Why You Should See Devils Tower With Kids
Day 6 of our trip out west brought us to Devils Tower, Wyoming! Only an hour drive from the Black Hills of South Dakota, and only adding an extra 45 minutes to our already 8 hour total to our next destination, we decided it was worth the stop- and we are so glad we did! We skipped Devils Tower when we went from Black to Yellow in 2016, and now I am a little glad we did because chances are, we would not have went back. We had three kids then, and now we have four, and we all admit that it was one of the best family days we have ever had!
Devils Tower is a butte in Wyoming, made up of igneous rock. To this day, scientists are still uncertain of exactly how it was formed, but they do know it is made of cooled molten lava. You can learn more about the three different creation theories here.
We had such a wonderful time at Devils Tower! There are campgrounds you can visit if you’d like to stay longer, or you can just tour the grounds and hike around the Tower. The gift shop/visitors center inside the park was closed due to Covid, but there are quite a few souvenir stores and a couple cafes right before you get to the Entrance. Don’t forget to go to the restroom before you start your hike, and take water!
There are five different trails you can take within the park. We decided to hike the most popular, Tower Trail. Tower Trail starts in the visitors center parking lot and takes you completely around the Tower. You get to see (and climb) Boulder Field, learn about different points of interest along the way, see sweeping views of beautiful Wyoming, and witness all the prayer cloths hung by Native Americans on the trees surrounding Devils Tower. (These are sacred and you are not allowed to touch them!)
Tower Trail is 1.3 miles from start to finish. It can become quite crowded, so plan your trip accordingly. We hiked the trail mid-morning with overcast weather in the mid-60s, and it was perfect! Just enough people to let you know you’re not alone, but not too many that you cannot enjoy your time.
My kids loved climbing the boulders at the base of Devils Tower. For the more daring, you can climb the actual Tower, but you have to be pre-registered. Experienced climbers can make it to the top in 3-4 hours. Devils Tower is 867 feet from summit to base, at an elevation of 5,112 feet. We also enjoyed the wildlife! We seen eagles, lots of cute squirrels and chipmunks, and prairie dogs.
Devils Tower has a lot of mystery behind it, so when you visit the souvenir shops, you will see a lot of Native American items as well as alien gifts! The Native Americans have long said that the ridges in the Tower were formed by a giant bear‘s claws. Steven Spielberg’s classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind has brought extraterrestrial enthusiasts from all over! No matter which version of Devils Tower you prefer, it is worth noting that Teddy Roosevelt declared Devils Tower America’s first National Monument in 1906, and for good reason. It is a majestic, natural skyscraper unlike anything in its surrounding landscape. You could say it ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ but that does not give it its respect it deserves!
Know Before You Go
- Wear tennis shoes! Some trails can be steep and rocky, so you do not want to lose your footing.
- Come prepared with water, and use the restroom before you hit the trails.
- Do not touch the Native American prayer cloths, and do not climb past the boulders.
- Don’t forget to stop at the gift shops located before you enter the park!
- You will likely have terrible cell phone signal, so be sure to set your GPS when you do have signal. You can drive hundreds of miles in this part of the country with no reception. Also, know where the next gas station is and do not let yourself get low!
- There are pull-offs along the route to get to Devils Tower. Stop for a photo opportunity with the Tower in the background!
