Devils Tower is an incredible place with a super creepy name. Located in the northeast part of Wyoming, this towering monolith is an amazing sight!
As we drove to the monument, you could see it rise up above the ground quite a distance away. The drive was beautiful and we enjoyed seeing the rolling hills and verdant valleys along the way.
When we arrived at Devils Tower, Juliana and I went into the Visitor Center to get started on our Junior Ranger badge. We picked up the booklet and were ready to begin our adventure. One of the things we should have picked up was a map…
We started out following Tower Trail. It was so exciting to hike this close to Devils Tower. We loved reading the signs and learning about the monument and surrounding areas. The trees and wildflowers growing were so pretty. We found wild roses, yellow sweet clover, dogbane, ponderosa pine, aspen, and bur oak. It was really fun to spot the different plants and trees growing around us as we hiked.
We had gorgeous views of the monument all through the hike. We came to a place where there’s actually a ladder stuck near the top of Devils Tower. This didn’t get there by accident. In the early 1890’s Bill Rogers and Willard Ripley built a ladder in a large crack that ran from the bottom of the tower almost to the top. They figured that people would pay money to see them ascend. Their wives, Linnie Rogers and Dollie Ripley, would be in charge of selling food and drink.
According to the NPS website, “The handbill boasted: “Perfect order will be maintained. The rarest sight of a life time will be observed, and the 4th of July will be better spent at the Devil’s Tower than at the World’s Fair.”” They say if you build it, they will come and around 800 people really did come to see the event. “Spectators came from as far away as Rapid City, South Dakota. Some journeyed over 100 miles – a 3-day trip by horse and wagon – to watch the two men climb “the Devils’ Tower.” By the evening of July 3rd, an estimated 800 people were camped along the Belle Fourche River at the base of the Tower. In a region thinly settled, a crowd that size was a sight to behold.”
“But the sight they all came to see occured the following day. Before his climb, Bill Rogers donned an Uncle Sam suit and received a flag to carry with him. By noon he was on the top with the American flag snapping in the stiff Wyoming wind. After he made his descent, the crowd cheered for his victorious feat, and celebrations continued through the night.” https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/historyculture/first-fifty-years-stake-ladder.htm
We thought that was fascinating to learn about and we actually found the remains of the ladder in the crack. Fun fact, the first woman to ascend to the top was Linnie Rogers, wife of Bill Rogers.
We left the ladder and made our way to some huge boulders near the base of the monument. They were too inviting to pass by, so we climbed them and had a blast. It looked like the place where the main characters were climbing the rocky side of the tower in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind and see the massive alien spaceship! You can actually climb Devils Tower, but we are not interested in taking that kind of risk. I’m in awe of those with the strength and stamina that can.
We went back to the trail, or did we? This is where the wish for a map came into play. We thought we were on Tower Trail, which is a paved 1.3 mile loop. It became apparent from the level of difficulty, that we were on Red Beds Trail which is dirt and rocks, 2.8 miles long, and can be considered steep and strenuous. That’s actually a good description for it and we felt every step.
Onward we went, and we finally reached a point where the two trails converged. YAY! We were pretty relieved to know we were on the right path. A relatively short while later we were back at the Visitor Center collecting our Junior Ranger badges.
Driving out of the park, we found a prairie dog town. They were so adorable! We couldn’t resist stopping and spending some time watching them. Before long we were on the road and preparing for our next adventure.
If you would like to see our full Devils Tower National Monument vlog on YouTube, please either click the photo below or the link here: Devils Tower: Ladders, Rocks, & Rodents 🐹
We hope you enjoyed traveling along with us!
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