In this week's travel Tuesday I will be talking about Devil's Tower located in Crook County Wyoming. This monument is run by the national park service so for the most up to date information on weather, closures, and special events go to their website linked below. Some of the information in this post comes from this website since it is one of the best resources for obtaining knowledge on any of the national parks. One last important detail is that Devil's Tower does cost $20 per vehicle.
https://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm
General Information
The tower is one of the most unique rock formations that I have ever seen and happens to be the first national Monument of the United States. The site is a sacred site to many native tribes that are located near Devil's Tower. The tower's name has an interesting history which can be read here: https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/historyculture/aboutthename.htm If you do decide to travel to Devil's Tower or any national park it is always a good idea to talk to a ranger since they can answer any questions as well as offer suggestions on activities to participate in.
Hiking
When going to see Devil's Tower one of the best ways to see it is to hike around the entire tower itself. There is a hiking path that goes around the entirety of the tower which offers unique viewing angles of the tower. I would highly recommend doing this hike no only to see the tower itself but also to walk around the landscape around the park. The walk is relatively easy on flat ground and is one of the most peaceful hikes I can remember going on. When I traveled to the park there were not a ton of people like there is in other parks such as Yellowstone and Zion which is nice since it allows for a full appreciation of nature.
*Wildlife is also present around the tower
Climbing
When I traveled to Devil's Tower I did not partake in any climbing however if you are an experienced climber and would like a challenge Devil's Tower would be something to definitely look into. There are a few times throughout the year that climbing is either recommended against or strongly frowned upon. During the month of June climbing is recommended against since the monument as said above is sacred to Native tribes. During June Native Americans have celebrations during the month of June for the solstice. At the time of writing this post parts of the tower are close for climbing because of Eagles nesting. The National Park Service mandates that people stay out of those areas when the Eagles are nesting to keep the Eagles's interaction with humans as minimal as possible. If you do plan to climb on the tower always check with the National Park Service website first before climbing as they may have important information to share.
*Climbers on Devil's Tower
