Is Devils Tower Worth Visiting? Things to Do, Tips, and More!
Are you planning a road trip through the area and wondering if Devils Tower is worth seeing? In this guide, we’ll help answer that question! We’ll go over things to do at Devils Tower, costs, how much time you need, and everything else you need to know to plan a visit to Devils Tower.
A unique rock tower rising seemingly out of the middle of nowhere, Devils Tower is an iconic American landmark. However, many people still wonder if Devils Tower is worth the stop on their Midwest road trip. Afterall, can’t you see Devils Tower from the road? Do you really need to spend time in the park? What else is there to do?
Trust us, we had all those same exact questions, so we want to pass on our experience and tips to you! We made a quick visit to Devils Tower during our six month road trip when we were traveling between the Black Hills of South Dakota and Glacier National Park, so we got to experience a little bit of everything this National Monument has to offer.
In this guide, we’ll share all the best things to do at Devils Tower, best time to go, costs, itineraries, and more. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a better idea of whether you think Devils Tower is worth a visit!
Article Contents
Where is Devils Tower?
Devils Tower is in the northeastern corner of Wyoming. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, which adds to its dramatic nature, but also makes it somewhat difficult to get to.
Devils Tower rising over the landscape
It’s easiest to get to Devils Tower when on a road trip and passing through the area. For example, we were driving from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Glacier National Park, and Devils Tower was an easy stop on the way.
Some common places near Devils Tower that could be included on a road trip are:
Custer State Park (South Dakota) to Devils Tower: 2 hours 15 minutes; 138 miles
Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower: 2 hours 9 minutes; 131 miles
Yellowstone National Park to Devils Tower: 6 hours; 350 miles
Glacier National Park to Devils Tower: 10 hours; 656 miles
The best airport for Devils Tower is Rapid City, South Dakota, which is 1 hour 50 minutes (119 miles) away. We say it’s the best because it can allow you to visit Devils Tower and do an epic South Dakota road trip at the same time!
Why is Devils Tower So Special?
So why is this random rock structure a protected National Monument?
Aside from the fact that it looks super cool, a big part is because of its geological importance. When you look at Devils Tower, its most obvious and striking feature is the tall vertical columns that make up its structure. This feature is called columnar jointing, and Devils Tower is the largest example in the world of columnar jointing, with some columns as wide as 10 feet.
Devils Tower was protected in 1906 for its scientific value, because while there is much known about it, there is still disagreement regarding how Devils Tower actually formed. There are actually many theories about how Devils Tower formed, however they all center around a common theme: magma below the earth’s surface cooled, causing it to contract and crack, forming the columns, and then erosion of the surrounding sedimentary rock exposed the columns to create an above ground tower. The exact details of how all these processes happen is what differs among each theory.
Not only is the Devils Tower geologically significant, but it’s also culturally significant. Devils Tower is considered sacred by many local indigenous tribes of the great plains and Black Hills, and there are many sacred stories and oral histories about their relationship with the tower. On a visit to Devils Tower, you will likely see colorful prayer clothes wrapped around trees close to the tower, representing their connection with the tower.
Why is it called Devils Tower?
According to the National Park Service, the tower was originally referred to on maps as Bear Lodge (this is a translation from a Lakota name). It is suspected that poor translation led to the name of “Bad God”, which then was morphed into Devils Tower. There is still controversy over the name today and whether the name was purposely changed.
How Much Does it Cost to See Devils Tower?
The entrance to Devils Tower National Monument…but is it worth it?
A lot of people wonder if it’s even worth paying to see Devils Tower, because, well, can’t you just see Devils Tower from the road, without actually going into the park?
The answer is… yes, you can see Devils Tower without paying. From quite far away, you begin to see the massive structure towering over the surrounding landscape.
But to enter the park, Devils Tower National Monument costs $25 per vehicle (which lasts for seven days). This will give you access to much more up-close views of the tower, educational experiences, and all the other best things to do at Devils Tower that we touch on in just a second.
Is it worth it? Well, let’s get into what to do at Devils Tower so you can decide for yourself!
Devils Tower Map
Before we dive into things to do at Devils Tower, here’s a map for your reference to orient you to the park’s layout.
A map of Devils Tower taken from the park brochure. Here you can see all the hikes and points we mention in our guide below.
As you can see, it’s a pretty small park, with one main road running from the entrance up to the visitor center and main trailheads.
Parking at Devils Tower
The main parking lot at Devils Tower is the visitor center parking lot at the end of the main road. There is a small paved portion of the parking lot and then a much bigger dirt lot. This can fill pretty early (before 10am), especially on summer weekends. If this is full, you can park at smaller parking areas such as the picnic area or at the Joyner Ridge Trailhead and then hike up to the visitor center (keep in mind that there is no shuttle!).
