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.

Yes, thousands of people reach the summit of Devils Tower (Bear Lodge) every year, though it requires significant physical effort and technical skill. The first successful ascent was famously recorded on July 4, 1893, by two local ranchers, William Rogers and Willard Ripley, who used a giant wooden ladder they had constructed over several weeks by driving pegs into a vertical crack. Today, modern climbers use traditional "crack climbing" techniques to scale its sheer columns. In 2026, it is estimated that about 1.3% of the monument's 500,000 annual visitors attempt the climb. Most routes are classified as advanced, and all climbers must register with a park ranger before starting. It is also important to note the voluntary June climbing closure, during which many climbers refrain from scaling the tower out of respect for the sacredness of the site to Northern Plains tribes.