I will be the first to admit that I grumble a lot about winter. It's not my favorite season, and I won't hesitate to let you know how I feel about it. Coming out of the recent cold snap today (2/24), I decided I really needed some fresh air. "Today", I say to myself, "I will go check out something I've never seen before in Billings... the Weeping Wall." I'll force myself to appreciate the beauty of winter.

Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
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Sunshine and no wind felt good after -20 lately.

There were only two cars in the lot when I arrived at Two Moon Park's circular parking area at the bottom of the hill. I parked, slapped on my hat and gloves, and started briskly walking down the unmarked trail, enjoying the quiet, crisp winter air. Some birds were clacking around in the trees, and I could hear single-engine airplanes puttering overhead from nearby Billings Logan International Airport, interrupted by the occasional rumble of an afternoon commercial flight coming in for a landing. Off in the distance, an ambulance siren slowly wailed through the Heights, then disappeared.

Is it worth the walk? Absolutely.

Traipsing through the snowy path, I started to wonder if I was getting close. Surely, I had walked at least half a mile. Am I getting close? Did I miss it somehow? I finally broke through into a large clearing and was hit with a dazzling sight. The picture above simply does not do the Weeping Wall justice. It's HUGE. The ice features span the entire width of the photo, and then some. You really have to see it in person.

Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
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Massive icicles seem to pour from the face of the cliff.

Spanning for hundreds of feet, massive icicles cling to the verticle wall of the cliff. It's tough to judge the scale from the photo above, but those icicles are easily over 12 feet long, some more like 20 feet.

Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
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The water isn't from run-off.

One might assume that the water is simply run-off from the area above the cliff, but that's not the case. You can see in the photo above where the water seeps right out of the rocks. The Weeping Wall is visible regardless of snowfall, and it must come from springs or aquifers inside the cliff.

Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
Michael Foth, Townsquare Media
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Do yourself a favor and check out Billings' Weeping Wall.

My smartwatch said I walked 1.57 miles roundtrip from my car to the Weeping Wall. The path is not difficult and the reward is well worth the easy trek. I imagine the Weeping Wall is substantially less impressive in the summer when it probably just looks like water dripping down the cliff. Go check out the Weeping Wall this winter, before it all melts. You won't be disappointed.

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