Devils Tower, Wyoming: America’s First National Monument

What You Are Looking At

The first view of Devils Tower from the road is disorienting. It looks like something placed there rather than something that grew from the surrounding landscape. A column of hexagonal rock, 386 metres tall from base to summit and roughly 300 metres in diameter at the base, rising from forested hills in northeastern Wyoming with no geological equivalent for hundreds of kilometres in any direction. The columns that make up its surface, formed as magma cooled and contracted underground tens of millions of years ago, can be up to three metres across. The softer rock that once surrounded the tower has eroded away over time, leaving the harder igneous core standing alone.

The scientific consensus on exactly how Devils Tower formed has shifted over the years. The most widely accepted explanation is that it is a laccolith or a volcanic plug, formed from magma that intruded into sedimentary layers and then hardened. What is agreed is that it is not a volcano that erupted at the surface but a subsurface feature exposed by subsequent erosion over an enormous timescale.

Devils Tower was designated America’s first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, predating the National Park Service by ten years.

Sacred to Several Nations

Long before it entered the American national monument system, the tower was a sacred site for multiple Plains tribes. The Lakota call it Mato Tipila, Bear Lodge. The Cheyenne, Kiowa, Crow, Arapaho, and Shoshone all have names for it and traditions associated with it. A widespread story, with versions across several tribal traditions, involves bears clawing at the rock as they tried to reach people sheltering at the top, and the marks of those claws are visible in the columns.

Since 1996, the National Park Service has maintained a voluntary climbing closure for the entire month of June, out of respect for Native American ceremonies including the Lakota Sun Dance, which takes place at the tower during that period. The closure is voluntary rather than legal, but compliance among the climbing community has remained around 85%. Visiting in June means walking the trails without climbers on the rock face, which changes the atmosphere considerably.

Climbing

Outside of June, Devils Tower is one of the most distinctive crack climbing destinations in North America. The parallel fractures between the columns run in near-perfect lines up the face, providing routes across a wide range of difficulty grades. Hundreds of routes exist, from moderate to highly technical. A climbing permit is required and available through the National Park Service. Guided climbing trips are bookable through outfitters in the nearby area for those who want instruction and equipment.

The summit offers views across Wyoming and into South Dakota, though accounts of the top suggest it is more windswept and anti-climactic than the base views would imply.

The Walking Trail

Most visitors follow the Tower Trail, a paved 2.3-kilometre loop circling the base of the monument. The trail takes 45 minutes to an hour and provides continuously changing perspectives on the columns. The closer you get, the more the scale shifts in unexpected ways: individual columns that look narrow from a distance are wide enough to hide behind. Prairie dogs occupy a town at the monument’s edge and are the most reliably entertaining wildlife at the site.

A second trail, the Red Beds Trail, extends the walk to around seven kilometres through the forested area surrounding the base and gives a more varied terrain experience with fewer people.

Getting There

Devils Tower is genuinely remote. The nearest airport of any size is Gillette-Campbell County Airport (GCC), about 70 kilometres to the southwest. Rapid City Regional Airport in South Dakota, about 130 kilometres east, has more flight options and is a common starting point for visitors combining Devils Tower with the Badlands or Mount Rushmore. The monument sits 27 kilometres northwest of Sundance, Wyoming, and 33 kilometres northeast of Moorcroft.

There is no public transport to the monument. A car is essential, and the drive from either Gillette or Rapid City is straightforward on good roads. The entrance fee in 2026 is $15 per person (foot, bicycle, or motorcycle) or $20 per vehicle for a 1-7 day pass. An America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry and is worthwhile for anyone visiting multiple national parks in a year.

Where to Stay

The Belle Fourche River Campground within the monument offers first-come, first-served tent and RV sites at the base of the tower, which is the most atmospheric option if you want to see the tower at dawn or dusk without a drive. Sites fill early on summer weekends.

For lodging with a roof, the Devils Tower Lodge near the monument entrance is the closest option. The towns of Sundance and Hulett have standard motel accommodation. Sundance, 27 kilometres south, is the more practical base if you need a restaurant and a full-service fuel station.

When to Go

Summer is the busiest season and the warmest, with daytime temperatures reaching the mid-30s Celsius in July and August. The views are generally clear but the car park and trail can be crowded from mid-morning. Spring and autumn offer more comfortable temperatures for walking, thinner crowds, and the possibility of dramatic light on the columns at low sun angles.

The one crowd-dodging tip that works reliably is to arrive at the monument before 8am. The tower in early morning, when the light catches the columns at a low angle and the car park is nearly empty, looks substantially more impressive than it does at noon when tour coaches are present.

One Fact Most Guides Miss

The name “Devils Tower” is technically missing an apostrophe. When the US Board on Geographic Names standardised the name in 1906, it left out the possessive apostrophe as part of a broader policy of removing apostrophes from federal geographic names. Most of the apostrophes the board removed are now forgotten; this one is noticed because the name has become so well known. The Lakota name Mato Tipila, Bear Lodge, is what the tribal nations who have used the site for generations actually call it, and there has been ongoing discussion about whether the federal name should be changed to something reflecting that tradition.