Is Devils Tower National Monument worth it?
Devils Tower punches well above its compact size.
The monolith rising from Wyoming prairie is genuinely arresting, and the experience scales nicely depending on your ambition: walk the paved 1.3-mile tower trail, attempt world-class crack climbing on those parallel columns, or simply stay the night and let the darkness do the work. At $15 entry it is hard to argue against a visit if you are anywhere near the Black Hills. The limited visitor center hours and single campground mean you need to plan ahead, but the 24-hour road access is a real asset for serious stargazers.
Who it is for
Climbers chasing premier crack routes will find this a bucket-list stop. Families wanting a short, payoff-heavy hike with Junior Ranger options will also leave satisfied. Purely road-trip visitors who cannot spend a night may underuse the best asset here, which is the dark-sky experience.
Highlights
- World-class crack climbing on hundreds of parallel columns rated among the finest in North America
- Dark-sky stargazing from the Belle Fourche River Campground with the tower silhouetted overhead
- The front-country hiking loop circling the base with close-up views of the columnar geology
- Birdwatching and wildlife watching on the prairie and wooded slopes surrounding the tower
Editor's tipSummer thunderstorms build fast here and make rock surfaces dangerously slick, so climbers and hikers should start early and watch the western sky closely. The campground runs mid-May to mid-October only, so confirm dates before building a stargazing night around this stop.
