigenous people of Canada.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park (Áísínai’pi) is one of the most significant and enduring cultural landscapes of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Located along the Milk River in southern Alberta, this sacred place has been a gathering site for the Blackfoot people for thousands of years — a landscape where stories, ceremonies, and history are etched directly into stone.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Áísínai’pi is home to one of the greatest concentrations of Indigenous rock art on the North American Plains. Petroglyphs (carvings) and pictographs (paintings) cover the sandstone cliffs, offering a powerful glimpse into spiritual beliefs, historic events, and daily life long before written records. These markings are not simply art — they are living records of identity, resilience, and connection to the land.
As you walk among the towering hoodoos and wind-sculpted sandstone formations, the landscape feels both otherworldly and deeply grounded in history. The dramatic badlands scenery creates a striking backdrop for hiking, guided interpretive tours, and quiet reflection. The Milk River valley itself adds to the sense of stillness and significance, reminding visitors that this place has been meaningful for generations.
A visit to Writing-on-Stone is more than a scenic stop — it is an opportunity to respectfully experience a sacred site and to learn about the enduring culture and traditions of the Blackfoot people.
Visitor Centre
The Writing-on-Stone Visitor Centre features informational resources with descriptions of the hoodoos and the ecology. Guests can visit the Centre to learn more about the site and ask the staff questions. The Centre also offers public bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and a gift shop. Publications featuring maps of the site are available in the Centre.
Hiking and Hoodoos
The area surrounding the site has just under 5 K.M. of hiking trails as well as backcountry trails.
The landscape of backcountry hiking features rolling grasslands, Hoodoo fields and narrow sandstone canyons over a 930-hectare backcountry hiking zone.
Archeological Preserve Guided Tour
Join park interpreters on tours through the Archaeological Preserve at Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi Provincial Park.
The cultural landscape of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park integrates the natural environment, cultural features, human experiences, and spiritual perceptions into one.
Programs
Evening Programs
The evening brings programming delivered by park interpreters; expect storytelling, games, theatrical reenactments, and informative wildlife and cultural presentations.
Naato'si's Path
Naato'si (the sun) gives light and life to Na'a (Mother Earth) and her inhabitants. Explore the sun theme in the rock art with a park interpreter during a guided tour that looks at Blackfoot ways of life at Áísínai’pi/Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and the importance of Naato'si in Blackfoot storytelling.
Rock Art of Áísínai’pi
Join a park interpreter for a guided walking tour in the Archaeological Preserve where the history, stories, and the language of the Niitisippi (Blackfoot) people are woven together to provide insight into the meaning of the carvings (petroglyphs) and paintings (pictographs).
