Devils Tower 6/23 -- 6/24, 2025  [Back to Photo Page]

Devils Tower rises above the surrounding grassland and ponderosa pine forests like a rocky sentinel.   It rises 1,267 feet (386 m) above the Belle Fourche River, standing 867 feet (264 m) from summit to base.  Geologists agree that Devils Tower began as magma, or molten rock buried beneath the Earth’s surface.  Although much of the Tower’s geologic story is agreed upon, theories differ on certain details.   Devils Tower National Monument was the first United States national monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Getting there ...

We continued our Dakota road trip from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  The scenic drive took about 3.5 hours from North Dakota via Montana to Wyoming, passing through endless plains.

Day 4 (6/23) ...

• Devils Tower Trail
  The traffic of entering Devils Tower was heavy and the parking lot at the visitor center was almost full when we got to the National Monument.  We took the easy 1.7-mile Devils Tower Loop Trail, which offers close-up views of the Tower and boulder field.
  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 truly spectacular.

• Devils Tower Lodge
  We stayed at the Devils Tower Lodge, at the base of the Devils Tower National Monument (just 5 minutes drive).  On the way to the lodge, we stopped at the trailhead of Joyner Ridge Trail.  I think it has one of the best views of Devils Tower (especially for the late afternoon).  We returned to this spot to take more pictures including the Milky Way over the tower at the mid-night.

Day 5 (6/24) ...

• Red Beds Trail
  Red Beds Trail is a 2.8-mile (4.5 km) loop offering great views of the Tower and surrounding Belle Fourche River valley.  It had much less people than the shorter Devils Tower Trail.

Going Next ...

We continued our trip to South Dakota, nicknamed the Mount Rushmore State.

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