I’d seen a picture of Devil Tower a couple of years ago and this basically had been my main association with Wyoming ever since. I didn’t even knew Wyo (as the locals call it) had all of the these other big and famous national parks. I just knew about its insane rock.
If you’re longing to see something, it usually isn’t that interesting anymore when you finally encounter it. I experienced that while being in Greece and finally seeing the Parthenon, a building often depicted in my ancient Greek language books. Or when I saw the Colosseum in Rome. I even had it with the Eiffel Tower. It’s not so weird though to experience this. But no regrets in Wyo; this Devil Tower still was quite something special in real life when it came into sight. ↓
It’s quite a ride to the upper right corner of Wyoming, even if you’re coming from South-Dakota like we did. But in the end the extra hours on the road were worth it. Once the monolith came into sight, it for sure was certain that this powerful appearance was unlike anything we’d ever seen.
Rising up high against the sky, Devils Tower is awe inspiring, to many people. To president Roosevelt for example who proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument in the early 1900s under the new Antiquities Acts.
It’s amazing to think that the Devils Tower (named as such by an explorer who was looking for gold sources and stumbled upon the rock in 1985) has been seen by so many people over the centuries. Although the monolith has remained unchanged in its essence of course, indian tribes covered this mass in many different legends. The Kiowa people for example say the rock was the stump of a giant tree that had been attacked by a giant bear, scoring the bark all around with its claws.
Spielberg included the rock into its oeuvre as well some decades ago, picking this location for his classic “Close encounters of the Third Kind”. I guess Devils Tower makes a legit sci-fi location as it’s difficult to grasp at first sight how nature has created this monumental piece.
The visitors center next to the rock is nothing but a small cabin, but a good way nonetheless to start your tour as it provides a lot of information in order to understand the geological theories behind the tower.
There are three walking trails around the tower. Luckily – if you’re short in time – the most scenic one is the also the shortest, hurray! A 1,3 mile / 2 km trail runs pretty much along the towers base offering some pretty stunning views on both the rock and its surroundings. As you might at the pictures, the outlook of the tower just keeps on changing as you follow the rocks. Depending also on the time of day and the weather, the formation can look dramatically different. If you see it in the shadow the tower is black, but if the sun shines upon it the colours seem much more yellowish. So it basically reflects the colours of the sky.
Also be prepared to run into a bit of wildlife during any time of the day. Both deers and skunks make regular appearances up here and you’ll also for sure see some prairie dogs in the area.
It’s also allowed to climb on the big boulders at the base of the tower. You can get a great view from up here. I’m sure those will get even better if you’d actually climb Devils Tower. Though that might sound as insane to you as it did to me, there are some 5000 climbers each year from all over the world that try to conquer the monolith.
Apparently there are some 220 climbing routes to do so. But no worries, if you’d like to stay firmly on the ground I can assure you it’s also fun to see the climbers repelling down at the end of the day.
Before you go, just a few more tips!
- Don’t forget your National Park card as you can enter the area for free with it
- Don’t plan your visit in June. During this month the area will be closed to the public – in order to honour the traditions of Native Americans.
- Preferably visit the area in the late afternoon. Or stay near the park, as it’s a pretty sight seeing the sun settling down on the tower.
- Wear sturdy shoes on the trail. Not perse because of the path (which is fairly easy), but you might encounter a snake or two along the way as well!
