Duly vaccinated and tested, I made my first foray out of the country last Saturday on a day trip to
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi, the only World Heritage Site in southern Alberta that I had not yet visited. As has been noted, Writing-on-Stone has similarities to Dinosaur Provincial Park, but its inscription is cultural versus natural, and is very much based on the significance of the landscape to the Blackfoot people.

As can be easily inferred from the title of this site, rock art plays a prominent role in why the site was inscribed -- in fact, this park contains the greatest concentation of rock art in the Great Plains of North America. The Blackfoot and their predecessors have left rock carvings that are almost 2000 years old, though most of the older art is fainter. Newer rock art, such as the battle scene found on the Hoodoo Trail, includes evidence of post-European contact, to include horses and guns. Also in evidence in places were grafitti from more recent visitors traveling through the valley, which has led the park to erect fences around some of the rock art, and to restrict a large section of the park to visitors unless on a guided tour.

I visited on a cloudy day, but the light conditions were sufficient enough for me to see people in some of the earlier rock art panels during my self-guided tour on the Hoodoo Trail. I was not as successful identifying bison or bear claws in subsequent panels, but the battle scene at the end of the trail was worth the hike. I also took a guided tour in the early afternoon, which took me to some of the rock carvings in the restricted area of the park. I would highly recommend taking one of the guided tours, if available, since the rock art was much clearer and easier to distinguish with a guide. The guide also discussed the importance of the area to the Blackfoot people, and how the Blackfoot would seek spiritual guidance through interpreting the rock art.

Perhaps the most spectacular section of the park, however, is the area nearest the visitor center, where a collection of eroded rock pillars known as hoodoos can be found. The hoodoos below the visitor center are open for exploration, but the hoodoos along the Hoodoo Trail are considered sacred, and visitors are asked to stay along the trail in this section. The Blackfoot people call the hoodoos "matapiiksi" (the people), and believe that the rock pillars each have a spirit, making them an integral part of the cultural landscape. As I am at most a moderate fan of rock art, this was definitely my favorite section of the park.

Logistics: Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi is located in southeastern Alberta, and is best reached by car; the site is approximately four hours from both Calgary, Canada, and Glacier National Park in Montana, USA.