According to the Devils Tower National Monument website, “The Tower is an astounding geological feature that protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills. It is considered sacred by Northern Plains Indians and indigenous people. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America.”

The previous website also gives the following information:

  • How tall is Devils Tower: Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to the summit. It stands 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and is 5,112 feet above sea level.
  • How big is the summit of the Tower? It’s approximately 1 1/2 acres, about 180 feet by 300 feet (about the size of a football field).
  • How far is it around the Tower? The circumference of the base of the Tower is 1 mile. The Tower Trail is 1.3 miles (2 kilometers).
  • Why is it called Devils Tower? The name “Devils Tower” originated during an 1875 scientific expedition. The Army commander in charge of the military escort, Col. Richard Dodge, wrote that “the Indians call the shaft “Bad God’s Tower,” which he modified to “Devil’s Tower.” The earliest official maps of the area label the formation as “Bear Lodge,” which is a direct translation of the Lakota name Mato Tipila. Other American Indian names include Bear’s Tipi, Home of the Bear, Tree Rock and Great Gray Horn.

Devils Tower is so unusual that there are Scenic View places to park on the side of the highway as you approach the National Park. Here are a couple of pictures I took from many miles away.

After getting inside the park, Kim and I embarked on a trail and the views were spectacular. I took quite a few pictures and videos.

To begin with, here is the trail that Kim and I took around Devils Tower. I used my GPS watch to track us.

Pictures don’t do this justice. Devils Tower is MASSIVE!

The following picture was taken about 1/4 of the way around the Tower. In this picture, the Tower is behind us. Kim had sat down to take a break, and I saw a beautiful picture. So, here you go.

And now, a video. I wanted to put the size of this tower into perspective. So, I started this short video at the base and slowly panned upward. Then, I zoomed in so you could make out some rock climbers. There’s not enough money in the world to pay me to climb to the top!

I took so many more pictures and captured so many moments on video at this site. It is well worth the trip if you are ever in the area.

After this, we headed back to our Airbnb for the night. I had planned for us to visit a couple of other National Parks (Jewel Cave National Monument & Wind Cave National Park), but Kim discovered that I needed to obtain tickets in advance. Both of those caves are booked for the next couple of days. So, we will just have to visit our own state’s cave (Mammoth Cave National Park) in the not-too-distant future.