Pres. Theodore Roosevelt declared
the Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming America’s
1st National Monument in 1906. For millennia before that this
bizarre and commanding natural structure was known by many Native
American tribes as the Bear Lodge, and was considered a sacred
place. The 1,267-foot high monument, with its distinctive flattened
top and vertical, runnel surfaced sides, looms above the 1,347-acre
park and has drawn hikers, climbers and sightseers from around
the globe for a century.
Rock climbers take advantage of the long vertical cracks in Devils
Tower to create 100’s of routes to its summit. Famous and
challenging routes like Durrance and Wiessner make Devil’s
Tower in Wyoming one of the country’s best rock-climbing
areas.
There are many interesting hikes around Devil’s Tower National
Monument. Tower Trail is a short and easy hike around the base
of Devil’s Tower, with many interpretive exhibits about
the Tower’s unique geology and formation. Joyner Trail on
the north side of the park is a bit longer and provides excellent
views of the Tower from the Ridgetop Forest, as well as an opportunity
to spot wildlife like Porcupines, Whitetail Deer and the occasional
Pronghorn or Coyote. Redbeds is the longest hike at 5 miles, wandering
through pine-groves, meadows and the prairie-dog town before taking
hikers past the iron-stained Redbeds Bluffs. Campers at Devil’s
Tower National Monument have limited but agreeable options.
There are 30 1st come/1st served sites at the Belle Fourche Campgrounds
on the Oxbow Bend of the Belle Fourche River. There are sites
to accommodate tents as well as RV’s, drinking water and
restrooms available here. Lucky Birders
at Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming might see
Black-capped Chickadees, Sharp-shinned Hawks or Double-crested
Cormorants.
