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V.C. Wald
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The Medicine Wheel Gate
The Medicine Wheel Gate

The Wyoming "Medicine Wheel" comprises an 80-foot diameter circle outlined in white stones (from the local area) with 28 white rock "spokes" and a white rock cairn in the center. Its precise age as a sacred site discovered by indigenous people has not been established but it has certainly been in continuous use for at least 3 millennia. It is still used for ceremonies and similar events by area Natives as well as non-natives today. The precise history of this Medicine Wheel is not known, but there are other, similarly constructed sites throughout the North American west, including in the U.S. and Canada.

The cognizant agency, by agreement with indigenous stakeholders, grants entry into the inner circle only for legitimate use by indigenous groups.
If you visit, please resist the temptation to enter the sacred space, and if you are there when the inner circle is in use, please observe from a respectful distance, and leave promptly if asked to as activities conducted therein may not be open to outsiders. Do not disturb objects left around or inside the wheel, or photograph the celebrants without their explicit permission.
The site is on a high promontory of Medicine Mountain, a little over 30 miles from the town of Lovell, Wyoming.

When not being used for traditional purposes by modern Indian tribal groups, it's open for public visitation year 'round. A designated Historic Landmark, it is under the protection of the US Forest Service, which from June 1- September 30 staffs a small informational kiosk at the trail head to the Wheel.
Anyone can leave offerings around the outside of the wheel, which is bounded by ropes hung along wood stanchions, at any time. At this elevation - nearly 10,000 feet - any object imbued with prayers will be that much closer to The Maker, and just might be carried aloft by the strong winds.

Most people make the lovely and not-difficult 1-1/2 mile walk from the parking area to the Wheel. Visitors with handicapped designation may drive to the top. Hunters can use powered vehicles – typically ATVs – to bypass the sacred site on the way to designated hunting areas in the Bighorn National Forest.

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Taken on: September 16, 2023
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Wyoming Medicine Wheel Wyoming Medicine Wheel Everybody's photos tagged with Medicine Mountain Medicine Mountain Everybody's photos tagged with Bighorn National Forest Bighorn National Forest more » Everybody's photos tagged with US Forest Service US Forest Service « less
Sets appears in:   • 2023-Sept 14-17 Wyoming & Montana   
Groups appears in:   • U.S. National Forests    • History is All Around Us    more » • *Inspirational Travel Photos    « less
Camera: Sony ILCE-9, f/9.0, 1/3200 sec, 201mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Sony ILCE-9
Lens: FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
Aperture: f/9.0
Exposure Time: 1/3200 sec
Focal Length: 201mm
ISO: 640
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop 23.3 (Windows)
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