IYKYK: This Rock is the Most Infamous Stone in Billings

Some people collect rocks. Many of us have them in our yards for landscaping, and farmers spend countless hours picking them from their fields. Rocks form the vast majority of the Earth's crust and are found on other planets as well. But there is one rock in Billings that everybody talks about... It's known as "the City Brew rock."

The City Brew Rock sits on the curb of the driveway into the coffee shop in Shiloh Crossing. It has been hit by dozens of vehicles over the past several years. Most drivers become comically stranded on the boulder, high-centered, with their undercarriage stuck. It's happened to sedans, compact cars, SUV's and full-sized pickup trucks.

People collide with the City Brew Rock 3-4 times per year. The rock is so well known for its trickery that it even has its own Facebook page, where people post pics of stranded vehicles on the rock. Think of it as a virtual City Brew Rock Wall of Shame. The latest vehicle/rock incident was posted on June 17.

I stopped by to nab some pictures today (carefully avoiding the rock to minimize the risk of my low-slung car suddenly getting high-centered) and to chat with the manager of the coffee shop for a couple of minutes. She humored my silly questions about their infamous rock.

1. City Brew does not own the rock or the driveway into the establishment where the rock sits. They lease their spot, so it's not really up to them to remove it.

2. The manager didn't have a precise count of how many times the rock had been hit, as she was fairly new to that location, but agreed with my estimate of several times per year.

3. Customers who suddenly find themselves stranded on the 1/2 ton boulder have been known to sip on a coffee in the City Brew lobby while they wait for their tow truck to arrive.

How does this happen so often?

Who knows! As you can see from the pictures, the rock is surrounded by a standard-height curb, painted with bright, parking-lot-stripe yellow. I can understand people occasionally hitting the rock in the winter when it might be covered in snow, but it happens year-round.

Get our free mobile app

Whatever you do, take extra precautions if you're driving to get a coffee in Shiloh Crossing. I'd hate for you to become the next victim of The City Brew Rock.