Devil's Tower National Monument

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We drove to the KOA at Devil's Tower last night. There is a row of tent sites that actually faces Devil's Tower, making it one of the most picturesque camping places we've ever stayed. It's a little surreal to step out of your tent and see the nation's first National Monument right there.

For that reason, I'm glad we stayed at the Devil's Tower KOA, and we would stay there again. However, it was also an expensive stay! We pre-paid online but still had about $5 in fees when we arrived. I didn't understand what they were for. Unfortunately, there was also a burning ban in effect, which wasn't their fault at all, but it meant we couldn't have a campfire to cook our dinner. They told us we could use a gas grill, but they didn't have any available for tent campers to use. That left their little restaurant as our only option to eat. I mean that literally, because this Devil's Tower is in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming. The food at the restaurant was very expensive. The kids split a meal, and Andrew and I split a meal with an extra side of fries. It still came to $30. We were a little grumpy when we had no option but to eat breakfast there in the morning, too. Basically, one night of tent camping ended up costing nearly $50, plus two expensive meals made the trip nearly $100. For camping. It's a good thing they have prime location, otherwise I would have really felt ripped off.

In the morning, after our expensive breakfast, we hopped in the car to head to the monument. The gate to pay is just less than a block down the road from the KOA--that's how close it is! But it's a long, winding road to the visitor's center, and so, for that reason, we took our car. We were one of the first people there, and the visitor's center wasn't open yet. We parked and hiked around the monument with no crowds at all. Some people were climbing the monument, and Andrew explained to me that there are usually a bunch of rattlesnakes at the top. He also took the time to point out the porcupine damage to the ponderosa pine trees. Apparently, they chew through the bark to get to the sweet sap.

As we finished up our little hike, more people started arriving. The visitor's center had opened, and so I got my stamps in my national parks passport, and we headed back to pack up camp. We're hoping to go to Jewel Cave National Monument and Mount Rushmore today!

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Photos

Up Close with the Nation's First National Monument
The signs state that visitor's can't hike beyond the boulders without a permit, but people do get permits to climb the tower. Andrew said that rattle snakes sun themselves on the top.

Examining the Ponderosa Pines
The bark smells like butterscotch, and porcupines chew through the bark to eat the insides of the tree.

Porcupine Damage
Ponderosa pines at Devil's Tower National Monument