Devils Tower National Monument

Devils tower is a neat stop. It's a national park, so it is very accommodating for anybody that comes. But get ready for some weird as you drive up to the tower. The crazies are all over this site. It has a history of cryptozoological mythology that I wasn't really ready for. If you do go, make sure to drive the scenic route on the north side of 90. You will get a great view of the tower for about 20 miles. You can read more on my blog below:

This was the first national monument, declared by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. The incredible geological formation was used in Steven Speilberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There's an entrance fee that's good for 7 days. I recommend getting up early to see the sunrise and also if can you manage it, the sunset is out-of-this-world.

Devils tower (to me at least) doesn't look all that impressive in photographs but once I drove up to it my mind was instantly changed. the first moment you can see it is about 10 km's away and it is absolutely massive!!

Photo tip: do the hike around the base of the tower and stick around til after sunset to see the milky way in one of the darkest places in america! Also if you are lucky you will see climbers coming down after they watched sunset on the top of the tower!

Beautiful! I didn't realize how amazing the tower and surrounding area would be. Hillsides were green, lots of red rock all around and Devils Tower National Monument was even better than I expected. Definitely worth the trip. Heading to Mt Rushmore now - taking the scenic route on HWY 24 - much better than I-90.

Devil's Tower is freaking awesome. It just rises out of the ground as you drive up to it, looks like nothing else in this world, and has a totally cool history and place within American Indian tradition. I'd absolutely recommend walking around the base of the monument, since it's a beautiful walk that's also very doable for visitors of all ages.

Wow! Awe inspiring.

I must say, this was the site I was least excited about experiencing before the trip. I just kept thinking, "why do I want to see a big rock?" This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the vacation. This is not a big rock, it's an overwhelmingly huge feature. We could see it from miles away on our drive in. And even that far away, it was breathtaking.

The path around the tower is easy. You could walk it easily in 30 minutes, but we took our time, climbed some of the lower rocks, took pictures of the wildlife and just sat to soak up the nature. We spent about 2 hours.

Note that parking near the entrance of the path (near the visitor's center) is extremely limited. We arrived early and there were several spots, but there were none when we left about noon time.

Don't miss the prairie dog farm on the drive up to the tower. They have no fear, so you can pull over and get some great pics.

Loved it ever since Close Encounters. Still amazing to see people climbing it.

As a kid, I vividly remember seeing in the visitors center, the Herbert Collins painting of the gigantic bear from the legend climbing the tower and chasing the women to the top. Totally freaked me out and I didn't want to walk around the base of it. Parents made me go anyway. Google it - "Herbert Collins Devil's Tower" and you'll see what I mean!!

This didn't look very interesting, but friends told us we couldn't come out this way without stopping here. It was WAY worth it. I had no idea that this was used in Close Encounters! The hiking path around the formation is relatively flat and easy, and the views all around are stunning. We agreed with our friends...this is an amazing place to see and experience.

Amazing. Do the walk around the base. The path is paved with lots of rest stops.