It’s interesting how a pile of rocks, under the right conditions, can turn out to be something beautiful and artistic.

I’m talking about cairns.

The word comes from a Gaelic term that means “heap of stones.” I was lucky enough to see an ancient and authentic Scottish cairn when I was in Edinburgh, Scotland with my cousins a few years ago, although I didn’t take any photos of it to share with all of you here.

The cairns in California aren’t the same, but I still think they’re beautiful. Below are photos I’ve taken of cairns I’ve seen in the mountains and cairns I’ve seen by the sea.

I took this photo of these cairns in Sequoia National Park, CA. Glad I also captured the view of mountains in the distance.

There’s an enormous field of cairns on the back side of Morro rock in Morro Bay, CA. The tallest are only maybe two feet high.

When someone has taken the time to carefully and strategically balance the rocks, in a practice which many consider spiritual, it’s a surprising form of artwork. Peaceful, unique, and stunning.

This website from the U.S. National Park Service has more information on cairns, if you’re interested. Also, check out this website for a beautiful poem about a cairn.

Where are some cairns that you’ve seen? Have you ever built one?

As always, thanks for stopping by. ❤