If you’re planning a trip to Wyoming or South Dakota, it is definitely worth your time to take a day trip to Devils Tower National Monument. This Devils Tower itinerary is perfect if you would like to take a day trip from Rapid City or if you would like to make a stop on your way to Yellowstone. We hope you enjoy this absolutely amazing National Monument.
About Devils Tower
If you’ve ever seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you’ll recognize the tower. It is a geological mystery that has caused speculation for generations. The 867 foot columnar rock formation juts it way out of the ground and you’ll see it dotting the horizon long before you arrive. Geologists today still are uncertain exactly how it was formed, though they have theories.
This formation is also important to the history of the US. The tower is important to nearby American Indian tribes who still conduct ceremonies on site.
Devils Tower National Monument was also designated the first National Monument in 1906. So with all of this interest, it is no wonder that people still flock to visit it today.
Top Things To Do
When to Visit
Devils Tower is open year round but the visitors center does close in the winter. We’d recommend visiting in the summer months as you’ll have the best weather for exploring outdoors. Devils Tower is popular but it’s generally is not crowded. So even if you visit the park in the peak summer season, you’ll have fun.
Getting There and Around
Devils Tower is located in northeastern Wyoming. The nearest town is Hulett, Wyoming.
Devils Tower makes a great day trip from Rapid City. It is about 2 hours from Rapid City by car. Rapid City also makes a great base camp for exploring other South Dakota gems like the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave.
Devils Tower is also a great stop if you’re driving across the US as it is only a short drive off of highway I-90. We visited it as we were driving to Yellowstone National Park.
The area surrounding Devils Tower is definitely light on services. Make sure to fill up gas tanks when you see gas stations which are more common close to I-90.
If you plan on flying into the area, the Rapid City, SD airport is about two hours away and the Gillette, WY airport is about an hour away.
What to Budget
The entrance fee for the park is $25/vehicle. If you have an America the Beautiful parks pass, your entrance is free. Consider getting an American the Beautiful pass if you are visiting other national parks or monuments on your trip, like Yellowstone or the Badlands.
If you’re staying for the day, you’ll also want to budget for food. Just outside the park, you’ll find a trading post that sells food as well as a few restaurants. Eating at these establishments will cost between $10-20/person, depending on type of meal. We always love packing lunches when we visit parks as the nearby eateries can get busy during lunchtime (Plus it saves money).
Itinerary
The park rangers recommend that you spend 2-4 hours at Devils Tower. We think you should budget for a half day in the park to give yourself enough time to enjoy it. This will give you enough time to hike the Tower Loop Trail, check out Prairie Dog Town and see the Circle of Sacred Smoke sculpture.
If you’d like to hike other trails, enjoy a ranger-led program, or see the stars at night, you’ll need to spend the entire day in the park.
Enjoy customizing your own Devils Tower itinerary!
Tower Loop Trail
Length: 1.3 mile loop | Difficulty: Easy | Time: 1 hour
Tower Loop Trail is the most popular thing to do in the park. This trail is pretty easy and gives you some great views of the tower. If you only have a short amount of time for your Devils Tower itinerary, do this! The trail is paved and can get busy with other visitors so we recommend doing this early in the morning or in the late afternoon.
The trail circles the base of the tower and gives you up-close and personal views of Devils Tower. You’ll have great views of the tower and get to watch the rock climbers making their journey. However, do remember that climbing on the rocks isn’t allowed without a permit so stay off of the boulders.
Red Beds Trail
Length: 2.8 mile loop | Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1.5-2.5 hours
The Red Beds Trail is a longer trail that also circles the tower from a greater distance. This trail has some really great views of the tower from farther away that allow you to see Devils Tower set in the wooded landscape.
Joyner Ridge Trail
Length: 1.5 mile loop | Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour
If you would like more panoramic views of the tower, the Joyner Ridge trail is the one for you. The trail brings you to the top of the ridge where you can see Devils tower looking small as it towers above the tree tops.
