Devils Tower National Monument — Attraction in Hulett

Our next stop is Devil’s Tower Wyoming. Anyone who watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind marveled at the plateau. It rises from the ground and draws my attention to its magnificence. As we were driving, the plateau was visible from a great distance. The closer we were to the tower; the more details were visible. The large grooves on the sides slowly became noticeable and more defined. Before we arrive at the welcome center, a stop light system holds drivers until the parking lot has vacancies. Getting there early can save a long wait if it is a busy day. Once we arrived at the welcome center, I noticed two parking lots. The upper lot is closest to the welcome center. Oversized vehicles park in the lower gravel lot. Make sure to use the facilities at the welcome center before you take on the trails around the monument. The toilet at the beginning of the trail smells awful. It is an outhouse with no place to wash your hands. It is not good to need the restroom halfway around the tower. There are two trails around Devil’s Tower. You can even bring your dog. The short trail is about 1.3 miles. This does not include the steep walk uphill to the trail. This paved path goes all the way around the monument. This gave me a view of all sides of the tower. Take time to enjoy the small things that most people ignore. The tower's view can obscure thoughts of anything else. Often missed are the rock formations, flowering plants, and smells. There is a wonderful smell of pine when walking the trails. The other trail is longer. I did not take this trail due to the length. The short path meanders up and down as I wound my way on the path. Some of the uphill parts of the trail are a little strenuous. Most people there were able to make the trip. Many had to take multiple breaks to complete the trail. There are benches for visitors to enjoy the scenery while they rest. The walk around the monument is beautiful. The trail provides numerous opportunities to photograph the different sides of the monument. One area of the tower is the window. It looks like an inset window on the tower. If you are lucky, you may see climbers on the tower. Posted signs provide information on the viewed area of the trail. June, the summer solstice, is a sacred month for the local Native Americans. They tie ribbons to the trees as prayer bundles in preparation for their ceremonies. The park asks climbers not to climb the tower voluntarily in respect of this sacred time. The experience of Devil’s Tower should be on everyone's bucket list. It was a wonderful day. The vision and smells of the tower will...

Devils Tower was a bucket list destination for me. I spent the night in Gillette, Wyoming which is about 65 miles to the west. Even though it was an easy drive it took me a little longer than 90-minutes to make the trip because once I left the Interstate I stopped several time for photos, especially after I got my first view of the tower some 15 to 20 miles away. As I approached the entrance station, I found a line of cars waiting to get in. The advice I received from a gentleman in Gillette was I would be well advised to arrive early as later in the day, the wait to get through the entrance station could be an hour or longer. As it was, I arrived just a few minutes after 9 a.m. and the wait was only about 15 minutes. I used my National Park Senior Pass to waive the $25 per car entrance fee. From the entrance Station its about a 3-mile drive up to the visitors center at the base of the tower. Be advised that parking here if limited and tend to fill up very quickly. I was able to find parking in the small parking lot. Once parked you can stay as long as you like. The visitor’s center is well staffed, and I found the rangers to be very helpful. I decided to take the hike around the base of the tower. The trail is a little over a mile and a half in length and is paved almost the entire way. I found it to be mostly level with on gradual up and downs. I had no trouble at all even though Temperatures this morning was already pushing 90. Before leaving the visitors center, I fill my water bottles. There are absolutely no Facilities on the trail, although there are benches where you can take a break at regular intervals. It took me a little over an hour to make it all the way around the trail as I stopped several time for photo and to admire the view of both the landscape and tower. Overall, I spent a little more than an two hours at the Tower and Visitors center. As I was making my way back down traffic had certainly increased. I did make a brief stop at the lager and very active Prairie Dog Town in the valley below the tower. It is just a short distance from the entrance station and there is a large pull out where you can park. Leaving the park just to the south of the entrance stations there are several tourist traps selling everything from BBQ and Cold Drinks to souvenirs. These businesses are located outside of the park and not affiliated with the National Park Service. I really enjoyed my visit and if I could offer just one piece of advice it would...

This is a must go if you're in the area!! It was an amazing sight to see and loved the time we spent there.

It's $25 to get in unless you have one of their passes, if you're active duty you can get a free park pass that will get you in all the National Parks for free. It last a year and will have to show you're military ID when using it. Ask the Ranger at the entrance gate for one. There are two trails to take, one around the base of the tower that takes about 30 minutes to an hour that is paved and the second one that is outside the base of the tower trail that is not paved and takes about 2 hours. They have a small but nice store that has a good variety of items to buy. Inside the building that houses the store is a room that gives some information about the park. This is where the stamp for the National Park Passport book is located There is parking for cars and travel trailers/RV. It does get tight so the earlier you get there the better chance you have getting a spot. There is a loop for you to turn around if you have a trailer. They do have restrooms and water fountains. No food is available due to the wildlife. There are restaurants and shops before you enter the park. You can climb the tower but they ask for you to voluntarily not climb during the month of June due to the Native American spiritual significants during that month. They do give tours at certain times so be sure to check on their times. Be sure to keep trash off the ground, there is a lot of wildlife there that don't need the litter. If you see some, pick it up and trash it in the can. It also helps the Rangers that work there.

If you can go see this...