A giant tower of stone in Wyoming’s Black Hills.
My strongest memory of Devils Tower before I visited was, of course, watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (I may have actually read the book first though.) Devils Tower made a strong impression and not just in mashed potatoes. So when I found myself in the region, I made a long drive to see it from Nebraska.
Devils Tower (a.k.a. Bear Lodge Butte, Bear’s House, Bear Lodge, Bear’s Tipi, etc.) was named its current name in 1875. Devils Tower is another mistranslated Native American name. The native interpreter called it “Bad God’s Tower.” The name stuck. Local tribes believe that it was formed by a very large bear clawing on the rock trying to get to a few girls who climbed to the top of the mountain to escape said bears. In the process, the bear’s claws left the weird marks we see today. Honestly, I totally understand why they went there.
Scientifically speaking, Devils Tower used to be a volcano. The magma solidified and then the softer rock eroded around it, leaving a columny flat top mountain. There are other similar buttes like this one in the area, but they are not as spectacular.
The small visitor center is located at the bottom of Devils Tower. From the parking lot, you can access the Tower Trail, which goes around the base of the mountain.
After I finished the Tower Trail, I decided to do another trail before moving on. I chose the Juniper Ridge Trail which was said had good views of Devils Tower, which was towards the sun. It may be better to go in the afternoon.
Devils Tower is a fairly small natural monument. There are a few trails that you can hike away from the mountain itself. The Tower Trail is crowded because everyone does it. However, the Juniper Ridge Trail had much less traffic and was great. I was reminded, though, how allergic I am to Ponderosa Pine forests. I haven’t missed that.
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