Viewpoints
On you way into our out of the park, make sure you stop at all the well curated viewpoints to get plenty of photos of Devils Tower.
Circle of Sacred Smoke
Take a minute or two to side track to the Circle of Sacred Smoke sculpture. This is one of seven Peace sculptures located around the world created by artist Junkyo Muto.
Prairie Dog Town
Take time to view the Prairie Dog Town in the park. You’ll see these little dudes popping in and out of their homes. Be warned, there are also things that eat prairie dogs that visit the park. We saw a pretty neat “circle of life” moment when a fox had dinner at the Prairie Dog Town.
Valley View Trail
Length: .6 miles | Difficult: Easy | Time: 30 minutes
If you’re interested in getting even closer to the prairie dogs, take the short Valley View Trail through the prairie dog town and enjoy the show as they make noise and pop into their holes as you approach. Make sure you do not feed these wild animals.
Ranger Programs
Ranger Programs are offered throughout the summer months. These include some great guided walks around the tower with history and geology lessons sprinkled in.
Night Sky Watching
Because of the lack of artificial light, Devils Tower is a great place for night sky watching. During the summer months, there are ranger led programs on constellations. If your Devils Tower itinerary includes an overnight stay, consider staying in the park for some night sky watching.
Rock Climbing
While this park is a great place to do rock climbing, this would take you more time and a higher level of skill than we can speak to. The park recommends giving yourself a full day to complete the climb. Climbing the tower is the only way to get the views from the top. If you’re interested in climbing Devils Tower, check out the park recommendations here. You should also know that rock climbing with out the proper permits is not permitted.
Where to Stay
If you’d like to camp overnight, consider staying in the Belle Fourche River Campground in the park. This campground is first come, first served so if you’d like to stay here, check in as you arrive in the park. The fee is $20/night for this campground.
If you’d like to stay in a hotel, Hulett is the closest town and they have hotels averaging around $130/night.
We think a vacation rental may be better in this area as accommodations are limited. AirBnBs in the area average around $100/night.
However, if you are visiting Devils Tower as a day trip from your South Dakota vacation. We’d recommend heading back to South Dakota as accommodations here are limited near the park.
Devils Tower may seem like a side stop on a larger trip and it is, but we thought this was one of the most impressive things we’ve seen in our travels. This monument was just as jaw dropping and impressive as the Grand Canyon. This place is one of those rare stops that exceeds expectations. So we hope that this amazing geological wonder will also inspire awe in you.
We hope that we’ve given you everything you need to know to plan your own Devils Tower itinerary. If you are planning a trip to South Dakota or Wyoming, this is defiantly worth including in your travel plans. If you have any questions as you’re planning a trip of your own, please leave a question or comment below and we’d be happy to help.
I do like the picture on the side of the road with the Devils tower sign and tower in the back ground. Which Hwy were you no please.. Wayne
Hi Wayne, That’s on Devil’s Tower National Monument Road. It’s shortly before the visitors center. I think we were parked at the visitor center and walked to the sign from there. A few of the pictures in the post are from W Road as you’re coming down the hill towards the monument. There are some great views from higher up. I hope you enjoy your trip!
Great advice to get the America The Beautiful pass. I was lucky to hit the minimum age for the lifetime Senior Pass when those were only $20. One detail, though: while Mount Rushmore is a National Memorial, there’s no admission fee. You pay to park and the pass doesn’t cover that.
OMG! I’m so excited to get this pass one day 😉 And thanks for the tips on Mount Rushmore, I appreciate it.
We’re on a journey from Seattle to West Yellowstone (and the Park, of course), through the Teatons (and the Park, of course), and in the morning will visit Devil’s Tower on our way to Mount Rushmore. Thank you so much for this informative guide!
If you’re on a budget and timing is right, we found rooms in Gillette and decent hotels for about $50. It’s still an hour to Devil’s Tower from here, but might help a family out if they’re trying to get the most America for their buck.
Thanks for that suggestion! We really wanted to stay nearby to maximize time in the park but there are a lot of cheap places farther away.