Qualla: Devils Tower

Devils Tower: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit PLBechly, CC BY-SA 4.0. In northeastern Wyoming, a rock column rises 867 feet from the surrounding prairie like nothing else on Earth. Devils Tower is the eroded remnant of an ancient volcanic intrusion - magma that cooled underground and was exposed as softer rock eroded away. Its distinctive fluted columns, formed by cooling and contraction of the igneous rock, create a surface that has attracted climbers since 1893. The tower is sacred to the Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, Kiowa, and other tribes, who call it by names meaning Bear Lodge, Bear's House, and Bear's Lair. Steven Spielberg made it globally famous in 1977's 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' where aliens chose the tower as their landing site. Devils Tower was America's first national monument, designated by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

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Image: PLBechly | CC BY-SA 4.0

Devils Tower: The Formation

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit MACyoda, CC BY-SA 4.0. Devils Tower formed approximately 50 million years ago when magma intruded into sedimentary rock. As the magma cooled, it contracted and cracked into hexagonal columns - like mud cracking as it dries, but in three dimensions. The columns range from a few inches to several feet ac...

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Image: MACyoda | CC BY-SA 4.0

Devils Tower: The Sacred Site

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit U.S. Department of Agriculture, CC BY 2.0. Devils Tower is sacred to multiple Plains tribes. The Lakota call it Mato Tipila - 'Bear Lodge.' Legend tells of girls fleeing a giant bear; as they prayed for help, the rock rose beneath them, and the bear's claws scored the columns as it tried to climb. Similar bear legends exi...

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Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture | CC BY 2.0

Devils Tower: The Climbing

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CC BY 2.5. Devils Tower is a world-class climbing destination. The first recorded ascent came in 1893, when local rancher William Rogers and partner Willard Ripley drove wooden stakes into a crack and climbed them like a ladder. That stake ladder remained visible for decades. Modern climbin...

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Image: CC BY 2.5

Devils Tower: The Movie

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jonathunder, Public domain. 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977) transformed Devils Tower from a regional landmark into a global icon. Steven Spielberg chose the tower for its otherworldly appearance - it looks alien already. In the film, characters experience visions compelling them to the tower, wh...

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Image: Jonathunder | Public domain

Devils Tower: Visiting Devils Tower

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ben Stephenson from Cleveland, OH, CC BY 2.0. Devils Tower National Monument is located in northeastern Wyoming, accessible via Highway 24 from Interstate 90 (Sundance exit). The monument charges entrance fees (National Parks pass accepted). The Tower Trail circles the base (1.3 miles) and offers dramatic views. The visitor ...

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Image: Ben Stephenson from Cleveland, OH | CC BY 2.0