RV considerations: If you are driving an RV, trailer, or larger vehicle, parking up at the visitor center will be difficult, particularly if you don’t get there early. There are only a handful of long vehicle parking spots along a narrow and cramped parking loop, so if those are taken, you are out of luck.
Fortunately, there is a long vehicle parking area down by the picnic area. We didn’t know this before coming to the park, but we wish we did! There are a handful of spots here where you can park an RV or drop a trailer so that you can take your main vehicle up to the visitor center lot. It was really convenient! With a trailer, we would recommend just doing this before even heading up to the visitor center, which is cramped and crowded. But again, this is pretty limited (we were lucky enough to get the last space!), so if you have a long vehicle, you’ll need to plan for an early start here.
Things to Do at Devils Tower
It’s a small park, but there are a handful of things to do at Devils Tower that can be done even in the quickest of visits!
Walk the Tower Trail
Walking the Tower Trail was our favorite thing to do at Devils Tower National Monument
Walking around the Tower Trail is the most popular thing to do at Devils Tower, which is why it’s number one on our list.
The Tower Trail is a 1.3 mile paved loop that wraps around the entire base of Devils Tower. This means that you’ll get super up close views of the tower from every angle possible, which is cooler than it seems because the look and shape of the tower changes as you circle around it!
Along the Tower Trail, there are a few interpretive signs about Devils Tower, its formation, and the surrounding landscape, and there’s one point where you can spot a small ladder wedged in between two columns, a remnant of an early climbing venture.
An old ladder stuck in the walls of Devils Tower
The Tower Trail leaves from the visitor center parking lot, and since it is so easy and accessible, it’s quite crowded towards the beginning of either side of the loop. However, once you get around to the back side of the tower, it’s actually really quiet…we saw hardly no one back there!
Though it’s a busy trail, we recommend making this trail a top thing to do at Devils Tower for yourself, since it’s so easy and has some of the best views of the tower.
Tower Trail Map and Elevation Profile
A satellite view of our hike on the Tower Trail from our Garmin watch
Hike at Devils Tower
The view of Devils Tower from the picnic area where the Valley View and South Side trails begin.
Apart from the Tower Trail, there are actually several other hiking trails in Devils Tower. Hiking makes a great thing to do at Devils Tower if you have all day at the park and want to get some different and less crowded views of the surrounding area.
Some Devils Tower trails include:
The Valley View and/or South Side trails: These are each 0.6 mile trails at Devils Tower that begin down by the picnic area part of the main road and travel up towards the tower until they meet up with the Red Beds Trail. The Amphitheater Circuit is a great loop to hike in Devils Tower to get the most bang for your buck. This joins the Valley View, Red Beds, and South Side trails into one big loop.
Joyner Ridge Trail: This is a 1.5 mile loop that runs along the North side of Devils Tower, with views of the tower and surrounding prairie.
Red Beds Trail: This is a 2.8 mile trail, which, like the Tower Trail, wraps around the tower, but in a much wider loop. This is often preferred over the Tower Trail because it is much less traveled, and it gives views of both the tower and of the Belle Fourche River Valley below.
Attend a ranger program at Devils Tower
If you’re looking to learn more about the Tower and its formation, history, and significance, attending a ranger program is a great thing to do at Devils Tower.
Ranger programs are often held in the summer between Memorial and Labor Day and include things like guided walks, talks near the visitor center on varying topics, and even evening programs for night sky viewing.
Check the park’s calendar to see what programs are being offered at any given time.
Visit the Prairie Dog Town
One of our favorite things to do at Devils Tower was to see the prairie dogs! The park has a huge prairie dog town right along the main road, near the turnoff for the picnic area (refer to the Devils Tower map above).
You can stop at a pull-off along the main road to see them running around and poking their heads out of their burrows, or you can walk one of the trails in the area (like the South Side trail) to get a closer look at them. Also, if you visit the Circle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture (see below), you’ll see them up close here as well!
These guys are super cute. We saw them all over South Dakota, too! Just remember to give them their space and don’t try to approach or feed them.
See the Circle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture
Also called the Wind Circle Sculpture, this unique statue is found by the picnic area in Devils Tower and has an interesting significance.
Created by the Japanese artist Junyu Muto, it is one of 7 planned sculptures around the world, known as “peace sculptures”, displayed as signs of world peace, which we think is really cool! There are two other ones already sculpted and displayed – one in Vatican City, and one at Buddha Gaya in India.
This particular sculpture creates an image of the first puff of smoke from a pipe and is meant to represent the importance of Devils Tower to the native tribes in the area.
From this spot in Devils Tower, you get a great view of the tower, including some cool framing by the sculpture itself, and you get to observe some prairie dogs up close! We thought it was one of the best places in Devils Tower!
