Devils Tower — Fun Facts and Close Encounters

Devils Tower is one of the stars of the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Who can forget Richard Dreyfuss sculpting the tower out of mashed potatoes and then ultimately making a larger scale model in his living room? Or the scenes where the earthly scientists summon the alien spaceship to the tower using a repetitive discordant five-note melody? The tower was iconic already, but that movie placed Devils Tower on a whole new level of infamy. We wanted to see it up close ourselves.

Where: Devils Tower, Wyoming
When: June 23, 2021
Cost: $0 with National Parks Service Pass

In June 2021, we planned a two-day drive to Rapid City from Yellowstone National Park. On the way, we checked off one of our bucket list items by visiting Devils Tower. Be sure and check out our video if you want to see just how amazing it is!

Fun Facts and Advice About Devils Tower

Tip #1: See Devils Tower Up Close.

Devils Tower is one of the stars of the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Who can forget Richard Dreyfuss sculpting the tower out of mashed potatoes and then ultimately making a larger scale model in his living room? Or the scenes where the earthly scientists summon the alien spaceship to the tower using a repetitive discordant five-note melody? The tower was iconic already, but that movie placed Devils Tower on a whole new level of infamy.

If you haven’t watched the movie, make this a “to do” item as part of your visit.

Tip #2: Don’t forget the Dogs at Devils Tower!

Devils Tower is home to a fabulous prairie dog town right by the road. Be sure and take some time to get out of the car and watch these magnificent rodents scurry about and yap at you. For most folks, this will be a 5-10 minute detour, but for us, we spent about 30 minutes there as prairie dogs are one of our most favorite creatures. Lana even wrote a song about them!

Tip # 3: Hike the Tower Trail at Devils Tower.

Devils Tower rises 867 feet from its base and is about 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River. The 1.3-mile Tower Trail circles the base of Devils Tower and provides some very neck-bending up-close views of the tower. Simply put, the tower is huge, and this relatively flat and easy hike is a great way to appreciate the tower’s massiveness.

During your hike, you may see people trying to scale the tower. In 1893, two locals first climbed the tower using a wooden ladder. In 1995, the park implemented several climbing closures to protect the natural and cultural resources of the park. As such, some routes are temporarily closed each spring in order to protect nesting prairie and peregrine falcons. A voluntary climb closure occurs each June to help balance Native American cultural and ceremonial values, but unfortunately, that was not observed during our visit since we did see a few climbers. Today, about 5000-6000 visiting climbers come to Devils Tower each year.

Tip #4: Appreciate the Cultural History of Devils Tower.

Devils Tower has long been sacred to Native Americans. Several tribes have geographical and cultural ties to the tower. Of note, we observed several “prayer cloths” along the park's trails. These likely represent a person making an offering, a request, or simply in remembrance of another person or place. During your visit, take time to appreciate the sacredness of the place.

Tip #5: Forget the Apostrophe in Devils Tower.

According to the National Parks Service website, the name "Devils Tower" originated during an 1875 scientific expedition when an Army commander wrote that "the Indians call the shaft "Bad God's Tower," which he translated or otherwise modified to "Devil's Tower." Created in 1890, the United States Board of Geographic Names (BGN) ensures uniformity in the names of geographic location. Since its inception, BGN has forgone the use of apostrophes in names so that the monument is "Devils Tower" instead of "Devil's Tower". Sorry, Pikes Peak and Harpers Ferry.

Native Americans have given the tower a variety of names like Bear Lodge, Ghost Mountain, and Mythic-Owl Mountain. In recent years, some Native American tribes have asked that the butte’s name be changed to Bear Lodge, as they find the current name offensive. Other believe that that changing the formation's moniker will harm tourism and cause confusion. Thus, the name is still a little controversial.

Tip #6: Read the Signs at Devils Tower.

When visiting Devils Tower, take some time to read the signs throughout the park. Among other things, you will learn:

Devils Tower is #1. Devils Tower became the first national monument in the United States. In 1906, Congress passed the Antiquities Act which authorized the President to bestow national monument status upon federally owned lands. President Teddy Roosevelt quickly invoked the new statute and designated Devils Tower the nation's first national monument that same year
No One Really Knows How Devils Tower Was Formed. The formation of the tower is still subject to debate. As one of the signs at the park reads:

Although Devils Tower has long been a prominent landmark in northeastern Wyoming, the origin of the mammoth rock obelisk remains somewhat obscure. Geologists agree that Devils Tower consist of molten rock forced upward from deep within the earth. Debate continues, however, as to whether Devils Tower is solidified lava from the neck of an ancient volcano, the walls of which eroded long ago, or whether it is a sheet of molten rock which was injected between rock layers. The characteristic furrowed columns are apparently the result of uniformly-arranged cracks which appeared during the cooling of the volcanic magma. Geologic estimates have placed the age of Devils Tower at greater than fifty million years, although it is likely that erosion uncovered the rock formation only one or two million years ago.

Devils Tower is a true delight. It is simply a cultural, historical, and geologic wonder. I am glad we got to encounter it up close just like Richard Dreyfus.