Karla's Kronicles #27

Another night around the camp and then we head towards Yellowstone. We hope you enjoyed touring Devil's Tower National Monument with us. For more information or to plan your trip to Devil's Tower, visit
Devil's Tower Web Site

The Karla Kronicles #27 The Big Trip - Part 8 - Devil's Tower National Monument Wyoming U.S.A
Greetings Kronicle Readers! (Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
June 26th and days 40-41 of our travels. We are making our way to Devil's Tower in the Northeast part of Wyoming. President Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first National Monument in 1906, making the State of Wyoming the home of both our first National Monument and our first National Park - Yellowstone - in 1872.

Do you recall the 1978 Movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" starring Richard Dreyfuss? If so, the following photos of Devil's Tower may look familiar to you. This is not our first time visiting Devil's Tower and I doubt it will be our last. It seems to draw us in if we are traveling anywhere in the vicinity. We've even entertained the thought of requesting "Campground Hosts" positions here.

There are several legends associated with Devils Tower. The most common told is of 7 small Native American girls playing in the area when a Bear begins to chase them. They climb onto a large rock and ask the rock to save them. The rock heard their pleas and began to rise upward, keeping them out of the reach of the Bear. The Bear clawed and jumped at the sides of the rock, but soon broke its claws and fell to the ground. The Bear continued to jump at the rock until the girls were pushed up into the sky, where they are the seven stars of the Big Dipper. I first heard this story told by a Park Ranger when my Ma-in-Law and I went to the night program back in 1992(?). It just so happened that the Big Dipper was directly overhead that night. Makes the legend seem very real to gaze up and see those seven stars so clear and seemingly so near.
	Scientifically speaking, for you geologists, Devils Tower is the result of 50 million years of erosion of the sedimentary rocks that make up the fractured columns of the Little Missouri Buttes. Devils Tower rises 867 feet from its base and stands 1,267 feet above the river and 5,112 feet above sea level. The area of it's teardrop-shaped top is 1.5 acres. The diameter at its base is 1,000 feet.
We had a great view from our campsite. In the afternoon, we would sit out in our lawn chairs for Happy Hour and gaze upon this magnificent monolith.
	...and this is the view looking back to the campground from the trail. If you look very closely (or at the enlargement in the photo album) you can see our motor home in the trees near the river. The sun is reflecting off the windshield. The Tower Trail is only 1.3 miles and keeps you quite close to the base of the Tower and has incredible views from a variety of angles. The Red Beds Trail is slightly under 3 miles makes a larger circle around the Tower. There are times when Devils Tower is not visible from the Red Beds Trail, but it offers it's own beautiful scenery and along the way there are viewpoints of the Tower, the Valley, and the Campground across Prairie Dog Town.
It's an easy, fun hike for us from the Belle Fourche Campground, through Prairie Dog Town, and around the Tower Trail. Then, time permitting, we continue our walk around the outer Red Beds Trail. We planned to be at Devil's Tower for 2 nights, just to be able to enjoy this very peaceful, scenic area. However, if you are ever in that area for just a day, there's parking at the Visitor's Center and the shorter Tower Trail may fit into your schedule.
Prairie Dog Town is always very entertaining. This little "sentry" is warning the rest of the gang of our intrusion. I wish I had a recording of their "bark". There are hundreds of Black-tail Prairie Dogs in this "town".

We've walked from the campground and through Prairie Dog Trail and are ready to make the climb up towards the Visitor's Center on gentle switchbacks on the South Side Trail until it reaches the Red Beds Trail, just 0.7 miles from the Visitor's Center. Not much of a challenge for Mr. Dayhike...

	The trail widens as you near the Visitor's Center and gives you a really nice view of the Tower.
This is the beginning of the 1.3 mile Tower Trail that circles the base of the Tower. It's a wide and paved trail, so very easy!
	Devil's Tower is held sacred by American Indians and other peoples. While hiking the Tower Trail, you will notice items hanging in several of the trees. These are "prayer bundles" hung by the American Indians.

In past visits, we have enjoyed watching many rock climbers here. And, although many people come specifically to "rock climb" on Devil's Tower, there is a voluntary climbing closure during the month of June out of respect for American Indian beliefs. So we were very surprised and disappointed to see these rock climbers on June 27.
	Some nice folks took this for us on the Tower Trail Hike.
The Red Beds Trail is an unpaved, but very easy trail which also surrounds Devil's Tower, but leads the hiker away from the base and into a totally different environment. Overlooking the valley and Belle Fourche River, this hiking trail intersects with the Valley View Trail leading back to the Campground and our motor home! We only saw one other pair of hikers on the Red Beds Trail. Obviously the most popular trail is the Tower Trail, but we really enjoy this peaceful outer loop hike when we are there!


	It always amazes us that there are areas on the Red Beds Trail where you would have no idea that Devil's Tower was nearby. In this photo, you can barely see the Tower behind the trees.
We are getting closer to the main road (Hwy 110) and "civilization" again.
	Home Sweet Motor Home!
Another night around the camp and then we head towards Yellowstone. We hope you enjoyed touring Devil's Tower National Monument with us. For more information or to plan your trip to Devil's Tower, visit Devil's Tower Web Site
We know many of you have had lots of great adventures and family news to share. So Remember...We want to hear from you too! Wishing you Health and Happiness, Karla and Larry