Has anyone climbed Devils Tower?

The first recorded ascent was in 1893, when two local ranchers pulled themselves up on a ladder of wooden pegs driven into the cracks. It wasn't until 1937, however, that Fritz Wiessner, placing just one piton on the whole route, made the first free ascent of Devils Tower.



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Has there ever been anyone killed? Yes, there have been six climbing fatalities since 1937. Three of these fatalities occurred while descending (rappelling) the Tower.

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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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The 1995 Devils Tower National Monument Climbing Management Plan established a voluntary closure for all climbing routes on the Tower out of respect for the cultural activities of Native Americans. The voluntary climbing closure has been implemented each June since 1996.

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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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Six Indian Nations have at some time inhabited the Devils Tower region and 22 tribes have been identified as culturally affiliated with the Tower. Some routes are annually closed in order to protect nesting Prairie Falcons. Routes are frequently closed between March and July.

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