City of Rocks

The citizens of this city are silent, immovable and solid. Like silver-gray sentinentals, these granite pillars stand guard over their territory, as they have for centuries.

The City of Rocks National Reserve is a surprising find surrounded by brown hills and agricultural fields in south central Idaho. Rock climbers dig in here, but we enjoyed the quiet scenery. We visited in the fall, so things may not be so peaceful during the height of summer.

Paths wander among and around the rocks. A picnic or a bicycle would not be wasted here, nor would a tent or RV for one of the campsites at the feet of the giants.

From Burley, a loop route takes you through the City of Rocks via Hwy. 77 to Almo, 2 miles W. of Almo and then north through Oakley on Hwy 27 back to Burley. Along the way, we stopped at several historical sites. I'll admit that my primary motivation for taking this loop was my own family history, but any traveler with a love of nature or history (or both) will enjoy this drive.