Where to Stay Near Devils Tower
While there is no lodging (or food) in Devils Tower National Monument, just outside the park there are some camping and lodging options, such as the Devils Tower KOA, Devils Tower Lodge, and Devils Tower View. These will put you right near all the best things to do at Devils Tower.
Nearby towns with lodging options include Hulett, Sundance, and Moorcroft.
Devils Tower Camping
Devils Tower National Monument does have one campground, called the Belle Fourche River Campground, which is first come first served and can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet. We suggest you get there early if coming on a weekend to get a spot!
Best Time to Visit Devils Tower
Devils Tower is a year round destination, but for the best weather, spring through fall is a good time to visit Devils Tower National Monument. Always check conditions before heading there. For an overview of the monthly weather to help you decide when to visit Devils Tower, check out this site.
Keep in mind that summer weekends are definitely the busiest, with 10 am to 3 pm being the most crowded, so if you are trying to avoid the crowds and want to get the best parking, try to arrive outside of those hours, particularly on weekends.
How Much Time Do You Need at Devils Tower?
Now that you’ve seen all the top things to do at Devils Tower, you might be wondering how much time you need. The answer is…not that long.
In just an hour or two at Devils Tower, you can get your fill of tower views. We spent just a couple hours here, hiking the Tower Trail, checking out the sculpture, and observing the cute prairie dogs, and we felt like we had sufficiently visited the National Monument.
However, if you wanted to, you can easily make a full day out of a visit to Devils Tower. I mean, you drove all this way to get there, why not maximize your time there? Here are some ways you can plan for a day at Devils Tower…
Devils Tower Itineraries
If you have just an hour at Devils Tower, we definitely recommend walking the Tower Trail and checking out the visitor center. We think the Tower Trail is the best thing to do at Devils Tower with such a short amount of time!
With a half day at Devils Tower, check out the Red Beds Trail, which is a little longer than the Tower Trail and will offer you more solitude. On your way out of the park, make a pitstop at the Wind Sculpture and check out the prairie dogs, too!
With a full day at Devils Tower, you can do a lot of hiking in the park. In fact, you can probably do many of the trails there if you’re pretty fast! Take your pick from trails, try to join a ranger program, have a picnic at the picnic area and check out the sculpture and prairie dogs nearby, and if you’re up for it, stay until dark to see the night sky if it’s clear out.
Things to do near Devils Tower
We visited Devils Tower on a road trip from South Dakota. The Black Hills of South Dakota are only about a two hour or so drive from Devils Tower, so we highly recommend visiting this area if you are driving through!
Some really amazing places to go in South Dakota that are near Devils Tower include:
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK – Tour a cave underground and search for bison above! Check out our guide for spending one day in Wind Cave National Park.
MOUNT RUSHMORE– Visit one of the most iconic American landmarks! Like Devils Tower, it might not seem like there’s much to do there, but check out our guide to the best things to do at Mount Rushmore if you want to learn more!
CUSTER STATE PARK – Check out this amazing place for hiking and wildlife viewing. Learn about the best things to do at Custer State Park, and if you’re interested in hiking, check out our favorite hike in Custer that will take you to the high point of South Dakota!
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK– The Badlands is one of our favorite National Parks! We have a guide on all the best things to do in Badlands National Park, plus a one day itinerary for the Badlands.
DEVILS TOWER ROAD TRIP PLANNING: Check out our Black Hills South Dakota Complete Guide and Itinerary to get ideas and tips for your own Devils Tower – South Dakota road trip and to get a jump start on your planning!
Is Devils Tower Worth Seeing?
And we’re back to the big question…is Devils Tower worth the stop?
For us, it was. It didn’t take very long to visit, and it was free for us because we had the Annual Parks Pass. Plus, it was pretty much right on our route anyway. While there aren’t a ton of things to see and do at Devils Tower, we thought it was still really incredible to view this crazy formation up close and learn all about it.
We’d say it is worth the stop if it meets all that criteria for you, too. We wouldn’t say its particularly worth it to make a long drive out of the way just to see this monument, but if it’s already along your road trip route, then it’s a good way to take a break and stretch your legs and see something really cool!
As for cost, we honestly think it’s a pretty hefty fee, considering the amount of things to do at Devils Tower and the amount of time you’re likely to spend there. A pass is valid for 7 days, however, most people don’t spend more than a couple of hours here. With that said, we do love supporting our National Parks, so we wouldn’t deter you from going just from cost alone…that’s definitely something you’ll want to consider for yourself, though. If you’re planning on visiting other National Parks and Monuments throughout the year, having an Annual Park Pass is a great idea and will make the decision to visit Devils Tower much easier!
What do you think…is Devils Tower worth the visit? Let us know if you’ve been or if you plan to go!