How long does it take to walk around Devils Tower

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 Mount Rushmore 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.

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.

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