About Tree in the Rock
Between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 80, a limber pine grows directly from a crack in a granite boulder. Tree in the Rock has survived long enough to become a landmark through multiple eras of transportation.
The little tree attracted attention before the interstate existed. When the first transcontinental railroad crossed the Sherman Mountains in the 1860s, the route was adjusted around the unusual rock and tree rather than removing them. Railroad crews and passengers turned the site into an early Wyoming curiosity.
Later, the Lincoln Highway passed through the region. Interstate 80 eventually followed, and the landmark again survived. Today it occupies a protected area between the divided highway lanes near Milepost 333, with a pullout and interpretive displays allowing travelers to stop safely.
Local stories have accumulated around the tree, as roadside landmarks tend to attract stories. The documented physical fact is strange enough without embellishment. A relatively small pine found enough soil and water inside fractured granite to grow from a rock and then survived while two generations of transcontinental transportation infrastructure were routed around it.