| Painted Rocks State Park | |
|---|---|
  Location in Montana | |
| Location | Ravalli County, Montana, United States |
| Nearest town | Darby, Montana |
| Coordinates | 45°40′53″N 114°18′03″W / 45.68139°N 114.30083°W[1] |
| Area | 23 acres (9.3 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 4,754 ft (1,449 m)[1] |
| Designation | Montana state park |
| Established | 1963[3] |
| Visitors | 16,747 (in 2023)[4] |
| Administrator | Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks |
| Website | Painted Rocks State Park |
Painted Rocks State Park is a public recreation area located at the southern end Painted Rocks Reservoir, 24 miles (39 km) south of Darby, Montana. The state park received its name from the green, yellow and orange lichens which cover the grey and black rock walls of the granite and rhyolite cliffs.[2] The park has Bortle scale class 1 skies which makes the state park a great place for astronomy as it is far away from light pollution.[5]
- ^ a b "Painted Rocks State Recreation Area". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
mfwpwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
originwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (May 6, 2024). "2023 Montana State Parks Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). fwp.mt.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ R, Mike (August 22, 2021). "State Park Bortle 1 Scale Information In The US". CosmosPNW. Retrieved February 19, 2022.