Tower Rock State Park

Tower Rock State Park
Image of an igneous rock formation with two peaks near a river
Tower Rock, southeast side
Map showing the location of Tower Rock State Park
Map showing the location of Tower Rock State Park
Location of Tower Rock State Park in Montana
LocationCascade County, Montana, U.S.
Nearest cityCascade, Montana, U.S.
Coordinates47°11′20″N 111°48′36″W / 47.18889°N 111.81000°W / 47.18889; -111.81000
Area140 acres (0.57 km2)
DesignatedFebruary 2004 (2004-02)
Visitors9,333 (in 2023)[1]
Governing bodyMontana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Websitestateparks.mt.gov/tower-rock
Tower Rock
Area87.2 acres (0.353 km2)
NRHP reference No.02000213[2]
Added to NRHPMarch 18, 2002 (2002-03-18)

Tower Rock State Park is a state park near the community of Cascade in the U.S. state of Montana in the United States. The centerpiece of the park is Tower Rock, a 424-foot (129 m)-high rock formation which marks the entrance to the Missouri River Canyon in the Adel Mountains Volcanic Field. It was well known to Native Americans, and considered a sacred place by the Piegan Blackfeet. Tower Rock received its current name when Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited the site in 1805. Railroad and highway development in the late 1800s and 1900s skirted Tower Rock, but the landform itself remained pristine. The 87.2 acres (0.353 km2) encompassing Tower Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2002. The 140-acre (0.57 km2) Tower Rock State Park was created around the National Historic Site in 2004.

  1. ^ Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (May 6, 2024). "2023 Montana State Parks Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). fwp.mt.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.