Devils Tower

Devils Tower WY – September 2021

Devils Tower was featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is 1,267 feet high. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower America’s first national monument in 1906. The original Indian name was Bear Lodge, but Devils Tower is an apparent mistranslation.

The columns of Devils Tower are its most striking feature. This appearance, known as columnar jointing, is not unique to the Tower. However, the size of the Tower’s columns is unmatched. Soaring hundreds of feet into the air and stretching to 10 feet in width, the columns at Devils Tower are spectacular.

Devils Tower has attracted people since prehistoric times. It holds many meanings for people including American Indians, local ranchers, rock climbers, and thousands of visitors. For explanations about the theories about how the tower formed, go to https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/nature/tower-formation.htm.

Our first view of Devils Tower.
Getting closer.
And closer.
And closer.
And we are here.
So I decided to walk the 1.6 mile trail around the base of Devils Tower and take pictures from all the different angles. The trail has some semi-steep walking, some leveling off, and then a little downhill.
I was happy to see this sign.
This is the closest I got to the tower itself. Looking straight up.
If you look closely, you can see a couple climbers working their way up the tower.
Proves I was here!
View as we left.
This was the view from near the top of the trail I walked.