Devils Tower National Monument WY 82714

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Duncan Bradley

I marked this one off of my bucket list on October 1, 2022. Amazing experience! Wear some comfortable walking shoes. The tower is much more impressive than any picture or film that you will see. The columns are massive. (see the pictures I posted of the climbers) I got there early in the morning and the clouds were still covering the top of the tower. There were prairie dogs all around before I got to the entrance so I got some good pics of them. I found the short trail and walked all the way around it; It took me about three hours but I was stopping and taking Pictures of the landscape, the rock itself, and the climbers that were there that day (every step is a postcard view, it's a photographers buffet.) I hope to go back some day. For anyone wondering: if I remember correctly, "pets are not allowed" on the trails, and there are no restrooms on the trails. So if you plan on traveling with pets keep this in mind and double check it before you go. Otherwise this is a great place to spend the day hiking, taking pictures and exploring. The gift shop is full of all kinds of memorabilia for those who like to collect those things.

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nishant pillai

Everyone will have their own experience as it will differ from person to person. I had a surreal and profound one, visiting this enormous monument also called as Mato Tipila. There are two trails, Tower and Red beds trail. I would recommend doing the tower loop trail as it circles close to the tower. There are some amazing Lookout points once you’ll finish about 3/4 of the loop going clockwise. Do check out the visitor center / gift shop and learn about all the different folklore regarding how the tower was formed. Since the shutdown is in place, there was no entry fees, but otherwise I believe it $25. -Do keep an eye out for the climbers as that will give you an idea of how big the tower is and also how stupid and audacious humans are to mess with everything that is out there irrespective of the fact that some places have spiritual importance and hold deep relations to some tribes. I did not stay for the night, but I’m sure the sky would be very amazing to watch during the night time. If you are into stargazing/Milky Way then then you should go for it. Do check the weather before your visit as it can change within minutes While I was there, twice it snowed a little bit, and then the sun came out as well. A couple of nearby spots that you can also visit are the Prairie dog town and wind circle sculpture. I visited those places on my way back to Rapid City. Hope this was helpful.

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Evan

Amazing natural formation, with some neat factoids of humanity’s interactions with it. The ladder first used in 1893 to climb this formation is still visible with binoculars, or a very good camera. Plenty of informative plaques are present alongside lots of wildlife. We hope to return soon!