History, Mystery & Friendships – Devils Tower, Wyoming

A few years ago, we spent time exporing the Badlands of South Dakota. Running short on time, we planned a travel day to stop at Devil’s Tower, but it wasn’t in the cards. This year, our travels took us through the area, so we planned for a few days so we could explore and get some downtime while we are still recovering from a fast-paced Alaska trip (for those adventures, check out YouTube channel or our homepage travel map for pins).

Devil’s Tower

Devil’s Tower was the first National Monument as part of the national parks system. It was established in 1906 and we were actually there for their 120th birthday, even getting a slice of birthday cake! It’s history is full of mystery as to how the geologic wonder was created, as well as ancestral history for many tribes that called this land home. It’s present is filled with climbers, hikers, and science-fiction ties, while still paying respect to the tribes and their sacred land. In fact, during the month of June many come for prayers and ceremonies, with climbing suspended out of respect. You’ll see many prayer cloths tied to trees as you explore around the base. It gets pretty busy at the park, and not being able to drive in is common. If you are lucky enough to visit when it is quiet, you can feel power in its presence and hear the trees and the tower try to tell their story through the wind.

The KOA campground

We booked four nights at the Devils Tower/Black Hills KOA Journey thinking that would be plenty (spoiler alert, it wasn’t–we ended up staying a full week!) Since we are a big rig, staying inside the park wasn’t an option. And, to be honest, after a summer of mostly boondocking and fall temperatures still in the 80’s, we wanted full hook ups while we tended to daily life and home school. We even upgraded to a premium site for the Tower views and it was absolutely worth it.

There were so many things to love about this campground. Yes–this is the one that pays Close Encounters of the Third Kind every night with the Tower behind it. Fun fact: the campground sits on the site it was filmed! The sites were spacious with incredible views of the Tower out our window, and you can hike to the trails from the campground since you can walk in the park (it was a 3 mile round trip hike from campground, around the tower, and back). The bathhouses and laundry were clean, and laundry was reasonably priced. The mini-golf course was fun. They have hayrides in the evenings, and so much history and fun integrated throughout. The cafe food is delicious, plus the store has ice cream, groceries and souvenirs–and you can enjoy them even if you aren’t staying as a guest!

While the pool was closed for the season, seeing the brands as decor around the pool from those that had lived on the land before was fascinating. We loved getting to sit down with Andrea and hear stories of the family and history. She is the current proprietor and part of the Driskill family that has owned and operated the historic Campstool Ranch that the campground sits on, from the start.

The Bonus – Meeting a Legend

As if the campground history and Devil’s Tower weren’t enough, we got another treat. While chatting with Andrea, Frank Sanders, legendary climber of the Tower and proprietor of the Devil’s Tower Lodge, stopped by. We ended up chatting with him and getting invited up to the Lodge for dinner where we spent the evening watching the sunset behind the Tower as we exchanged stories of travel and adventure with Frank, other climbers and guests of the lodge.

Frank is a spunky spirit and amazing storyteller, but loves hearing stories just as much! Check out his Project 365 from 2007-2008–365 Tower climbs in a year he completed at 57 years old to raise awareness for local reservations. This is one of many stories from his incredible life, so if you travel to the area, getting at least one night at the lodge to hear them from the man himself would be completely worth it!

Whether you are a climber or hiker, sci-fi movie fan, checking off national parks and monuments, or just a nature lover, this area has so much to offer and will not disappoint.

A few tips for a successful visit–arrive early as they are always busy. If you’re in a big rig, you will have to drop your trailer at the lot since parking is limited and tight. Don’t feed the wildlife–even with all the signs, we still saw people doing it, and animals expecting food.

If you do book a trip through this area, whether it’s the lodge or the KOA, let them know we sent you so we can continue showing our gratitude for all the ways they enriched our life this amazing week.

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