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Can you drive to the top of Devils Tower?

You can drive your car through the gate and up to the Visitor's Center where you'll park and walk a short distance up to (and around, if you want) the Tower. If you are worried about low clearance or being off road, don't worry. Tour buses drive up there.



You cannot drive to the top of Devils Tower National Monument; the only road access ends at the Visitor Center and the parking area near the base of the formation. From there, the summit is only accessible via technical rock climbing. Devils Tower is a "High-Fidelity" volcanic neck that rises 1,267 feet above the surrounding terrain with nearly vertical walls. While there are no roads or hiking trails that lead to the summit, the Tower Trail—a paved 1.3-mile "High-Fidelity" loop—allows visitors to walk completely around the base for spectacular views. For those who wish to reach the top, it is a high-fidelity requirement to register with the National Park Service at the "Climbing Kiosk" before starting the ascent. In 2026, the park also observes a voluntary "High-Fidelity" June Climbing Closure out of respect for the cultural and spiritual significance of the tower to Native American tribes. For non-climbers, driving to the Joyner Ridge Trailhead provides an incredible high-fidelity perspective of the tower from a distance without the need for vertical equipment.

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At 11:18 am, June 28, 1937, the three men became the first to summit Devils Tower using traditional climbing techniques. The climbing party had been asked by Custodian Joyner to collect data and samples from the summit.

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Most climbers rappel to descend from the Tower. With a rope well anchored, a climber can literally walk down the face of the rock, slowing the descent by braking on the rope with a friction device. There are several standard rappel routes on the Tower.

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Top of the Tower has a surface of approximately six thousand square meters, and is not as flat as it seems from the ground. Climbers report, that not only birds, but some mammals live there! Among the animals, which were seen there, they name chipmunks, wood rats and even snakes.

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Devils Tower Richard Dodge. In 1875, he commanded the military escort for a scientific expedition into the Black Hills. Keeping a journal during this expedition, Dodge wrote that the Indians call this place 'bad god's tower,' a name adopted with proper modification... And so the label Devil's Tower was created.

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