In Wyoming, rising from the grassland around it, is a unique geologic feature. Protected since the turn of the century, Devils Tower National Monument is home of a rocky sentinel. This rock has awed Northern Plains tribes, trapper, explorers and settlers. Visitors today still stand in amazement at it’s sheer size. The Devils Tower stands 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and 5,112 feet about sea level. The top of the tower is about 200 x 400 feet. It is slightly dome shaped. Native grasses, cactus and sagebrush grow atop it. Often chipmunks, mice, pack rats and even a snake can be found there. The circumference at the base of the Tower is 1 mile. The Tower is an igneous intrusion. It is phonolite porphyry which is a rock that can reflect sound.

The Tower was named by Col Dodge in 1875. He mistakenly believed that his interpreter said that the people of the area called it Bad God’s Tower and this was later shortened to Devils Tower. In fact, some Native Americans called it Mato Tipila or Bear Lodge. The Native Americans consider the Tower as a sacred site. Some see the climbing of the Tower as a desecration to their sacred site. Hence the National Park Service advocates the June Voluntary Climbing Closure in respect to their beliefs. While this is voluntary, the closure has been very successful with an 80% reduction in the number of climbers in June. During June, the NPS asks climbers to cease climbing on the Tower and hikers to refrain from scrambling within the Tower Trail Loop. Alternative climbing areas are within 100 miles of Devils Tower National Monument. http://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm

Visitors Center - open mid-spring through fall. Hours vary. Interpretive exhibits explain the geologic, natural, and cultural history of the area.

Hiking - approximately 8 miles through the Monument. Most popular is the 1.3 mile (2 km) paved Tower Trail that circles Devils Tower itself. Longer trails travel through forests and meadows.

Circle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture - honors the American people as a gesture of world peace by sculptor Junkyu Muto. Designed to help raise visitor awareness of the importance of the tower to over twenty affiliated tribes.

Climbing - free registration before and after climb each day is required if you are going about the boulder field. Registration is for climber safety and becomes part of a historical database that has been maintained since 1937. Devils Tower is a sacred site to the American Indian and as such there is a voluntary climbing closure during the month of June.

Ranger-led activities - include interpretive talks, Tower walk, Evening programs, Writer in Residency program, summer cultural program and Jr. Ranger program. Check for further information on these activities. Phone: (307) 467-5283 http://www.nps.gov/deto/planyourvisit/index.htm

Native Americans know the tower by other names. They include Bear’s Tipi, Bear’s Lodge, Bear’s House, Bear’s Peak and Tree Rock. Legends abound in the Native American culture about the tower. One story that is told about six Sioux girls picking flowers and chased by bears, the Great Spirit raised the ground and the bears trying to reach them left the scratch marks on the side of the stone. Another is about two Sioux boys that wandered from their village and a huge creature with claws the size of tepee poles that chased after them. http://www.aaanativearts.com/article471.html Early on, settlers enjoyed camping and picnicking in the area. Many people would spend a couple of nights there, once or twice a year. Fourth of July observance were also held there. The best known one held in 1893 with, “plenty to Eat and Drink on the Grounds” and “Dancing Day and Night”. The main attraction was the first climbing of the Tower by William Rogers, a local rancher. Devils Tower is America’s first National Monument and was created in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. http://www.nps.gov/deto/historyculture/index.htm