Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower
A columnar rock tower rising 264 m from the Wyoming grasslands, the first U.S. national monument, and a filming location for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Devils Tower is a giant rock column formed about 40 million years ago when magma intruded and was later exposed by erosion. It rises about 264 m above the Belle Fourche River valley. Its surface is covered with regular polygonal columnar joints. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it the first national monument in the United States. It is also a sacred site for the Lakota and other Native peoples, and colorful prayer cloths are often seen tied to the trees. Highlights include the Tower Trail, a loop of about 2 km that takes about 1 hour and offers close-up views of the rock columns and climbers. Near the entrance is a prairie dog town. Admission is charged per vehicle, about $25, and the U.S. national park annual pass is accepted. Getting there: the site is about 130 km northwest of Rapid City. Take I-90 via Spearfish and then WY-24. The drive takes about 2 hours one way, and it is often combined with Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon in a day trip.
Opening hours
Open all day; visitor center approx. 09:00–17:00 in summer
Nearby sights
- Roughlock Falls
- Spearfish Canyon
- Homestake Mine & Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center
- Mount Moriah Cemetery
- Deadwood
- Jewel Cave National Monument
- Pactola Reservoir
- Bear Butte State Park