Tower Trail
in Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower National Monument was the first national monument established in the United States. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the extraordinary tower in the northeast corner of Wyoming and created the 1,347-acre Devils Tower National Monument to ensure that the rock formation was preserved. Devils Tower rises 867 feet above the surrounding pine forest and has a one-mile circumference. The tower has an impressive exterior of firm rock formed into wide symmetric columns. This siding puzzles geologists and captivates tourists. Tower Trail circles Devils Tower, providing a paved 1.6-mile loop with 150 feet of elevation gain and views of the tower from every side.
A sign at the trailhead describes the look of Devils Tower:
No two sides are alike. Notice how the Tower’s appearance changes as you walk through the boulder field and the ponderosa pine forest. From the eroded columns on the south to the smoother north side, the Tower has many faces. On the west side, the fallen, broken columns tell the Tower’s future.
Devils Tower wears several faces on this hike, looking different depending on where you are and what time of day it is. Begin from the monument’s main parking area, find the trail across from the visitor center, and hike uphill toward the tower. A short climb gets you to the start of the loop. From here, the trail becomes gradual, rolling over the terrain surrounding Devils Tower.
The loop can be hiked in either direction, but you will probably be drawn to the right first for a counter-clockwise exploration. The south side of the loop brings you very close to the base of the tower. Later, on the north side, the trail takes a wider track around fallen boulders, passing through a forest of ponderosa pines. The loop offers numerous perspectives of the tower, and viewpoints have been established in the northwest and southeast corners of the loop at particularly good vantages.
Signs along the trail describe the geologic history of Devils Tower:
The process began about 50 million years ago. Magma (molten rock) was injected into layers of sedimentary rock, forming the Tower one and one-half miles below the earth’s surface. It has since taken millions of years to erode away surrounding sedimentary rock to expose the Tower we see today. Geologists agree the Tower is an igneous (hardened magma) intrusion, but have three different interpretations of the Tower’s original size and shape. Because of erosion, we may never know which interpretation is correct.
The three explanations that geologists have for the existence of Devils Tower are that it is either an igneous stock, a laccolith, or a volcanic plug.
The igneous stock theory explains the tower’s irregular shape, speculating that the stock was formed when magma cooled and crystalized before reaching the earth’s surface.
The laccolith theory bets that Devils Tower was once part of a larger mushroom-shaped igneous intrusion that broke down into the current shape.
The volcanic plug camp believes Devils Tower was a cylinder-shaped igneous intrusion that fed a volcano and became plugged with magma, solidifying underground into the shape of the Devils Tower.
All theories believe that rivers then spent millions of years eroding material around the tower and excavating it to its current height. The Bell Fourche River continues to wash away soft sediments, slowly exposing the hard-to-move rock making up the Devils Tower.
The Sioux who lived in this area had their own origin story. A few girls were playing nearby when suddenly giant bears began to chase them. The girls climbed up on a rock and prayed for the Great Spirit to protect them. The Great Spirit lifted the rock, creating a tower into the sky. The bears could not reach the girls, but tried, leaving deep claw marks on the side of the tower. These claw marks explain the column-like shapes on the outside of Devils Tower.
Both the folklore and geology provide interesting answers for how the unique tower was created and why it stands out so distinctly from the surrounding landscape. Because the rock is so stable, Devils Tower is a popular place to climb. You will need a permit to get any closer than Tower Trail. As you hike around Devils Tower, you won’t get tired of looking up at the long even columns, seeing things from all sides on this satisfying stroll.
Devils Tower National Monument has an entrance fee, but no permit is needed to hike Tower Trail.
To get to the trailhead: From the southwest, take Interstate 90 to the town of Moorcroft between Gillette and Sundance. Get off at exit 153 for Route 14. Drive east on Route 14 for one mile and make a left to Yellowstone Avenue to stay on Route 14. Drive north for 25.6 miles and turn left on Route 24. Proceed six miles to Route 110, turn left, and drive 3.4 miles past the monument entrance to the visitor center parking area.
From the southeast, get off I-90 at exit 185 just west of Sundance. Turn right at the end of the offramp and head northwest up the other side of Route 14. After 19 miles, you will reach the intersection with Route 24. Turn right and proceed to Devils Tower.
Trailhead address: Devils Tower National Monument Road (County Road 174), Devils Tower National Monument, Devils Tower, WY 82714
Trailhead coordinates: 44.590295, -104.71983 (44° 35′ 25.06″N 104° 43′ 11.38″W)
View Devils Tower National Monument in a larger map
Or view a regional map of surrounding Wyoming trails and campgrounds.
 | Rankin Ridge Nature Trail in Wind Cave Park This one-mile loop hits the highest point in the park at a lookout tower with views over the east side of the Black Hills. |
 | Crazy Horse Volskmarch This roughly 5-mile hike (designed as a 10-kilometer feat) ventures up onto the Crazy Horse Memorial for up-close views of the massive carving and is only open to the public a few days a year. |
 | Notch Trail in Badlands National Park This adventurous 1 1/3-mile hike travels up a badlands canyon to an elevated overlook with views over the Great Plains. |
 | Door Trail in Badlands National Park This one-mile hike passes through a gap in Badlands Wall to a viewing platform followed by a cross-country path into the rugged badlands. |
 | Window Trail in Badlands National Park This level 0.25-mile round trip hike leads to an opening in the Badlands Wall overlooking the rugged landscape beyond. |
[…] We found a parking spot in front of the visitors center. After a quick tour through the visitors center, we took some water along for our 1.3 mile hike around the monument on the Tower Trail. […]
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