Source 2026 Wyoming Official Travel Guide - Wyoming Official Travel Guide
Devils Tower: Celebrate a Monumental Anniversary
2025-12-29 02:45:56
In 2026, Devils Tower marks its 120th anniversary as the first national monument in the U.S., designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. To honor this milestone, catch special anniversary events at the iconic butte throughout the year. Find more details at travelwy.com/devilstowerfb.
INDIGENOUS TIES
Devils Tower National Monument’s importance stretches back much further than 120 years, with long-held, deep spiritual meaning for Native Americans in the region. It’s known as Mato Tipila to the Lakota, which loosely translates to Bear Lodge. However, each culture has its own name for the tower with similar meanings, including Bear’s Tipi, Bear’s Hat and Bear’s Lair. It wasn’t until the 1870s that a possible mistranslation resulted in it being called Devils Tower.
Most legends about the tower’s formation involve a bear chasing children who escaped when the rock suddenly grew very tall, leaving the bear to claw at the sides and create the long, vertical grooves. There is a common belief in its power of protection, and Indigenous peoples visit the monument for sweat lodges, sun dances, fasting and placing colorful prayer bundles.
THINGS TO DO
Visitors can explore several scenic hiking trails, watch playful critters at the prairie dog town, fish in the nearby Belle Fourche River or test their skills on the rock-climbing routes. Keep in mind there’s a voluntary climbing closure in June, a particularly spiritual and culturally significant time for Native American nations associated with the tower.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
You can visit Devils Tower year-round. Parking is limited and can fill up quickly in the summer. Many areas are wheelchair-accessible, including the visitor center, restrooms, select campsites and picnic areas.
Learn more at travelwy.com/devilstower and get another look at Devils Tower on the cover of this guide.
Fun Facts
›› Devils Tower stands 867 feet tall from base to summit.
›› The summit is roughly the size of a football field.
›› Formed about 50 million years ago, the tower is made of igneous rock called phonolite porphyry.
›› It famously provided an otherworldly setting in the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
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