Ringing Rocks Montana

You definitely need a hammer or some other solid, heavy, metal tool to really hear the sound-- it won't work with a stick. The rocks make different pitched sounds; it's super interesting!

The students in my welding class fabricate the hammers out of old rail road spikes. Our first design looked like a miners pick but they would ring as much as the rocks. The new railroad spike hammers work much better. Enjoy

Worth the drive. Very interesting place, and a great view when you get there. You don't need to bring your own hammer, there are homemade ones there, but be careful they ring as much as the rocks do.

We were looking forward to stopping at the ringing rocks and even had our hammers on hand for the trip. We drove our AWD nearly all of the way up the mountain. We were about a half mile away before the "road" turned into a pile of larger rocks that couldn't be travelled any further. At least not without a lot of fear of damaging something. we were lucky to find a place big enough to turn around and headed back out. We had many stops planned for our family road trip and honestly, I was really looking forward to this stop. We didn't feel comfortable leaving our vehicle behind in the only spot someone could use to turn around, so we decided to drive out and head onto our next stop. Virginia City!

1600 miles to play around on a pile of rocks? Heck yeah! The road between northern Michigan and Ringing Rocks was long and this last few miles on BLM land are not for the faint of heart but we had a blast! The trails are very easy to follow but not as easy to traverse. Our 2WD F150 made it all but the last 800 feet - where there is a large enough space for several cars to park and get turned around. The last mile two of track is very rocky with loose gravel and single track only. Might be a problem if you come upon another vehicle in places. Several spots would be extremely difficult to back up/down out of to an area where you can pass each other. We saw several very beefy ORV’s and son thought he saw a sticker on one that made him think it was a rental. If ever we returned we’d explore that option for sure. The rocks themselves are absolutely cool as it gets. Bring our own hammer. Despite the good intentions of the locals and even the nice fella at the BLM office we spoke too - most of the hammers Intended to be left there have been removed by thoughtless others. It’s quite a wonderful adventure.

Info: directly off the highway exit there is a dirt road and a sign. Follow the dirt road about a half mile and you reach a fence gate. Here is says no motor homes, etc. When I asked another traveler they said our motor home probably would make it to the end of the road, but then there is a 2 mile walk to the rocks. With small children and a time limit we turned around. Sounds fun but be sure to bring hammers and be prepared for dirt roads and a small hike.

Great place to stop. Road is gravel and larger rocks in places. Not bad, but 4 wheel drive recommended for areas near the end. Saw a mini van and Prius that made it.

No rating because I didn't actually get there. The address given here (106 N. Parkmont) is the BLM office, not the rocks. At the office, they gave me these directions: Take exit 241 (Pipestone) from I-90 and travel east on a gravel road (parallels I-90) for about 3/4 mile, then turn north on gravel road. Cross the railroad tracks and continue north about 3 miles. High clearance vehicle recommended.

I love the ringing rocks! I went to college for geology in Butte and this was hands down always my favorite place to visit. I recommend a higher clearance vehicle or 4wd to get up there, or you can also hike up!

Do not attempt a vehicle to go up the gravel roads, you will NOT make it the 9miles off-road. There isn’t much of a space to stop & park your car for the complete uphill hike you will have to make.